What Does a Graphic Designer Really Do?

What Does a Graphic Designer Really Do?

This post provides exhaustive information about the graphic designing career. It covers the meaning of graphic design, the kind of work graphic designers do, and the skills they need to succeed in their career.

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design involves the creative application of page layout and visual arts techniques in combining typography, pictures, logos, symbols, photography, and text to produce aesthetic representation of ideas, concepts, and messages that meet users’ specifications, needs, and objectives.

Graphic design is an aspect of communication design that involves creating visual content to communicate specific messages to a target audience to achieve a set objective.

Graphic designing is commonly applied in creating logos, branding, and other design needs in the corporate world; newspapers, magazines, and books; advertising; communication design; product packaging; web design; signage; and environmental design.

What Does a Graphic Designer Do?

Graphic designers perform various functions, including designing advocacy materials, brochures, web content, social media graphics, video content, ads, annual report, monthly newsletter, and event marketing collateral.

Even though they are generally responsible for creating an organization’s visual asset, graphic designers do not have a particular set of same duties that they perform for different organizations; their job description for an organization actually depends on the needs of that organization.

For instance, a graphic designer working for a marketing agency will be expected to have the following duties and responsibilities in their job description:

Graphic Designer Job Description – Marketing Agency

• Work with the creative team to develop various high quality designs, including brochures, logos, flyers, banners, infographics, ads, outdoor structures, and vehicle wraps
• Conceive and create company internal and external collateral
• Create web interfaces, touch-screen, kiosk, and other front-end designs for interactive media
• Provide creative solutions to issues involving concept and marketing campaign strategy
• Manage various projects simultaneously from concept, execution, to completion and ensuring deadlines are met
• Ensure company presentations are made in attractive design and layout, and visual representations made in keynote and sometimes in PowerPoint
• Help in making graphics that communicate complex ideas for the Strategy and Client Service teams
• In addition to showing a great deal of creativity and flair, source materials by identifying suitable materials, editing and summarizing, and organizing them to create graphics that conform to company standards
• Produce quality designs for merchandise and promotional apparel including pens, T-shirts, backpacks, and magnets.

For graphic designers working in print and web production, here are the kind of duties they may perform:

Graphic Designer Job Description – Print and Web Production

• Make attractive layouts for digital media and print
• Using CMS, publish interactive content, image, text, and video to web
• Create or/and edit technical graphics and simple illustrations
• Style text in a CMS by creating or/and edit basic HTML/CSS
• Collaborate with writing and editing team to carry out updates and corrections
• Follow directive from the creative service director to design and produce from concept to completion weekly store sign materials, including pages for newspaper ads and advertising pre-prints
• Design and implement all marketing materials from concept to completion, including brochures and store signage
• Coordinate preparation and ensure completion of project content on time
• Collaborate with the E-commerce unit to create/design all e-commerce materials, including home page, landing pages, sliders, and e-mail blasts as needed
• Collaborate with DMM’s and buyers to ensure designs are accurate and consistent with materials provided/ brand standards
• Perform special projects as well as other duties that may be assigned.

Graphic designers may also work in the engineering field where they provide support to engineering teams.

They may be designated Mechanical Graphic Designers, and may be required to perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Mechanical Graphic Designer Job Description

• Ensure all graphics design/development work are completed within the given engineering labor hours
• Design graphic solutions for building operators, making sure they are visually appealing, modern looking, easy to use, and dynamic
• Log in and track projects and status; provide support in delivering graphics to the jobsite to ensure completion schedules are achieved
• When charging time to projects, ensure correct recording of use of graphic quantities, types, and network numbers
• Ensure customers are well satisfied by identifying issues relating to quality control and informing engineering manager and project manager about them in a timely manner
• Ensure consistent follow up and response time with each project’s manager, and that graphics are delivered timely and accurately
• Ensure latest graphics are well documented in the district server to enable long term servicing of customers through centralized graphics design process
• Provide support to project managers, field specialists, and account engineers in designing their projects’ graphics, including backgrounds and dynamics.

Conclusion

Graphic designers perform various functions depending on the employer or project that they are working on.

This post shows you various job descriptions that can be assigned to graphic designers to get you familiar with various projects or areas a graphic designer can work in.