Surplus: Why the Advertising Industry Needs Video Game Designers How to Build a Career in Landscape Design Three Reasons to Get an Online Design Degree Are You the Next Julia Child? How to Make a Writing Career Work for You

Graphic Design: The Perks of Art with a Purpose

By Wendy Croix
Learning & Life Columnist

Imagine a creative career where you don't have to live hand to mouth because your salary prospects exceed those of most fine artists and craftspeople. Now, imagine the fastest growing design job through 2014. You're thinking of graphic design--artistry you can practice with an associate's degree from a graphic design school or a bachelor's degree from an art school or college.

You can even work in graphic design with a degree from an online program. So many roads into graphic design, and so many creative perks are available in this profession.

• One Word: Options

  Get a graphic design degree, and you can parlay your college training into dozens of design jobs. Graphic designers can find careers with publishers, ad agencies, corporate design departments, visual media, web design companies, and virtually any organization, publishing in any medium.

• Making What You Dream

  Talk about a perk. You get to create whatever image you can imagine. You may make CD covers or magazine ads, catalog layouts or media graphics, logos or posters, or books or movie title sequences--all culled directly from your imagination.

• Invention and Identity

  Milton Glaser's "I (Heart) New York" defined a culture. You'll have that same opportunity to transform and define our world through your graphic art.

• Flexibility

  Three in ten graphic designers work for themselves. If the thought of being your own boss and working the hours that fit your biorhythms appeals to you, then getting a graphic design degree is the first step toward career freedom.

• Hot Job Path

  Multimedia design, especially for the Internet, pays exceptionally well and provides a growth industry for graphic artists. When you get your graphic design degree from an online program, you actually study in your creative medium.

According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts, entry-level designers earn, on average, $32,000. Staff-level designers bank $42,500, and senior designers in supervisory positions pocket $56,000. Design firm owners or partners can make six figures. Who says you have to starve for your art?

Sources

• A Digital Dreamer.com
• American Institute of Graphic Arts
• Exploring Careers. JIST Publishing, Inc. 2003.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook

About the Author
Wendy Croix, Ph.D. is a freelance writer, cultural critic and university professor. In her twenty years as a professional educator, Wendy has guided hundreds of students toward the careers of their dreams.

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 Photography Web Design

	B.S. in Information Technology - Multimedia and Visual Communication More Programs Associate's (AABA) - Visual Communication Bachelor's (BFA) - Digital Design More Programs Game Art & Design Graphic Design More Programs

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