3 answers
Allison
Student
Yuma, Arizona
1
Question
Updated
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What is it like having a career as a graphic designer ?
My name is Allison I’m from Yuma Arizona and I’m interested into graphic designing and have some questions.
My first question about being a graphic designer, is stressful being a graphic designer?
My second question is, being a graphic designer worth the money and time your putting in it?
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3 answers
Updated
Ken’s Answer
Hi Allison,
I'm thrilled that you're interested in graphic design. Have you been to Disney Land? Universal Studio? Or perhaps any other theme parks. To me, graphic design is like a theme park. It's got all kinds of things that one can enjoy. Some people like the rides, some like the parades, some enjoy the shows. Graphic design as a career can mean many different things. I have friends who makes books for a living. Another friend pitch Super Bowl commercials at big agencies. Another as a contractor who gets jobs from all sort of different places. And I work at a big company creating marketing campaigns. We all do different designs and live very different lives, all under the big umbrella of Graphic Design.
Stress is part of the job. My book designing friend stress about the shrinking book industry. My Super Bowl pitching friend stress about if she's got the idea that would go viral. My freelancer friend stress about where the next job comes from. I stress about our business going into recession. But we all love what we do and wouldn't trade anything for it.
As for if it's worth it, I hope you can tell from what I've been saying. We love what we do, so yes, it's worth it for us. My book making friend loves typography. My Super Bowl pitching friend loves the thrill of pitching. My freelance friend loves the flexibility. I love solving problem for my team. But for you, I think you want to start think about why do you want to go into graphic design? If you love creativity, problem solving, researching and reading, art, and/or communication, you're probably in the right place.
I hope you find out the why for yourself. If you continue this journey in graphic design, you'll keep hearing people say: it's the why that matters.
Good luck.
I'm thrilled that you're interested in graphic design. Have you been to Disney Land? Universal Studio? Or perhaps any other theme parks. To me, graphic design is like a theme park. It's got all kinds of things that one can enjoy. Some people like the rides, some like the parades, some enjoy the shows. Graphic design as a career can mean many different things. I have friends who makes books for a living. Another friend pitch Super Bowl commercials at big agencies. Another as a contractor who gets jobs from all sort of different places. And I work at a big company creating marketing campaigns. We all do different designs and live very different lives, all under the big umbrella of Graphic Design.
Stress is part of the job. My book designing friend stress about the shrinking book industry. My Super Bowl pitching friend stress about if she's got the idea that would go viral. My freelancer friend stress about where the next job comes from. I stress about our business going into recession. But we all love what we do and wouldn't trade anything for it.
As for if it's worth it, I hope you can tell from what I've been saying. We love what we do, so yes, it's worth it for us. My book making friend loves typography. My Super Bowl pitching friend loves the thrill of pitching. My freelance friend loves the flexibility. I love solving problem for my team. But for you, I think you want to start think about why do you want to go into graphic design? If you love creativity, problem solving, researching and reading, art, and/or communication, you're probably in the right place.
I hope you find out the why for yourself. If you continue this journey in graphic design, you'll keep hearing people say: it's the why that matters.
Good luck.
Natalie Cellini
Graphic Designer
30
Answers
Havertown, Pennsylvania
Updated
Natalie’s Answer
Hi Allison! Being a graphic designer can be a bit stressful depending on where you work. My most recent position was a contract job as a junior graphic designer for a marketing company. We always had deadlines to meet for projects. That could get a little stressful on days where we were really busy and had a lot of different projects to get done before the end of the day. Other days when we were slow we had plenty of time to work on things. I worked with a really great team of designers so we always kept good communication with each other. I think being a graphic designer is definitely worth the money if it's something you're really passionate about. It's so rewarding to see your finished design, and it feels great when a client gives you positive feedback.
Kate Donalson
Art Director
20
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Kate’s Answer
Hi Allison! I've been a graphic design my entire professional career - over 30 years! I've worked for a variety of companies: a publisher, a print shop with design services, ad agencies and now I am an in-house designer for a software company.
To answer your first question, doing graphic design in itself is not stressful -at least not to me. I love creative work and I can get into a "zen flow mode" when working on a layout. That said, sometimes deadlines are tight and certain clients can be difficult to work with. But that's true in many other careers, not just design.
For me, being a designer has definitely been worth the time and money! If you have any more questions I'll be happy to answer them.
To answer your first question, doing graphic design in itself is not stressful -at least not to me. I love creative work and I can get into a "zen flow mode" when working on a layout. That said, sometimes deadlines are tight and certain clients can be difficult to work with. But that's true in many other careers, not just design.
For me, being a designer has definitely been worth the time and money! If you have any more questions I'll be happy to answer them.