Is Graphic Design a Good Job?
Many people argue about this question, and few understand what a career in graphic design is all about.
In recent years, graphic design has been thought to be a career whereby commercial artists create their visual ideas and later sell their ideas.
The career is extensive and gives designers plenty of room to express themselves in different areas such as logo design, web design, social media advertising, and other printed materials.
Do Graphic Designers Get Benefits?
The graphic design career path gives you a large sum of benefits. For example, many designers are mostly employed by large corporations and work for about 40 hours per week.
On the other hand, designers who work in smaller companies adjust their time to meet their client’s deadlines, and they usually work when needed.
In my opinion, I prefer freelancing, because freelance designers usually experience less stress, as no one is nagging them (with the exception of a few clients) and they have the possibility to arrange their work hours as they want.
But starting a freelance career is a totally different story. If you would like to find out more you can read it here.
What are the Wage Benefits for Graphic Designers?
According to 2018 statistics, the average salary for graphic designers in the United States was 55 thousand dollars annually. This means that designers in America make 26 dollars per hour. This is not bad pay considering the conditions that designers work under.
However, benefits vary among the employers and they include medical, life and vision insurance. They also have retirement benefits.
This is not the same case for self-employed graphic designers since they have to manage their own insurance plans and prepare independently for their retirement.
Is There a Growing Demand for Graphic Designers?
Some recent surveys show that the demand for graphic designers will continue to grow, as the graphic design market is expanding. This is due to the rapid growth in technology and increased web activities.
Freelance Graphic Designers Enjoy a Flexible Working Environment
Graphic design is a unique profession which gives you certain privileges such as working from home.
This is because of the graphic design work only requires access to a computer and an efficient internet connection.
Most freelance designers work from home, and they manage their own working hours according to their deadlines.
Are Designers’ Working Environments Beneficial?
Today many designers work in good working environments which enhances their creativity since many enjoy their workplaces. Designers usually work as a team and build a strong communication system in a corporation.
Another added advantage is that most of their workplaces are well-lit and air-conditioned with supercomputers and drawing boards to make commercial art efficient.
Are There any Disadvantages of Being a Graphic Designer?
You might ask, does graphic design have its disadvantages?
The answer is yes.
For instance, if you are a freelance designer, you are at risk of being unsuccessful unless you market yourself. Your work opportunities are also limited since you depend entirely on freelance jobs.
Unlike other designers in big corporations whose insurance is paid for by their employer, a freelance designer will be responsible for paying for their insurance and plan for their own retirement benefits.
Can a Beginner Graphic Designer Start Working as a Freelancer?
As a beginner in the graphic design industry, it can be hard to immediately start working as a freelancing graphic designer, because you don’t have any references.
Many starting designers enter the designing industry as a junior designer in a graphic design studio or a big agency. After you see how this big world of graphic design works and get a few much-needed references, you can start experimenting with the freelancing work.
Do People Really Value Design?
Today not every company values graphic design, and some designers can be underpaid. But times are changing, and people are starting to notice the added value that graphic design brings to the table.
With graphic design, you can influence how the product or business will look in the eyes of a customer. That’s why some companies that are not design-related have started to employ in-house graphic designers.
Today Everyone is a Designer
The graphic designing industry has been flooded with new designers over the past few years, and today everyone thinks they can design something and sell it for a large amount of money.
But this cannot be further from the truth: if you want to be a professional in this industry, you have to put a lot of work, patience and be always on a lookout for new design trends.
It is true, you can find a designer who can create a logo for $50 or one that will charge you $5000, but the quality of the end product will be evident.
Graphic Design is All About the Precision, Right?
Being a designer requires high levels of professionalism if you are going to survive in the industry. A slight mistake such as an off-balance design element can get your work rejected.
For instance, if you are making a logo for a company, you need to be precise about their elements, and a small hitch can make a difference. Therefore, you need to pay a lot of attention when making designs or otherwise your designs won’t sell.
Do Designers Get Good Pay?
Some designers are underpaid, and others work overtime. In the design world, you might be exposed to several work revisions. This completely spoils the workflow, and some revisions end up not being worth the time.
Graphic Design Sometimes Can be Competitive.
The designing market is highly competitive since there a lot of freelance designers out there who are highly skilled.
In this field, you have to market yourself consistently, and most firms employ designers who have good portfolios.
But if you
are starting as a graphic designer, it can be quite a task to make a portfolio
without any work, so if you don’t have one yet, invest your time into building
one, with some fictional project you came up with yourself.
Even if you have a portfolio, you should update it regularly, so people see that you are following the latest trends.
Commercial Art is Quite Subjective
In this field, you get everyone’s opinion about what they think looks good or bad and as a designer, you must come up with the idea that pleases the client even though the concept is not so pleasing to you, the designer.
This is the dark side of graphic design because sometimes you will be forced to design something from your boss or a client that in your graphic design DNA won’t feel right.
You Can Be Stuck on Doing One Thing
If you specialize in making logos or posters, you might be an expert in this niche but you fail to produce a perfect product in other areas of design and to expand your knowledge in different graphic design fields can sometimes be challenging.
Therefore, it is advisable for a designer to be involved in many different creative projects, which will enhance your skills and update your knowledge.
Sometimes Meeting Deadlines Can be Difficult
Some clients can be annoying, setting up unrealistic deadlines and expecting you to meet the deadlines and work on their revisions.
The pressure can sometimes drive the designer to the edge of quitting the job or even quitting the profession itself.
This cannot be avoided and it is advisable when you encounter such clients to keep calm and carry on with the project since every profession has its drawbacks.
Is Freelance Designing Really The Best?
If you decide to become a freelance designer, you have to be ready to manage yourself in all areas such as marketing, expenses, business development, and your schedules.
This is very crucial, and to stay ahead of the competition, you must be keen on managing these aspects.
Being a freelance designer is flexible, and it may sound like a fun career to many, but it comes with its consequences. Once you fail to plan or manage yourself well, your career might be at risk.
Besides maintaining a good portfolio and having a good marketing plan, you should also be able to issue invoices, tax information and keeping your expenses as low as possible if you want to succeed as a freelance commercial artist.
