Whether or not you already know the career or industry you want your design skills to take you to, knowing your other options can help put the path you’re taking into perspective. To help out the designers who are just starting out or looking for new directions, here are a few industry options available for a skill set like yours, and summaries of these industries’ entry level design jobs’ standard requirements, expectations, and duties.
Some of these options may not be as attractive as others. Some of the descriptions may not match your expectations of the industry they’re under, either. Still, as long as you’re willing to swallow some pride, patiently learn the ropes, and network diligently, you can eventually rise within your chosen industry to that dream design job you can finally brag about.
This is by no means a comprehensive list. If you have anything you’d like to add, we’d love for you to share your insights with us in the comments!
Entry Level Design Jobs: An Overview of Industry Options
Printing
Learning print design can be a challenging hurdle to many beginning graphic designers. Not for you, though, if you decide to work for a printing company. Not only will you learn much about prepress and have many opportunities to do design, but handling, reviewing, and fixing customers’ submitted design files will also give you a thorough understanding of what works and doesn’t.
Marketing/Advertising
This may entail working for a business’s in-house marketing or advertising department, or in independent agencies other businesses outsource to. Being a graphic designer in this industry can involve anything from assisting with printed materials like brochures and flyers, to creating logos and product images for websites, especially in this online reputation-conscious era.
Here you can learn the design standards marketers and business people prefer, and so hit the sweet spot between your creativity and their vision.
Fashion
As you might have expected, working in this industry will require you to have a strong interest in fashion. What you might not know until you look at fashion graphic designer job listings though, is that you also need a good working knowledge and appreciation of typography. Entry level design positions in this industry typically involve working with presentation boards, and creating press clips for print and online publications. Miscellaneous responsibilities also include showroom and studio maintenance.
Aside from developing a keener fashion sense, working in fashion can make you easily adaptable to changing trends, refine your sense of aesthetics, and get you used to consistently producing top-quality creative work in a fast-paced, corporate environment.
Film
Working in the film industry as an entry level designer can mean involvement in signage and prop design, creating opening or closing credits, and doing some film editing. More advanced positions, if you’ve built your set of skills during college, may include merchandise design, and creating environments and backgrounds for animated features or illustrations.
Gaming
Aspiring game designers, aside from having to be aware of current industry trends and and a passion for high quality games, also need some programming and 3D rendering background. Some study or knowledge of areas as varied as architecture, interior design, landscaping, and human/computer interaction is a plus. Here’s an interview of an entry-level video game designer that you may find useful.
There! A few of the best industries you could consider. Feel free to share your thoughts below.