William had always enjoyed learning about and fooling around with photoshop, javascript, sql and many other applications. He had easily selected graphic arts and publishing as his college major several years back and wanted to learn as much as possible while going to school. While he knew basic coursework would be very valuable, he also hoped he could get some hands on experience as well. He polished up his resume and applied for several internships with a great many companies located near his campus.
He applied at a few graphic design firms, a marketing firm, and he applied at a local printing company, hoping he could see an imagesetter operator and screen platesetters in action. He felt that learning about all the equipment and software used in the graphic arts and publishing business it could be of great help to him with his future career. As he studied his coursework he was surprised by all the facets of graphic artistry.
While he had always been a good artist, he had never considered other skill sets which would benefit him as he pursued his career. He decided he would strive to develop some talents in a few specific graphic arts technologies. The following are a few categories that anyone considering a career in the graphic arts may wish to familiarize themselves with as they seek to become a well rounded candidate for post graduation positions.
A graphic artist can be aided by a familiarity with print production. Even if an artist has no plans to be involved in producing press based art work, a knowledge of the industry can be very helpful. Like all graphic artistry, print production involves visualization and an eye for color, sequence, and scope. A graphic designer is very often called upon to create printed materials. Understanding the process involved in printing can give a solid basis for how an artist selects his colors and designs his final product.
A graphic artist can be aided by a familiarity with extensive software programs. The ever changing landscape of available software, as well as frequent updates to already existing software, makes it necessary for the graphic artist to have more than a casual knowledge of all design software programs.
A graphic artist can benefit from a strong background in writing and editing. Particularly with the desktop publishing component of graphic design comes the necessity for excellent writing and editing skills. Graphic artists are often called upon to offer editing or re-writing services to assigned projects.
A graphic artist can benefit from an understanding of photography. Graphic designers sometimes use photographs to create their concepts and designs. Having an eye for good photography and a working knowledge of photography processing makes it easier for an artist to make wise design choices.
For the person wishing to pursue a career as a graphic artist, consider taking coursework in photography, writing, editing, multiple computer software applications, and printing technology in addition to regular graphic arts classes. This coursework, combined with hands on experience, will put a graduate in an excellent position to be considered for available jobs.