What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is the art of using visual communication to convey messages. It’s an interdisciplinary field that combines art and design principles with technical skills. Graphic designers, also referred to as graphic artists or communication designers, combine art and technology to communicate ideas through images and the layout of websites and printed pages. They may use a variety of design elements to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Occupations

Occupations within the graphic design field can include many different positions, such as concept artist, creative director, art director, art production manager, brand identity developer, broadcast designer, logo designer, marketing designer, illustrator, visual image developer, multimedia developer, content developer, visual journalist, layout artist, interface designer, web designer, package designer, etc. 

Salaries & Job Outlook

The median annual salary for graphic designers in the US was $58,910 in May 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest 10% of graphic designers earned less than $36,420, and the highest 10% earned more than $100,450. Industry, experience, and location can factor in when it comes to determining a graphic designer’s salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for graphic designers is projected to grow at a slower than average rate, with a projected growth of around 2-3% through 2033, meaning while there will be job openings, the number of new positions may not be significant compared to other occupations. However, there will still be a steady demand for graphic designers due to the need to replace retiring workers or those transitioning to different careers. 




Portfolio

Video Game Cover Project

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This image was created using Photoshop for a college game design class. The requirements were that we had to create a game cover for a video game of our choice. I choose Five Nights at Freddy’s since it is one of my most favorite games, and put together a composition that I thought would suit one of the best selling horror indie game franchise itself, by showing off the main animatronics on TV monitors.

Banner Ad Project

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This image was created using Photoshop for a college graphic design class, specifically a Photoshop one. The requirements were that we had to create three separate and different sized banners for a chosen company that would be displayed on websites as if they were actually going to be displayed on a website. The company I chose was NASA, and I decided that the best way to represent it is by portraying what they do best: explore space, and I did that by photo editing an astronaut to look like they were in outer space, as you can see by the Earth in the background.

CD Cover Project

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This image was created using Photoshop for a college graphic design class, specifically a Photoshop one. The requirements were that we had to create a CD cover for any topic of our choice. I chose Five Nights at Jr’s, a Five Nights at Freddy’s fan game that I’m very fond of. I made sure that the cover itself matched the horror fan game’s spooky vibes by editing in one of the animatronics along with the face of a ghost child seen in the game to really give the CD cover that creepy aesthetic.

YouTube Thumbnail Project

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This image was created using Photoshop for a college graphic design class, specifically a Photoshop one. The requirements were that we had to create a YouTube thumbnail design for any topic of our choice. I chose to do a clickbait one of a real life hedgehog and echidna seemingly super powered up and supposedly fighting on the moon. The only goal I had in mind for this one was to make the thumbnail as crazy as possible, and to make it look like an actual YouTube thumbnail that people would want to click on, hence the somewhat ridiculous design choices.

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