Ask the expert: graphic designing as a career option

What are the qualities needed to become a graphic designer? I’m interested in pursuing this as a career.

A graphic designer is someone who creates a visual to communicate an idea and it is their job to create appealing designs, illustrations and concepts targeted towards a specific audience. Design can be used for commercial, educational, political or cultural purposes Their work is seen daily in the media – television, the internet and print.

Graphic design consists of visual elements and design theory.

Graphic designers need to communicate effectively with clients and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately reflect the desired message. As a graphic designer you’ll need to listen to clients and understand their needs before making any design decisions. Graphic designers work with both text and images and decide how text and images go together on a page or screen.

Graphic designers must also keep up with new and updated computer graphics and design software, either on their own or through enrolling in formal software training programmes.

With all of the sophisticated software available now, it is no longer necessary that you be a brilliant artist, but you should be able to do basic sketches and drawings as it is important to convey your ideas to others.

As is the case in most disciplines, some of the skills you will need can be taught, and some you will need to be born with. For graphic designers, aptitude for design or an eye for art tend to be innate and it is advisable to venture into this field only if you have these skill sets. It is also necessary to have good communication skills as you will be continually interacting with clients and employers. Most importantly, you should be able to think creatively and churn out innovative solutions.

As in other creative fields, remember you will need to resolve the occasional clash between your artistic ideas and client requirements.

The nature of the job also requires working late to meet deadlines, and communicating effectively with clients and other members of the team.

Graphic designers perform a majority of their duties on a computer and should be comfortable working with different types of computers, including both Macs and PCs. They should be familiar with a wide range of design software, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver and the like.

Your work will be used for websites, advertising, in books, magazines, posters, brochures, computer games, product packaging, corporate identities and corporate communication.