2 answers
Caroline
Student
Rock Hill, South Carolina
1
Question
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Graphic Design?
What are the pros and cons of having a career in graphic design?
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2 answers
Brooke Scarborough
Product Design / Graphic Design
2
Answers
Ellicott City, Maryland
Updated
Brooke’s Answer
I was a graphic designer for about 10 years. Here are the pros and cons that I can think of:
PROS:
1. Graphic design is a fun, creative career! You work on so many projects, both big and small and get to express your creativity.
2. There are opportunities to work with management and C-suite employees. They are the drivers for needing creativity.
3. You get to work with different teams (if you work in a corporate internal dept) or different companies/products (agency) and are exposed to so many people.
4. It is typically a 9-5 job so regular business hours.
5. Low-risk job. There is typically no such thing as a "design emergency", unless you work for a demanding company/agency.
6. It can be done virtually and work remotely or hybrid schedule.
7. There is potential career growth. You typically start as an entry level designer and can work your way up to senior designer or creative director. Some people choose to go into management with their graphic design career.
8. You are exposed to so many different design types as a graphic designer, depending on where you work. There is animation, typography, social media, print, promo items, posters/banner design, etc.
CONS:
1. It is a competitive industry and you have to have a good portfolio to land a decent job.
2. Most companies have brand standards and strict guidelines to follow. Some industries don't give that much creative freedom and some roles can be super basic of just changing out copy on templates and tedious tasks.
3. The pay is average
4. If you freelance, you work for yourself and don't get benefits like health insurance, 401k match, free computer etc.
5. Graphic design is vague and companies want you to have skills in photography, marketing, typography, animation, event planning, etc. It is difficult to be an expert in everything. I have been tasked with very random tasks like corporate interior design which is way outside of my job role.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
PROS:
1. Graphic design is a fun, creative career! You work on so many projects, both big and small and get to express your creativity.
2. There are opportunities to work with management and C-suite employees. They are the drivers for needing creativity.
3. You get to work with different teams (if you work in a corporate internal dept) or different companies/products (agency) and are exposed to so many people.
4. It is typically a 9-5 job so regular business hours.
5. Low-risk job. There is typically no such thing as a "design emergency", unless you work for a demanding company/agency.
6. It can be done virtually and work remotely or hybrid schedule.
7. There is potential career growth. You typically start as an entry level designer and can work your way up to senior designer or creative director. Some people choose to go into management with their graphic design career.
8. You are exposed to so many different design types as a graphic designer, depending on where you work. There is animation, typography, social media, print, promo items, posters/banner design, etc.
CONS:
1. It is a competitive industry and you have to have a good portfolio to land a decent job.
2. Most companies have brand standards and strict guidelines to follow. Some industries don't give that much creative freedom and some roles can be super basic of just changing out copy on templates and tedious tasks.
3. The pay is average
4. If you freelance, you work for yourself and don't get benefits like health insurance, 401k match, free computer etc.
5. Graphic design is vague and companies want you to have skills in photography, marketing, typography, animation, event planning, etc. It is difficult to be an expert in everything. I have been tasked with very random tasks like corporate interior design which is way outside of my job role.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Kim Schiavone
Illustrator and Graphic Designer
45
Answers
Missoula, Montana
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Such a great question, as there are always pros and cons to every decision, every career choice :D I think that in deciding on a career, asking this question can give you the most helpful information. If the cons you learn are ones that really don't suit your personality and preferences, it may be best for you to choose a different career goal.
These are my Graphic Design Pros:
Every new request for design work is an exciting opportunity to create something that will work within a framework.
Material costs are relatively low and consistent, as pretty much the only thing you need for digital work is your computer/devices and software.
In today's digital world, there are no physical barriers to doing work anywhere -- you can most often work from home.
It feels good to be able to help people with their goals by designing specifics that will help them succeed.
Graphic Design needs in the market for businesses and publications is ever increasing and consistent.
Problem solving can be very fun and fulfilling -- a skill that when combined with creativity can make you successful.
and Cons:
If you are an entrepreneur running your own business, marketing yourself is incredibly time consuming and requires constant effort. This is unpaid work.
If you are working for yourself, you will not have health benefits. It can be "feast or famine" in getting work. The size of the project and thus, the pay will vary greatly. While working on a project, you must also always be looking for more work. Sometimes, the customers who would benefit the most from your work can't afford to pay you. Also, when you write proposals, you have to "sell" yourself, your ideas, why you are the best choice. Proposal work is not paid. A lot of people don't understand all the skills and experience that are necessary for this work, especially in today's digital environment, and think you should work for pennies.
After working very hard on a proposal for work, the customer can and will just decide that they're going to do something else or decline to contract for the work. If you counted on this for a number of months while spending time communicating with them about the project, this will feel as though you wasted precious time and now don't have any income coming in.
If you work for a business or corporation, work can be very consistent, but may not be the creative work that makes you excited. You will do the work that the business needs you to do, and that may be very boring production work. Also, corporations these days most often do not take good care of their employees -- no matter how committed, loyal, talented or hard working they are. Businesses are only interested in profit, and this can make a sustainable living tentative.
In today's constantly changing technology, you need to be willing to constantly be learning and changing the way that you work.
Hope this helps you with your decision!
These are my Graphic Design Pros:
Every new request for design work is an exciting opportunity to create something that will work within a framework.
Material costs are relatively low and consistent, as pretty much the only thing you need for digital work is your computer/devices and software.
In today's digital world, there are no physical barriers to doing work anywhere -- you can most often work from home.
It feels good to be able to help people with their goals by designing specifics that will help them succeed.
Graphic Design needs in the market for businesses and publications is ever increasing and consistent.
Problem solving can be very fun and fulfilling -- a skill that when combined with creativity can make you successful.
and Cons:
If you are an entrepreneur running your own business, marketing yourself is incredibly time consuming and requires constant effort. This is unpaid work.
If you are working for yourself, you will not have health benefits. It can be "feast or famine" in getting work. The size of the project and thus, the pay will vary greatly. While working on a project, you must also always be looking for more work. Sometimes, the customers who would benefit the most from your work can't afford to pay you. Also, when you write proposals, you have to "sell" yourself, your ideas, why you are the best choice. Proposal work is not paid. A lot of people don't understand all the skills and experience that are necessary for this work, especially in today's digital environment, and think you should work for pennies.
After working very hard on a proposal for work, the customer can and will just decide that they're going to do something else or decline to contract for the work. If you counted on this for a number of months while spending time communicating with them about the project, this will feel as though you wasted precious time and now don't have any income coming in.
If you work for a business or corporation, work can be very consistent, but may not be the creative work that makes you excited. You will do the work that the business needs you to do, and that may be very boring production work. Also, corporations these days most often do not take good care of their employees -- no matter how committed, loyal, talented or hard working they are. Businesses are only interested in profit, and this can make a sustainable living tentative.
In today's constantly changing technology, you need to be willing to constantly be learning and changing the way that you work.
Hope this helps you with your decision!