Profession computer graphics and design. Who is a graphic designer

Design is one of the most popular industries in our country. Who doesn’t call themselves a designer: from serious website developers to ordinary manicurists. However, the most real designer is Graphic Designer.

In our time of widespread computerization, drawing on paper has remained the lot of artists. All other specialties related to it have long grown into computer ones. A graphic designer is no exception. This is what this person does “scientifically”: “carries out artistic and design activities to create a harmonious and effective visual and communicative environment.” In fact, everything is not so scary, it’s just that their field of activity is books, magazines, advertising and websites. It is these specialists who develop the visual design of pages on the Internet, magazines and books, and the fonts used to print articles in newspapers.

To work effectively in the field of design, you must have knowledge of special programming languages ​​such as Pearl and Java. You also need to know the basics of computer layout and layout languages ​​- HTML, XML and others. At the same time, the graphic designer himself can already use ready-made images, photos and printed materials. His task is not to write texts or film. He must ensure that these texts and photos are presented on the website or in print in the most favorable light, beautifully, effectively and unusually. This is exactly the goal of a graphic designer.

It is possible that after listing the functions, you really liked the profession of “graphic designer”. “Where can I study this specialty?” - you naturally ask. Now there are a huge number of courses that provide the necessary “crusts”; many faculties of the Arts, Graphics and Architectural Universities have also begun to produce such specialists. In general, you can turn to them first. However, the knowledge that you receive within the walls of educational institutions will not guarantee your success in graphic design. Because first of all, learning skills occurs in the process of work. That is why in Russia a large number of specialists do not have a diploma in this profession, which, however, does not prevent them from working successfully.

In general, the face of your knowledge in this profession will be your graphic designer portfolio - this is a selection of the most successful projects in this area, which were implemented by you personally. It and only it will tell about your skills better than any diploma or recommendations. So remember, only hard work and self-improvement will make you a truly good designer. Undoubtedly, you cannot do in this profession without a vivid imagination, the ability to look at things in a non-standard way and a sense of style.

All these qualities result in such an interesting and mysterious profession - a graphic designer. If you also want to try yourself in this specialty, go ahead and everything will work out for you!

A graphic designer specializes in design environment by means of graphics.

Graphic Designer(from English design- drawing, sketch, plan.) specializes in the design of the environment using graphics. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in drawing and computer science (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).

It works with signs, billboards, posters, signs, signs and diagrams that we see in large quantities around, and also takes care of the readability of the information we need, such as Internet sites, magazines, newspapers, leaflets, book and CD covers, restaurant menus, product catalogs, business cards, as well as packaging of products, manufactured goods and graphic design of shop windows. From this brief listing we can understand that wherever we go, we will definitely see a variety of works. graphic design. The profession of a graphic designer has several directions, and one designer can work in either one of them, or combine two or three directions. Let's look at them.

Graphic design of space. These are signs and indicators by which a person navigates in the urban environment, in shopping and business centers. All kinds of signs on the doors, road signs, signs of various kinds of goods in stores and the like. A subway map, for example, is also a work of graphic design. The main thing in this area is to ensure that the sign is read in a second, and the diagram is as convenient as possible for the perception of information.

Corporate identity and branding. Each company wants to have its own style by which clients and customers will recognize it. Every manufacturer wants to attract maximum attention to their product and sell it by packaging it in stylish and informative packaging. This is what a graphic designer does. He develops the company's sign and logo, recommends certain fonts and corporate colors, recognizable graphic elements, after which he creates the entire set of corporate identity, including presentation sets and a variety of printed products. And he also necessarily compiles a guide on how to use the created style for everyone who will work on advertising for this company, its product or service.

Font development is a special area of ​​graphic design. Here the designer creates readable text fonts that last a long time and are least influenced by fashion, yet each font has its own character. Creating a font imposes a huge number of rules on the creator, but despite this, designers manage to create something new in this area time after time. In addition, type designers create a variety of decorative fonts, the fashion for which is rapidly changing.

Advertising design. Advertisers are engaged in developing effective communications between the seller and the buyer; for this they research the market, target audience and issue a series of advertising concepts. But to implement these concepts, they turn to a graphic designer who visualizes their advertising ideas. And under the hour, it is visualization in advertising that plays a fairly large role.

Design of books, magazines and newspapers. In a glossy magazine publishing house, a designer develops the layout grid and style of each section depending on its nature, draws graphic elements, monitors the correct text formatting and cropping of images, and works on the cover. In book publishing, he also works on the publication style, taking into account both the requirements of GOST and fashion trends in book format.

Design for the Internet. Graphic designers are involved in this area with the creation of Internet sites, banners, making the virtual environment as convenient as possible for Internet users and at the same time aesthetically pleasing. The design of the website and Internet banners is included in the development of the company’s corporate identity and is prescribed in the style guide. At the same time, a graphic designer does not necessarily have to master website layout technologies, except in cases where he narrowly specializes in this area. But in any case, he must know the rules for creating a virtual graphic space.

Training to become a graphic designer

Conducts and. Graphic design training is conducted using proprietary programs and methods that allow you to quickly acquire the necessary knowledge to enter the industry. professional activity. Training takes place in specially equipped art workshops and computer classes in the center of Moscow. Monthly payment in installments. Groups up to 10 people. 4 forms of training (evening, daytime, weekend group and mixed).

In this course, you can obtain the profession of a graphic designer remotely in 1-3 months. Diploma of professional retraining established by the state. Training in a completely distance learning format. Largest educational institution additional prof. education in Russia.

The profession of a designer can be obtained in universities that have a design department with a specialization in graphic design, as well as in secondary specialized educational institutions in the departments of design and publishing.

Workplace

Graphic designers work in design studios, branding and advertising agencies, publishing houses and in any government enterprises and private firms that prefer to have their own designer on staff.

Salary

Salary as of March 26, 2019

Russia 30000—50000 ₽

Moscow 35000—130000 ₽

Important qualities

Developed artistic taste. Figurative and volumetric-spatial thinking. Initiative. Creativity, ingenuity. Sense of style. Visual memory. Involvement in modern culture.

Knowledge and skills

Ability to express ideas graphically (also often called freehand drawing). Knowledge of art history, design and their current state. Possession of specialized computer programs: AdobePhotoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.

Every object created by man initially carries an aesthetic principle and has some vital purpose, in other words, a function. Design, if we talk about the word, has an ambiguous interpretation. The main translation options from English are the following words: plan, project, pattern, drawing, intention, intent.

It turns out that the designer, on the one hand, is a designer, on the other, a constructor (I think this does not have to be associated with industrial design). But if you take a global look, he is a person who determines the ideology of the subject on which or with which he works (regardless of whether it is printing, architecture, transport...). Design today is a capacious concept in our consciousness and develops according to time, spiritual and material culture among which we live.

Graphic design(from the English design - plan, project, drawing, drawing) is a specific area of ​​artistic and design activity, which is aimed at creating visual elements distributed through mass media.

Surprisingly, this field of design is relatively young; its birth date is officially considered to be 1964. Then the first congress took place International Society graphic design organization “ICOGRADA” (International Council of Graphic Designers Associations). Graphic design, in fact, is an independent direction applied arts V modern world. A graphic designer is a specialist in a creative profession who masters the methods of “information” design and boldly uses the means of art in his work. Visual creatives are what graphic designers are often called.

Graphic design

In our time graphic design used in film and television, public relations, advertising, printing and publishing. And rightly it is sometimes called communication design. Thanks to graphic design, visual messages are created from a short advertising block to a multi-page publication.

The results of the creative work of a graphic designer are embodied in printing in a variety of forms:

– information brochures and posters;
– booklets, leaflets and business cards;
– advertising pages of magazines and advertisements;
– newspapers, books and brochures, etc.

Areas where graphic design is rapidly developing include:
– outdoor advertising and information media;
– film and television design.

Despite the diversity and differences of graphic design objects, they are all aimed at providing a communicative function.

Specifics of creativity of a graphic designer

Specifics of creativity of a graphic designer is that he needs not only to provide the consumer with specific information, but also to present it appropriately. So it turns out that a graphic designer is both a marketer and a designer who knows how to choose the tools necessary to successfully solve certain problems, and an analyst who is oriented in the information market and has a good idea of ​​who could be its potential consumer, as well as psychologist who knows the laws visual perception. A graphic designer should always strive for maximum information content of the visual solution, for “visual eloquence” in order to achieve maximum results.

It is quite difficult to give a professional portrait of a graphic designer. Now this area of ​​art has united graphic artists, designers printing products, creators of printed and electronic advertising, etc. In these ranks we can safely include photographers, printers, designers, journalists who have a perfect command of words and are able to briefly describe this or that event. A separate area of ​​graphic design is the design of printed products.

Graphic Designer

Graphic Designer decides how the idea should be expressed (for example, the design of a booklet), wisely chooses the type of printed products and, if necessary, creates an appropriate design. The designer is capable the best way connect text and graphic materials.

Dissemination of information (advertising) using printed products or telecommunications has a number of features. If printed products provide the consumer with the opportunity to independently choose the speed and tactics of assimilating the material, then the means of telecommunications, as well as outdoor advertising and information, dictate their own conditions for assimilating information, and in this case it is necessary to highlight the most important things using special techniques. IN in this case Graphic design methods are no less significant than in the preparation of printed materials.

The ability to generate new ideas and translate them into reality is the main responsibility that a designer must set for himself, and no matter how powerful a computer is, it will never replace the specialists that NewDesign has.

From the author: Hello friends! Today I would like to talk about the profession of a graphic designer. My choice fell on her, because design is a component of almost all aspects modern life. Creative professions always require enormous dedication and in return they give no less. In my article I will talk about how to become a graphic designer and where to start.

Profession graphic designer

The work of a designer requires not only creativity and creative approach, but also logic. A specialist in this profile must be able to simultaneously solve several important and complex tasks. The product he creates (font, logo, etc.) must be unique, memorable and bright, suitable for printing and take into account the specifics of the enterprise for which he is developing it. Therefore, it is very important that the creative mind of a graphic designer strictly obeys the laws of logic.

For those who are wondering how to become a graphic designer, I want to reveal the essence of this profession:

main activity is the development of a corporate style of the organization (creation of a logo, font, color range and etc.);

Also, a specialist in this profile can work in printing: develop packaging design, layouts of advertising products, and also create the design of souvenir products.

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So, the designer’s skills are used in the development of: corporate identity and logo, packaging, online advertising, printed materials, websites, interfaces for computer games and programs, presentations, etc.

What professional qualities and skills are needed in the job?

There is a popular belief that a specialist in the field of graphic design must be proficient in programming languages, the basics of copywriting, and understand codes. Is this so, let's figure it out together.

Do you think a design professional should be able to draw? I’ll answer your question with a question. Should an accountant be able to count? Being able to draw does not mean creating virtuoso works of art, a graphic designer works in a more “narrow” world of tools. However, to better understand visual processes from the inside, the ability to draw will not hurt.

But graphic designers must know color schemes, master fonts and the basics of composition. It is also necessary to constantly understand modern trends style and fashion and improve your skills. Of course, the main tools in a designer’s work will be graphic editor Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. And depending on the type of activity you will use one or another program.

In addition to skills in working with programs, a specialist in this profile must have the following set of qualities:

visual perception;

artistic taste;

ingenuity and creativity;

knowledge modern culture and fashion;

the ability to think soberly but originally.

What about copywriting, coding and programming? I think that this knowledge will be useful for aerobatics, but for beginners it is not necessary. Believe me, it is better to be a master in one area and have a well-coordinated team, which will include a layout designer, a programmer, and a copywriter.

How to start a career as a graphic designer?

How to become a graphic designer without education or work experience? First of all, don't be afraid of anything. Register on a freelance exchange for beginners. There you can find a lot of tasks on art and design activities and immediately start practicing, learn how to negotiate with future employers, get your hands on small projects, and also receive your first, but most long-awaited, positive reviews. Add finished works to your portfolio.

The next step is to invite your friends and acquaintances to develop a design for positive feedback. In most cases, people willingly meet halfway and agree. At this stage, you can not only gain experience, but also increase your rating on the freelance exchange.

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The third stage - we put things in order in our in social networks. It is very important to have an active page on a social network, because on the other side of the computer they don’t know anything about you. Set yourself the “correct” status and publish your work. This will help you attract more attention to yourself and win people over to trusting cooperation.

Now that you've done this a long way, you can safely start working on professional freelance exchanges. Pay special attention to your portfolio, because the number of orders will depend on it. The competition is very high, but if you have all the above skills, you will definitely be able to find customers.

Where to study to become a graphic designer?

If you decide to study to become a graphic designer, you should decide whether you need a diploma. In cases where a diploma is necessary, you can try to enroll in universities or specialized secondary schools. educational establishments with design faculties such as:

graphic design;

publishing.

If the crust is not the main thing for you, then you can safely study design on your own using video lessons or take a graphic designer course. There are many such teaching methods. positive points: you will save a lot of time and money, get all the necessary knowledge that you can immediately try in practice.

Main disciplines to be studied:

basics of graphic design;

coloristics;

graphic elements;

painting and drawing;

basics of photography.

Also, during training, a lot of attention is paid to marketing and advertising, and the use of graphic design in these areas. For example, developing logos for organizations or advertising posters. Once again, I note that you should definitely master Illustrator and Photoshop. Knowledge of InDesign will be helpful.

Where to get a job?

In the modern world, professions related to design are the most paid and in demand in the labor market. Today, no organization can do without a graphic designer.

Design specialists are required not only in publishing houses, but also in advertising agencies, a greeting card, stationery and packaging company. You can also apply your talents in web design, computer game and program design.

Every day on World Wide Web A huge number of online stores and websites are appearing, many groups are being created on social networks, and they all want to have their own individual design, which will allow them to stand out from the “crowd” and win the favor of “potential clients.” Not a single self-respecting company today can do without the services of a designer.

If your soul is drawn to creativity, you are creative and open to new knowledge, then this profession perfect for you! Don’t give up at the slightest difficulty, and you will definitely succeed!

In the meantime, subscribe to our blog and share useful information with friends - they will be grateful to you. See you again!

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After college, very for a long time I worked as a secretary and assistant, I dreamed of career growth, promotion to the department, until I finally realized that I had to take everything “into my own hands,” because my thirties were just around the corner, and I had never taken up any more or less serious position! I didn’t want to work as a “help girl” anymore, and I realized that it was time to learn a new craft.
Today there are a huge number of professions that many people don’t even know about! I had no idea when, at the end of school, I chose the institute to which I entered. If I knew about everything that the modern market offers, I would definitely immediately go to study graphic designer!

Graphic Designer- by 90% creative profession, which is easy to learn from scratch if you are bored with working, for example, as a lawyer or accountant. In no way am I belittling the importance of the specialists mentioned, but it often happens that society recommends first getting a “serious” profession, and then studying for what you want! And then you start working in your specialty, and your desires fade into the background - and they pay normally! But the soul requires creative impulses!

A graphic designer is, in fact, an advertising designer. A person who specializes in visual communications. Advertising can be anything: for example, printed (flyers, brochures, large-format advertising), web (banners, websites), smm (promotion on social networks) and so on. And also, it is the graphic designer who develops logos and corporate identity. This is a very popular specialty, because in conditions of high competition, good designers advertising is worth its weight in gold!

You can study to become a designer through courses, or at an institute you can get a second degree higher education. In my case, it was something in between - professional retraining courses at a well-known design university, at the end of the course, I received a state diploma. All teachers were from the university. The program, of course, was express (only a year), much depends on your desire and interest. In my case, the desire was huge - by that time I was frankly bored with working as an assistant, and I was very interested in getting a new specialty.

At any training you will be given a “base” and necessary literature, which needs to be thoroughly “shoveled”. The course program includes lessons in drawing and painting. Even if you don’t know how to draw, everything depends, again, on your desire and perseverance. They will teach you how to perform stylizations and make sketches, but if you want to master academic drawing, you will simply have to work more.

In addition to drawing and painting, in graphic design courses you will have lessons in composition, color science, typography (the art of type), as well as training in design programs. The latter - even if you don’t want to work in your specialty, will be very useful to you in life: you will understand the difference between a raster and a vector, learn how to professionally process your photos, and not just with Instagram filters :-), create beautiful travel albums - and much more. This is a mega-useful and cool skill!

In addition to the lessons, you, of course, will have to read a lot of literature - not only in order to master design terms and learn about the various techniques of advanced designers and the resources they use, but also in order to learn how to communicate competently with clients.

And this is a separate “nishtyak” of a graphic designer - freelancing work and the possibility of additional income. Let me say right away that this is not easy, there are a lot of pitfalls, which you can learn about from various professional literature and on own experience. I will say one thing for sure: if you are sociable, easily get along with people and know how to negotiate, you will have a minimum of problems. And if it gets trampled, you can completely go to remote work- this is just the dream of any office worker! :-)
Of course, the work of a designer also involves many illusions. For example, after painfully working through my portfolio, and finally starting to work, I realized that there won’t be continuous creativity here either :-) Both customers and employers have their own idea of ​​the product for which you are designing, and it can be very difficult " come to an agreement" with internal ambitions. Therefore, it is better to always have a clear idea of ​​what you are doing and why in order to be able to defend your idea. At the same time, you need to have enormous flexibility in order to be able to “hear” the customer, because the main task of the designer is, after all, to work for him.

By the way, about the “painful” creation of a portfolio: at first, you will have to work hard, since all clients and employers are interested in your work. And they need to be made from scratch. You can take student work, drawings and a diploma, or take on any work, even for free. Personally, I invented companies, drew logos for them, and literally trumpeted everywhere that I was starting to work as a designer - there were people who needed such services.
Now I can confidently say that this work much more interesting than that, what I had to do in administrative positions. Now, instead of boring documents and numbers, I deal with pictures, presentations, drawing and photo editing.

Of course, everything inevitably turns into a routine, but tell me, what kind of work doesn’t have it? :-) This is partly why designers tend to change places of work often - they want new achievements, new colors and paints, since working within the framework of one corporate style can be not only boring, but also difficult.

As a designer, you can develop both “upward” and “broadly”. In the first case, you can work your way up to an art director, brand manager, or head of the marketing department; in the second, you can master web, SMM, UX design (interface design), etc. Or you can go teach or start your own design blog! There are a lot of opportunities for development!
By the way, among famous personalities There are many who started out as graphic (or web) designers, for example: Emma Stone, Serafima Shnurova, Freddie Mercury.

I am of the opinion that you should go to work as if you were on a holiday :-) Or at least get closer to it, because at work we spend most own life! Therefore, do not be afraid to learn new professions if you don’t like the old one or are simply tired of it!

Thanks to everyone who read to the end! Have a good day and weeks! :-)

Updated 11/12/17 12:03:

My website address: stremyakosha.ru