Specialties
Most art schools wisely teach graphic design as a general practice, the theory being that the orchestration of type and image, whether on paper or screen, is always based on the same fundamental formal principles. Different media, however, have different requirements. Editorial design is not the same as advertising; advertising is not the same as book design. Each has a unique focus and target. In most cases, the tools are similar but the methodologies are not.
Many graphic designers perform a broad range of tasks, switching media as clients and jobs demand. A designer cannot always afford to specialize because the volume of work in a specialty may not warrant it or competition may be too intense. Therefore, it is prudent at the outset of a career to learn about and practice all the disciplines that strike your interest and fancy as well as those that are growth areas for employment. Although it is not necessary to be expert in everything, it is useful to be fluent in as many forms as possible, at least while you are looking for a career niche.
How is this accomplished? For those bound for art school, there may be no choice. The average design program provides instruction in the basics while spotlighting specialties such as magazine layout, book and record covers, posters, advertising, and Web design in order to provide students with a well-rounded professional portfolio. Once out of school, however, specialization usually calls. If you are hired by a general design firm, exposure to a variety of disciplines is very likely. But if you are hired by an in-house art/design department, specialization is inevitable.
A junior designer at a design firm usually assists on different aspects of various projects, from annual reports to brochures to Web pages. Even if you do not feel entirely confident with a particularly new medium, never refuse an opportunity - in fact, volunteer for as much extra duty as possible within the limits of monetary remuneration (learn as much as you can, but do not allow yourself to become financially exploited in the process).
A junior designer at an in-house corporate or business art/design department is often given a single task. While it is important to build expertise in whatever field this may be, it is also consequential to expand your potential knowledge base. If possible, volunteer for additional jobs that depart from your basic assignment. If the company art department has several divisions, such as print, Web, and exhibition, attempt to assist outside your own area; there is a very good chance you will be given the opportunity to do so.
This advice is not aimed exclusively at neophytes. Experienced designers must also continually broaden their range of expertise, if only to thwart impending obsolescence. For example, when digital technology entered the realm of graphic design, many dedicated print designers turned their attention toward CD-ROM and Internet opportunities. A few enrolled in graduate schools to get more intensive training; others gave up senior print jobs to apprentice or assist others already working in the digital arena. Moving from print to electronic media is not the only possible career change. Many designers who fall into a specialty without previous exposure elsewhere want new challenges and so switch from, say, advertising to editorial, perhaps accepting a lower position to get on-the-job training until achieving proficiency in the new discipline.
Ultimately, the majority of designers pick a specialty (or specialties) and stick with it (them) until the learning curve flattens out or the projects become routine. Of course, depending on their comfort level, some designers spend their entire lives in one job either moving up the corporate hierarchy or, if content with the status quo, remaining at the same basic level. Everyone's ambition is individual and depends on personal needs, wants, drive, and ability. If one hungers for creative challenges, then general practice is preferred; if one longs for consistency, then specialization is a good option.
Your decision to practice in a specific discipline should be considered thoughtfully. While it is true that many designers stumble into a specialty simply because a particular job is available to them, others carefully reconnoiter the job market for the position that most appeals to their passion or interest. Then there is the hip factor: Some job seekers simply want to be hired by the hippest firms - MTV and Nickelodeon Networks rate high among that demographic. There is nothing wrong with this goal - except, of course, that you must be aware that these sought-after companies receive hundreds of applications for comparatively few openings.
It is axiomatic that more is much better than less knowledge, which means that it is important to know what disciplines are available, what they require of a prospective candidate, and how to apply for the job. This section examines genres that hire the greatest number of graphic designers and offers basic information concerning the nature of each at the entry and senior levels. Becoming a graphic designer in any of these showcased disciplines is based on skill and accomplishment - graphic design is nothing if not a meritocracy. When your portfolio is professional (no loose or disorganized scraps of paper), well edited (the number of pieces is limited to the few that show how proficient you are), and smartly paced (showing that you know how to make ideas appear dynamic), then you have a greater likelihood of influencing a prospective employer, if not for the job being considered, then for other possibilities and referrals. Even if you don't get the job, it is important to make a positive impression so that you are remembered for future positions.
Knowing the field is one important way to maximize your chances of entering it. Each specialty has unique needs and wants. Job candidates who desire to make a good impression should design a portfolio that indicates interest, and at least a modicum of expertise, in the selected area.
MAGAZINES
MAGAZINES COME in various shapes, sizes, and frequencies. In any given year, thousands are published on such a wide range of subjects that it is difficult to list them all here. The quality of their design also ranges widely from high to low, with a great deal in between. While this book is not a critical guide to design quality, one important part of any professional equation is indeed the publication's design standard. Does the publisher expect the highest and most rigorous quality or merely competent work? The evidence is usually clear from the look of the magazine itself. The job seeker should decide whether working for a particular publication is going to enhance or detract from future prospects - and from compiling good portfolio samples. Of course, this is ultimately a personal decision. Sometimes acquiring experience is more important than any other concern; sometimes working on the best not only encourages the best but results in greater opportunities later.
Design positions at magazines are frequently available for all experience levels. The intense and constant workflow that goes into periodical design and production demands many participants. A typical hierarchy begins at the top with a design director or art director, who manages the overall design department and design of the magazine, including the format (which either he or an outside design consultant originally designed); this may include overseeing the work of senior and junior page designers and designing pages and covers himself. It may also involve assigning illustration, photography, and typography. (When the budget allows, custom typefaces are also commissioned.) In addition, the art director is involved in meetings with editors (and sometimes authors) concerning article presentation. Some of these duties are invariably delegated to a deputy or associate art director, who does many of the same design tasks as the art director and also may manage, depending on the workload. The deputy or associate may be on a track to move into the art director's position, should it open, or, after acquiring the requisite experience, move on to an art director position at another magazine.
On the next-lower level, senior and junior designers are responsible for designing components of a magazine (features, columns, inserts, etc.). Some design entire spreads or pages and commission the artwork and photography; others design elements of a feature and use the illustrations supplied to them by the art director or the deputy. Some are better typographers than users of art. The difference between senior and junior is usually the degree of experience and talent. The former may have been a junior first or may have been hired directly as a senior from another job; the latter is often right out of school or was an intern while a student. Based on achievement, a senior or junior designer can be promoted to a deputy or associate position. There are no codified rules of acceleration other than merit and need. Therefore, it is not impossible for a junior to be so professionally adept that promotion to the next level is fairly swift. Conversely, merely competent progress in a job is rarely rewarded.
The junior designer position is often at the entry level. Some magazines have additional entry-level jobs, such as unpaid interns or paid assistants who do less critical, yet nevertheless necessary, support work. The most common task is production, such as scanning images into the computer or maintaining electronic files; occasionally, a minimal amount of layout or design work on tightly formatted pages may be assigned. In addition, the intern or assistant is invariably required to act as a gofer, attending to all the odd jobs that need to be done. This is actually a critical juncture for the wannabe because an employer can measure the relative competence or excellence of a worker. Even the lowliest job can result in significant advancement.
The art department is only one nerve junction of a magazine. In some environments, it is on a par with the editorial department (editors and writers), while in others it is the handmaiden. The relative importance of art and design is often linked to the comparative strength and power of the design or art director. Whatever the hierarchy, it is important that editorial designers (at any level) be aware of the editorial process - not merely the schedule but the editorial philosophy of the magazine. Too many bad relationships between design and editorial departments exist because their missions are not in sync. The two departments must complement each other; achieving this is one of the jobs of the design or art director. But even the lowest-level designer must have a precise understanding of what is being editorially communicated in order for the design to not only carry but enhance the content of the publication.
NEWSPAPERS
ALTHOUGH FINANCIAL analysts report that, due to fierce competition with television and online services, newspapers are currently a faltering industry, nonetheless there is an increased demand for art directors, designers, graphics editors, and production personnel at newspapers today. The reasons are fairly simple. Once many newspapers (afternoon, morning, and evening editions) competed in the same locales for the same readership and advertisers. That number has been radically reduced (for example, from their peak in the 1950s, New York City's dailies have been reduced from twelve to three). In most cases, this means that the remaining few papers are larger in size and offer more extensive coverage. In addition, over the past two decades, newspapers have augmented hard news with soft news features, such as lifestyle and home sections. At the same time, printing technology has significantly advanced to allow more innovative visual display (including full-color reproduction). In the past, newspaper composition was carried out by editorial makeup persons who were not trained as artists or designers; today, art directors and designers are responsible for the basic look and feel of the average newspaper.
Another paradox that makes newspapers a welcoming job market is the precipitous decline in the number of art directors and designers specifically trained for this medium. Despite the newspaper's ubiquity, few art schools and colleges offer courses dedicated to its design. If they exist at all, they are folded into a general publication design curriculum. Many who work in newspaper design departments never formally studied the discipline in school classes - they came through school newspapers, internships/apprenticeships, or junior or senior design positions at magazines - hence the current demand for designers exclusively trained in the newspaper environment. Various journalism schools have started news design courses, but getting a newspaper job and learning from hands-on experience is still a viable option at the entry-level stage.
Over the past decade, newspapers have introduced new job categories unique to this industry. One notable entry is the graphics editor, a hybrid of editor and designer, who is responsible for the information graphics (charts, graphs, and maps) that appear regularly in most newspapers. This new sub-genre has become essential to contemporary newspaper content.
The newspaper industry has distinct hierarchies, but each newspaper has different jobs and job descriptions; the following are typical. Beginning at the entry level, the best way to start is as an intern. All newspapers employ seasonal (usually paid) interns as junior copypersons, who act as assistants-in-training to the various news desks. Likewise, the art department (which is often under the wing of the news department) employs a design intern to work directly with designers or art directors. The New York Times, for example, hires one intern a year for a ten-week stint. Often, art department interns are selected from art schools or universities with publication design programs (the candidates need not have had newspaper experience, although some newspaper work is a definite advantage). The tasks given the intern vary depending on the publication; one newspaper may offer intensive training in design, production, and information graphics, while another may have the intern do gofer work (scanning, making copies, or whatever clerk-like tasks are necessary). Internships sometimes lead to permanent employment; sometimes they do not. An internship is a kind of test for an employer to ascertain how well an individual fits, professionally and personally, into a specific art department.
The next level is usually more permanent. If a newspaper has junior designer or design assistant positions, these are often full-time jobs with various responsibilities. The experience necessary may be an internship at a newspaper or magazine or a junior position, preferably at a newspaper. Regardless of experience, juniors may be hired on the formal and conceptual strength of the portfolio.
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Excerpted from Becoming a Graphic Designer by Steven D. Heller Excerpted by permission.
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