How to Build a Career in Landscape Design Three Reasons to Get an Online Design Degree Imagine Yourself as an Interior Designer How to Make a Writing Career Work for You Are You the Next Julia Child?

Graphic Design Degrees may Lead to Exotic Jobs

By Kirk Bangstad
Learning & Life Columnist

"We'll have to do this interview in between shots," said Elise Plakke, the Senior Photography Art Director for L.L. Bean, a popular outdoor apparel retailer and direct marketer.

Elise was in the middle of a photo shoot on a beach in Mexico. She was busy preparing her company's upcoming catalog when I called to tell her I was writing an article on graphic design careers and wanted to interview her.

The Path of a Photography Art Director

In the few years since she graduated with a graphic design degree, Elise has achieved quite a bit. She landed her first job after graduation at a large Midwestern branding firm. Like most other college graduates in this field, she was given a position with the firm based on the quality of her design portfolio and on personal interviews.

While at this agency, Elise quickly displayed a keen eye for design. In a short time, she was given more responsibility and put on larger accounts, all the while picking up new skills and experiences.

Rising to the title of Senior Art Director, Elise was ultimately responsible for creating the content of her projects, from concept to completion; directing design, copy, and photography.

"One of our larger accounts was with a bicycle manufacturer. My responsibilities included gathering photography assets for the next season's use across different channels: print, web, interactive CD's, dealer training videos, advertising, etc," says Elise. "I hired photographers, determined where we would set up the shoots, discussed the concepts and created the stories to ensure that we got the shots we needed.

"We spent a lot of time on the California, Oregon, and Washington coastline. Professional cyclists endorsed the bikes and following them on the road or mountain added credibility. This experience led me to my current position at L.L. Bean when they needed photography direction experience based [on]... outdoor sporting goods market."

Travel and Outdoor Excitement with a Graphic Design Degree

The job Elise has now would be a good fit for anyone who enjoys traveling and spontaneously creating on locations. Since she started working on Gear and Traveler catalogs, Elise has worked throughout Mexico and New England, and is preparing for upcoming shoots in scenic Utah, Colorado, and Canada.

"This company sells outdoor apparel, meaning that our goal in marketing these products is to show people how fun experiencing the outdoors can be. We create the inspiration by going to these destination driven places and capturing people doing the activity, yet having fun on camera.

"The hours are long and photo shoots range between two and twelve days of (back-to-back) early call times, say 5:30 am. Do I miss a weekend or two? Yes, but the travel and time spent outside in the world, collaborating with talent from all over the world - it's rewarding when it all comes together."

The Many Possibilities of a Design Degree

Elise is a great example of how a degree in graphic design can unveil a path in many marketing or advertising arenas. A graphic design education is very versatile today because it can be applied to a number of different technically creative fields. Today's graphic design students learn how to use layout software tools such as Quark, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. These programs prepare them for work in all types of media.

The rapidly growing market for web-based information and video entertainment, including TV and movies, ensures that demand for graphic designers is forecasted to grow throughout the year 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The BLS reported that in 2002, approximately 212,000 graphic designers were employed throughout the States, earning on average over $36,000 a year - enough to splurge on a massage in Mexico after a long week's shoot, I imagine.



About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is an artist manager and singer working in Chicago, IL. His previous experience includes consulting for technology companies in the Silicon Valley and serving as a field director and publicist for a statewide political campaign. Kirk holds a B.A. in government from Harvard University.

More Creative Career Articles

Add to My Favorites

	Location: --- All Locations --- Online ------------------------ Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico ------------------------ Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory London Degree: --- All Degrees --- Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral Diploma Certificate Coursework Subject: --- All Subjects --- Architecture Arts and Design Beauty and Cosmetology Business Communication and Media Computer Culinary Education Engineering Health and Clinical Legal and Law Enforcement Liberal Arts and Humanities Other Science Social Services Travel and Hospitality Vocational/Technician Program: --- All Programs --- Advertising Fashion Design Film and Video Game Design Graphic Design Illustration Industrial Design Interior Design Music Performing Arts Photography Web Design

	Associate's (AABA) - Visual Communication Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications More Programs Digital Design Game Art & Design More Programs

	Put your creativity to work for you! Get an education in design or the culinary arts.