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Study abroad : Subject Guides

What is Graphic Design and What are the Career Opportunities?

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Do you have a favourite advertisement? A billboard that catches your attention?  Or a creative logo that makes you think? In today’s world, we are constantly exposed to a wide range of marketing tools and the ones that stick are often the works of creative graphic designers. A fairly new profession, Graphic Design only gained momentum in the 1950s and 60s, but has never stopped evolving since. 

 
A graphic designer creatively uses design software (e.g.: Adobe Photoshop) and with elements such as photos, fonts, colours, shapes, illustrations, textures and etc to communicate a message or meaning in various mediums, which include advertisements for print, brochures, product packaging, posters, magazine and newspaper layout, book designs and many more. They are good communicators, the creative artists who express through technology and beyond.  If you are an artist in the making, perhaps one of these colourful career options in Graphic Designs will be your path to an expressive success: 
 
 
Zoom into the various career opportunities in Graphic Designs
1.  Graphic Designers – Skilful with the use of graphics/images/everything that relates to creation of signs, charts, logos, graphs, drawings, line art, symbols, geometric designs and so on, graphic designers are also good at design programmes such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash etc. They are are creative people who understand aesthetic as well as communicating a message through graphic designs.
 
2. Layout Designers – The creative minds behind the positioning of an image (e.g.: composition), deciding on the choice of colours/fonts. 
 
3.  Flash Designers – They are the skilful expert in Flash (latest web designing programme) and creative at using visual effects or graphics to enhance a website. Without them, the internet will be very dull indeed. 
 
4. Illustrators – Working with digital art or pencil and inks, an illustrator is able use designs to translate/communicate a message. 
 
5. Photoshop Artists – Using Photoshop applications, they are the magicians who re-shape, enhance or edit images for maximum results in visual and communication. 
 
 
Influential Graphic Designers you should know:
Chip Kidd
A graduate from Pennsylvania State University, Kidd designed book covers for DC Comics’  - The Complete History of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman, Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and The Lost World. He also received the International Centre of Photography’s Award for Use of Photography in Graphic Design. 
 
Milton Glaser
One of the brainchild behind the infamous I heart NY logo; Glaser was a Fulbright scholar and attended the Cooper Union. Glaser is also the co-founder of WBMG, a reputable publication design firm with clients such as LA Times, Time, Boston Globe and many more. 
 
Herb Lubalin 
An American graphic designer and a graduate from Cooper Union, Lubalin contributed significantly in the art of typography. He was best known for the invention of ITC Avant Garde typeface, best described as post-modern interpretation of art deco. 
 
Eddie Opara 
Graduated from the London College of Printing and Yale University, Eddie Opara has created impressive works for The Studio Museum in Harlam, The Queens Museum of Art, Prada, New York University, Princeton Architectural Press and many more. In 2010, Opara joined Pentagram’s company in NY and continues to deliver stimulating designs to the world. 
 
Jacqueline Casey 
Jacqueline Casey helped pioneer the Massachusettes Institute of Technology  (MIT) Office of Design Services and was also the department’s director from 1972 to 1989. Best known for her iconic MIT posters, her elegant and creative designs remain alive today and are still an inspiration to designers. 
 
Inspired to follow their footsteps? Studying graphic design will provide creative opportunities both nationally and internationally. To get on the right track, learn more about studying graphic design in the UK, Malaysia, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden and Ireland
 
 

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