Any Graphic Designers Out There?

[liloloveselvis]

Hi All-

So I need some educational advice. I currently work in television, but am hoping to change careers and go into graphic design. Luckilly I live in New York City, so there are plently of places to take classes. The problem is I have no idea how serious a degree I need. Can you work in the graphic design field with a certificate, or associates, or does it need to be a full on bachelors (keep in mind I already have a bachelors degree in film & television). Anyway, what I want to know is how important having a degree is in graphic deign. Any advice anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Right now I'm overwhelmed with education options, so I would love help or suggestions.

Thanks!

[Dracula766]

I have an associates degree in visual communications and I've been in the Biz for over 10 years.

I would say that if you are looking to work in a very corporate environment then they might be looking more at your degree. If you are looking into something more like marketing or entertainment or anywhere that you will have to be very creative in your thinking then all you need is a really the proper skill sets and strong portfolio that shows what you can do.

[DisneyDog]

I sent you a PM.

[LauraF]

:raises hand:

You can have a degree in graphic design, computer design or fine art to get into the field. (I was the latter, but I concentrated in computer design in school). Most of my coworkers had bachelors in art and occasionally went on for further certification classes for special techniques.

It depends on what kind of designer you want to be. Do you want to be:

a production artist - does the really basics of page layout dirty work or replicating a major design into 500 different sizes, formats, colors and separations. (Perfect for associate degree folks)
a concept designer - comes up with creative ways to brand a campaign and lets the team flesh them out (need bachelors and loads of experience)
photo artist- does photo correction and artwork/illustration manipulation (bachelors)
prepress - not so common anymore with computers which can do this, but they would take the mechanicals and convert them to something the press could understand. (degree depends)

(I leave out web and interactive designers, but that's an option too, just different from a regular graphic designer.)

Personally, I've never been impressed with students who come to me with a associates degree - most of them have to be taught the very basics over again before they're useful. They tended to have no idea how to design for print ("what's pantone?"), what the difference between the types of fonts were, or how to use the required software efficently. (I used hire freelance designers for my previous job in an ad agency.) That's not to say it's a waste for you to go that route - just the programs here in New England didn't tend to churn out great students. NYC has better schools for one thing. :D

If you are doing TV design now (I'm assuming you do the graphics) you could probably move over without too much trouble, but you'd have to do some fancy talking and prove you know how to work for print. You may need to find someone down your way and take them to lunch to pick their brain to find out what the market requires. Every place is a bit different.

Good luck. It's a very fast-paced career, but you should be used to that if you're in Media. :thumbsup:

[Dracula766]

HEE HEE
"Whats a pantone?"

I worked at a newspaper back in 97 where anytime a new person got hired in the prepress area we'd send them to the pressroom and told them to ask for some "halftone dots"

It was a barrel of laughs everytime.

[LauraF]

HEE HEE
"Whats a pantone?"

I worked at a newspaper back in 97 where anytime a new person got hired in the prepress area we'd send them to the pressroom and told them to ask for some "halftone dots"

It was a barrel of laughs everytime.
LOL!

That's like one of the people I worked with who told people he was a "stripper" in college. A lithographic stripper. :D