What is the career path for a graphic designer?

The career path for a graphic designer involves jobs as a freelance graphic designer, an in-house graphic designer, and a creative director. The graphic designer career path is varied and can result in a number of different creative positions. Here are the key factors in the graphic designer career path:

• Education

It is possible to advance on the graphic design career path without a college degree. However, many in the field hold at least a bachelor's degree in graphic design or another related creative area. Most graphic designer positions do not require advanced degrees, such as a master's or doctoral degree.

• Software proficiency

Advancing on the graphic design career path depends on your expertise concerning various software programs used for graphic design. These may be learned in college but can also be self-taught, learned from online tutorials, or even from boot camps. Many of the most commonly used programs in graphic design are:

• Adobe InDesign

• Photoshop

• Adobe Illustrator

• Adobe XD

• Figma

• Sketch

Building an impressive graphic design portfolio is the only way to advance far on this career path. You can even sidestep some education if you have an impressive enough portfolio. However, you must be well-versed in the proper software to accomplish this.

• Certificate programs

There are also graphic design certificate programs. These programs not only train you on industry software but also present the opportunity to complete projects that you can then use to start building out your graphic design portfolio. Certification programs are not a requirement for this field. However, they can make you more appealing to employers.

• Projects and portfolio building

Whether or not you do a graphic design certificate program, you must start to use some of these software applications to complete personal or low-level contract projects. This is the only way to build a portfolio of work that can propel your career in graphic design.

• Essential skills for graphic design

Graphic designers must have the inherent creative talent to advance in the field, but they also need a wide variety of professional skills. Here are some of the most essential skills for you to advance on the graphic design career path:

• Creativity

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Artistry

• Time-management

• Analytical skills

• Problem-solving abilities

These skills can be developed and honed through education, training, internships, and professional experience.

Many who want to advance in graphic design choose a specialty in the field to focus on, this includes areas like:

• Branding

• Motion graphics

• Digital design

• Web design

• Advertising

Those choosing to specialize can often find it easier to find a niche in the industry and as a result some higher-paying positions. Here are some possible roles for those on the graphic design career path:

• Freelance graphic designer

• In-house graphic designer

• Creative lead

• Creative director

• Lead designer

• Art director

• UX designer

• Web designer