Your Future as a Graphic Designer: Merging Talent and Technical Acumen

If you’re considering a career in graphic design, you probably already know that it’s a vast and exciting field, and the opportunities are as varied as the industry itself. In the advent of Social Media and our ever-increasing dependency on technology, there are no signs of stopping in the world of graphic design. Whether you’re considering a position as a drafter in the printing or digital field, or an art director specializing in marketing, there’s no shortage of careers once you’ve met your graphic design degree requirements. As a career path with so many options to choose from, it’s important to know the appropriate steps to take when planning for college coursework and related studies.

Becoming a successful graphic designer is a culmination of many skill sets. In addition to your creative abilities, technological skills are mandatory, as you’ll be responsible for learning a wealth of software programs, including but not limited to Adobe InDesign, Quark, and Photoshop on the design end, as well as HTML and CSS on the development end. The more proficient you are in both spectrums, the more desirable you will become in the job market. Additionally, the ability to multitask goes beyond the artistic or digital scope:

Interpersonal skills are a key element of your day-to-day interactions, as you’ll often work within a team setting. Consequently, a career in this industry appeals to a broad demographic – depending on your specific skill set and background. Try to fine-tune your particular niche and determine the best job opportunities in graphic design to suit your long-term goals.

Graphic Designer Job Description

Before jumping into what the graphic design requirements are, it’s important to discuss what being a graphic designer entails. Graphic designers are responsible for creating visual concepts, using computer software or by hand to help support a client’s brand. The goal is to convey a message that inspires, informs, and captivates consumers. Projects a graphic designer works on can range from a simple logo design to a complete campaign package. Two- or three-dimensional art are used to execute visual concepts for their marketing materials. This can be done through advertisements, emails, websites, brochures, magazines, annual reports, and much more.

Duties of a Graphic Designer

Graphic designer duties include the following:

• Meet with clients or creative director of a company to determine the vision and scope of a project 
• Be able to incorporate changes recommended by the clients or the art directors into the final design
• Present design concepts to clients or the art directors
• Design layouts and select colors, typography, image, and typefaces to help support a clients brand
• Use digital illustration, photo editing software, and layout software to create a design
• Create visual elements such as logos, original images, and illustrations to carry out the desired message 
• Review designs for errors before printing or publishing them
• Test graphics across various media
• Maintain technical knowledge by attending design workshops; reviewing professional publications; and participating in professional societies

Work Environment for Graphic Designers

Graphic designers generally work in studios, where they have access to equipment such as software, computers, and drafting tables in order to create their designs. Many graphic designers work independently. Self-employed graphic designers have the freedom to create a studio or office that is comfortable and inspirational. Freelance designers are required to work as many hours are necessary to meet client deadlines and goals. However, those who work for specialized graphic design firms are often part of a design team. A large portion of graphic designers collaborate with colleagues or work with clients on projects.

The largest employers of graphic designers are as follows:

• Self-employed workers 21%
• Specialized design services 10%
• Advertising, public relations, and related services 8% 
• Printing and related activities 7%
• Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers 5%

How to Become A Graphic Designer: A Helpful Guideline

If you are interested in pursuing a career in graphic design, you’ll want to explore the graphic design requirements carefully for your college coursework – your classes and internships may vary a great deal, depending on the particular type of job you’re looking for upon graduation. However, there are certain rules of thumb that will apply universally to this area of expertise. Below, some general guidelines to keep in mind when planning your education.

Graphic Designer Education: Earning Your Bachelor’s Degree

As is customary in most specialized industries, a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design or a related field is required for job placement. However, candidates with a bachelor’s degree in another field may obtain technical training in graphic design to meet most hiring specifications. High school students who are considering a graphic design major should take basic computer, design, and art courses in high school if available. Also, they should start to put their portfolios together in preparation for college admission. It’s important to speak with guidance counselors and department heads for more information, as each college has different requirements for application, including portfolio review and specifications.  

Once you have been accepted to the institution of your choice, it is important to maintain and build your portfolio throughout your college education – this is a crucial tactic for finding employment. Potential employers depend on a well-executed portfolio that embodies your unique talent to determine if you’re a good fit for their company. In addition, it’s key to stay abreast of current trends in the industry – from new developments in design software to updated computer graphics, you’ll need to stay up to date to maintain an edge on the competition.

Professional Experience

Most graphic designers gain on-the-job experience via internships, either during their college coursework or shortly after graduating. Such opportunities provide aspiring designers the chance to work with seasoned industry professionals while gaining the necessary skills to hone their craft. In addition, earning certifications and licenses in different software programs is advantageous to prospective job seekers.

The following qualities are also essential for anyone seeking a successful career in graphic design:

• Analytical Skills: As a graphic designer, your ability to view your work from a consumer perspective is fundamental – having a deep understanding of the demographic you’re designing for is key when conveying a client or employer’s branded message, image and/or design aesthetic.
• Artistic Abilities: Your role as a graphic designer typically centers around the visual image: creating unique designs that are appealing to a mass audience as well as your client. Through drawings, sketches and design software, your responsibilities will involve some form of artistic medium aimed at capturing the vision and story of your client.
• Communication Skills: In order to interact cohesively within a team setting and convey ideas succinctly and effectively, excellent communication skills are required. Your responsibilities will entail communicating with other designers, programmers, IT, web developers, customers, clients and other professionals on a daily basis.
• Computer Skills: As discussed earlier, an advanced knowledge of computer software and specialized programs is a requirement for any professional graphic designer.
• Creativity: Thinking ‘out of the box’ is one of the primary elements to any creative field, and this holds particularly true in the world of graphic design. As an ever-evolving industry encompassing elements of fine art, computer graphics, marketing savvy, and communication through digital imagery, among others, your innate creativity is one of the most notable skills to keep in mind when considering this career path.
• Time Management: If you wish to excel in this field, it’s important to possess excellent time-management skills, as graphic designers are often responsible for multiple projects simultaneously once they are in the workforce.

Top 7 Graphic Design Careers to Explore

As outlined above, many specialized careers fall under the ‘Graphic Designer’ category – therefore, it’s important to determine which direction you wish to pursue in the job market, based on your skillset, interests, and professional goals. Here is a list of some of the hottest career paths in the world of graphic design:

•    Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Manager
•    Art Director
•    Desktop Publisher
•    Industrial Designer
•    Multimedia Artist and Animator
•    Technical Writer
•    Web Developer

For more information, please contact NewSchool of Architecture & Design’s Enrollment Team for a complete description of each career and related coursework.

 Changing The World We Live In 

For those seeking a career path that directly affects our environment, pursuing an occupation as a city planner may be the right fit for you. Developing plans for the usage of land in urban areas, counties and small towns, city planners meet with architects, government officials, and the public to determine how best to utilize the land. Whether the plans are created to accommodate population growth, improve the aesthetics of a city or increase local business, city planners play a pivotal role in the decision-making process that impacts the cities we live and work in.  If you’re interested in this challenging but rewarding occupation, you will need to complete graduate-level coursework to become a city planner, including your master’s degree.

With the potential to have a positive effect on the social, environmental and economic issues affecting the city where you’re working, the role of a city planner is multidimensional and demanding on many levels. The most successful municipal planners have the ability to anticipate the future needs of the population they’re serving in order to make the proper recommendations, whether it concerns the location of businesses or schools, determining the placement of roads or buildings, or other infrastructures that could improve or impede their efforts. Therefore, it’s important to possess excellent communication, leadership and interpersonal skills, as well as a high proficiency in geography, mathematics, political science, economics, architecture, engineering and environmental studies if you’re considering a career in urban planning.

City Planner Job Description

City planners (also known as urban planners, municipal planners, land use planners, and urban designers) are responsible for the development and implementation of plans as approved by local and state authorities. They are also instrumental in making decisions and recommending policies that will determine the appropriate usage of land, buildings, facilities and infrastructures affecting and serving urban, rural and remote regions.

Your breadth of responsibilities will include but not be limited to reviewing development proposals, staying up to date with building codes and zoning laws, and keeping abreast of local activities affecting your industry. In addition to excellent communication and negotiating capabilities, you must have the ability to handle stress with grace and diplomacy. Typically, plenty of travel and working nights and weekends will be expected of you in this role.

In order to be fully qualified for this rigorous, fast-paced career path, you need to be able to work with other professionals within your industry, including colleagues in the community planning field, those who work in urban design, politicians, and even community members. Ultimately, your objective as a successful city planner should balance your particular city’s long and short-term needs.

Job Requirements

When becoming a city planner, it’s strongly encouraged to obtain a master’s degree after a student finishes getting their undergraduate degree. Note that licensure is only required depending on the state you live in. In fact, only a few states require licensure. According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, the following are important and core requirements when learning how to become a city planner:

• Degree Level: Master’s degree
• Degree Field: Accredited program in urban and regional planning
• Experience: 1-2 years or related experience. For example, this could be in economic development, public administration, and policy, or architecture
• Key Skills: Data analysis, speaking, writing, management, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision making
• Computer Skills: Database programming, spreadsheet programs, and presentation programs
• Technical Skills: Geographic information systems (GIS). The purpose of this system is to be able to analyze, organize, and data and statistical information.

How to Become an Urban Planner: Education & Certification

As you can see, pursuing a career as a city planner is demanding and requires a broad skill set in order to achieve success. If you think you’ve got what it takes to make it in this exciting industry, you’ll need to obtain your certification as well as a Bachelor’s degree; read below for a step-by-step guide on how to become a city planner:

Earn Your Bachelor’s Degree

If you’re considering a career in urban planning, bachelor’s degree programs cover a broad array of topics, including government budgets, site planning, urban neighborhood analysis, and public and private development, among others. You may also wish to obtain your bachelor’s degree in a related subject, such as environmental design, public administration, or civil engineering.

Helpful Tip: Find an internship program while you’re getting your undergraduate degree – if you’re not sure where to look, ask your department head; you can even search popular sites such as craigslist.org for relevant work opportunities. Internships are a great way to gain real-world experience that will make you stand out to potential employers when you’re on the job market.

Obtain Your Master’s Degree

In order to complete your education as a city planner, you will require a master’s degree in either urban or regional planning, urban design, environmental planning, or geography. During your master’s degree program, you’ll learn how to plan urban spaces, develop the type of policies that need to be implemented during your day-to-day activities, and other requirements to prepare you for your career. Your coursework will include topics such as environmental law, urban transportation, policy analysis and building codes, among others.

Helpful Tip: You may want to consider a dual degree program, which will allow you to combine an urban planning degree with another graduate degree (such as law, business or even public policy). Upon graduation, this may improve your marketability when looking for work.

Obtain Your Certification

Once you’ve earned your master’s degree, you are ready to obtain your certification as a city planner. In order to receive your certification, you must pass an exam and maintain your credentials through continuing education. For more information, visit The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

What to Expect: Your Future as a City Planner

Once you’ve completed your education and certification, you may be wondering what a typical day may entail as a city planner. Here’s a general overview of the job duties you can expect:

• As mentioned, there are many instances in your career as a city planner where you’ll be interacting with your local legislative committees, where you will be required to explain and defend proposals and other urban planning processes.

• General duties include the preparation of materials for community relations meetings.
• In addition, you may be required to act as a mediator in public disputes, which could potentially involve the presentation of mutually acceptable alternatives to disputing parties.
• Other functions may involve the development and modeling of possible transportation systems.
• You may be required to present transportation system models to planning boards as well as the general public
• You may be required to focus on a particular specialized area, such as urban design, community development, transportation planning, or land use code enforcement, among others.
• You will also be obligated to prepare reports and recommendations for land developers, municipal government officials, and builders.
• Your daily responsibilities will include speaking at civic or town hall meetings and working with land developers, public officials, and civic leaders.

Average Salary For A City Planner

The national average salary for an urban planner or city planner is $66,995 per year. This will vary on the location the city planner lives in, agency they work for, and experience level.

With more experience, a city planner has the ability to advance positions and make a salary of $85,903 per year. Other careers offered in the field of city planner can differ. Those with a specific concentration like an environmental planner or transportation planner have the opportunity to earn more. For example, environmental planners make a national average of $74,006 per year.

Who Hires Urban Planners?

Due to the specialized nature of city planning, there isn’t a broad range of employers or industries that hire urban planners. According to data from the Canada census in 2006, urban planners find work primarily through the following organizations:

• Government (mainly municipal)
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (mainly architectural and engineering)
• Other

For additional occupational employment statistics, visit the US Bureau of Labor Statistics page, which provides a comprehensive industry profile including wage information.

Planning Your Architecture Career Path

For individuals considering a career in architecture or getting an architecture degree, the options are diverse in this burgeoning industry. With no signs of stopping, those who wish to pursue a future in the architecture and design fields can expect a rewarding career path that blends a great deal of responsibility with an opportunity to innovate interior and exterior landscapes across the globe. Depending on your areas of expertise, level of education whether you have a bachelor’s degree, and practical experience, your earning potential and ability for advancement as architecture graduates can increase exponentially.

The most successful architecture major candidates in this area will possess a comprehensive amalgam of skill sets, including analytical, mathematical, creative, organizational, visual, technical, and communicative capabilities. Because you’ll be responsible for designing the overall look and aesthetic of a residential or corporate structure, you must have the ability to create buildings and designs that are both ergonomic and attractive, as well as complementary to the existing surrounding architecture, particularly in instances of urban design development.

Blending form with function is only the beginning – an architect must also have the ability to grasp certain core elements, such as the engineering principles and analytical mindset needed to comprehend the content of blueprints and the context in which they were fabricated.

Additionally, having a keen sense of spatial relations is necessary in order to conceptualize and mastermind the working parts and how those structures will relate to each other, as well as the ability to visualize the completed structure at the onset of each project. Architects must have a broad knowledge of technical aptitude, including CADD technology and other software applications to create plans and blueprints required in the building information modeling (BIM) process.

Having a thorough understanding of the locations of mechanical systems and how those systems will affect building operations is only a fraction of the work entailed in this fast-paced industry. An ability to stay on-budget and work within the parameters of your firm or client’s budgetary restrictions is essential. Therefore, staying organized and keeping detailed records (including project costs, materials utilized, and tracking progress) is of utmost importance, since your work will most likely require the management of contracts as you progress in your career.

Finally, due to the collaborative nature of the work entailed, excellent communication skills will get you far in your career – with responsibilities that include oral presentations and shared ideas between clients, other architects, design teams and other professionals, having the ability to clearly express yourself is crucial to your career development and success.

Job Forecast for Architects: What to Expect

Thanks to an economic upswing, the job market for architects is on the rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there is a projected growth of 7% from 2014 to 2024, which is about as fast as the average medium for all occupations in the US.

Along with these current industry projections, there is also the benefit of a low unemployment rate (about 5.1%), making the job outlook for architects even more promising. In addition, the BLS statistics also state the Median Salary for this architecture career path is around $76K with a 1.9% unemployment rate.

As an architect, your job duties may comprise a number of different plan and design elements, including, but not limited to, the renovation and/or construction of residential dwellings (including private homes and apartment buildings), and commercial offices, with a heavy focus on new retail establishments (i.e., independently-owned stores and chain retailers), along with other types of similar structures.

There is also growth expected in school districts and universities nationwide, from building new facilities to the renovation or upgrading of existing buildings. The healthcare industry is also on the rise, with a subsequent need for facility expansion; this is not only due to the population’s increased utilization of healthcare services, but a steady demand for healthcare facilities to house the aging baby-boomer demographic.

Another element of architecture that has garnered an increase in visibility worldwide is the concept known as “green design” or “green architect”, a terminology that describes eco-friendly or sustainable design principles which you will learn as an architecture student. With an emphasis on an efficient usage of resources – such as water and energy conservation, a reduction in waste and pollution, and utilizing environmentally friendly materials and designs – it’s no wonder green design continues to grow in popularity across multiple platforms.

With an ever-increasing concern for the environment, rising energy costs and a need to seek green resources while decreasing our carbon footprint, architects are met with new and innovative challenges to fabricate sustainable designs worldwide.

Due to the recent technological developments and improvements in software, architects can also expect an increase in productivity while enjoying a more streamlined workflow. New and improved applications such as BIM and the latest versions of CADD allow architects to rely less heavily upon drafters, making it easier to share work and other collaborative efforts with contractors, engineers and clients.

For those seeking advancement in their architecture career paths, you may find an architecture firm that is willing to cover the expenses required for employees to return to school, including tuition fees and other tangential costs required for continuing education.

What Does an Architect Do?

Places are essential for people to live, work, play, learn, shop, and eat. Architects are responsible for designing both indoor and outdoor spaces for either public or private projects.  They have the opportunity to be commissioned to design anything as small as a single room to as big as an entire complex or buildings. 

Architects discuss the objectives, requirements, and budget of a project or multiple projects with a client before developing the final construction plans.  In certain cases architects may provide an assortment of pre-design services. This can include feasibility and environmental impact studies, site selection, cost analyses, and architectural design requirements. 

Architects will then develop the final construction plans after discussing and agree to the initial proposal with the client. The plans will include the structural system – anything from the air-conditioning system to communication systems. It is possible for landscape design plans to be included in these plans as well. Architects must follow state and local building codes, zoning laws, and other ordinances while developing the final construction plan.

Overview of Architects Key Responsibilities

Architects take on a lot of responsibility and accountability in several areas. Their main responsibilities are as follows:

• Meet with clients to determine objectives and requirements for structure
• Provide estimates on cost and construction time 
• Assemble structure specifications
• Manage workers who prepare drawings and documents 
• Develop scaled drawings, either with computer software or by hand 
• Compose contract documents for building contractors 
• Supervise construction contracts 
• Visit worksites to ensure that construction adheres to architectural plans 
• Seek new work opportunities by marketing and giving presentations

Architect Job Prospects: Looking Ahead

Due to the increasing number of students graduating with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in architecture, design, and related fields, there will be a fair deal of competition in the internship arena and job market: the more prestigious the architectural firm, the greater the level of competition amongst your peers.

Therefore, it is to your benefit to keep your technical skills as up-to-date as possible, including CADD, BIM, and other state-of-the-art architecture programs including but not limited to:

• Microstation
• Sketchup
• Revit Architecture
• Softplan
• Autodesk Revit
• Vectorswork Architecture
• AutoCad Architecture
• Punch Software
• Chief Architect
• ArchiCAD

As discussed, recent architecture major graduates with experience and a thorough knowledge of sustainable design will have an edge on the competition.

Residential vs. Commercial

Designing for a commercial property is very different than designing for a residential property. Architects should be well versed in both design aspects, so they are able to comply with various client needs.

Residential architecture requires a partnership with an interior designer to ensure the home meets building codes and regulations. The architect and interior designer also work closely together to make sure the home is visually sound and livable. Once the structure has been designed, the rest of the work is left to the interior designer to find the right colors, lighting etc.

Designing for commercial properties is a much bigger operation than residential due to the larger buildings and stricter regulations. Often times the building requires elevators, cafeterias, parking areas, and bathrooms, all of which the architect has to keep in mind when designing for commercial. Commercial architects often work on specialized facilities like hospitals, hotels, and retail buildings. These facilities require a completely different architectural design process for the architect.

Popular Architecture Career Paths to Explore

1. Architect: Before becoming an architect, it’s important that architect students obtain hands-on experience while they are in school to help launch their architect career. This process begins with internships. Students should complete an entry-level internship and continue on to second-year and third-year internship positions. Once internships are complete and students have graduated, they can move on to become a licensed architect. As licensed architects gain more and more experience, they can move up to senior architect/designer, and then on to project manager, department head, and so on. There is extensive room for growth as an architect/designer. Many people decide to also get their Architecture Master’s degree for even more opportunities for growth and learning.
2. Landscape Architect: Drawing upon a wealth of knowledge and expertise, this specialized area incorporates aspects of architecture, industrial design, botany, horticulture, fine arts, environmental psychology, geography, ecology, and even soil sciences. A multi-disciplinary field, a career opportunity in landscape architecture may entail designing parks and the outdoor spaces of recreational and commercial facilities, university campuses, private residences, and other open areas within urban, suburban and rural regions while incorporating principles of ecological sustainability.
3. Interior Architecture: With a penchant for creating interior spaces that seamlessly blend form with functionality, an interior designer’s duties include a broad range of specialized skills. Designing spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, the best interiors are utilitarian and fabricated to be safe for its inhabitants. Your duties will require a variety of creative and analytical skill sets, from coordinating patterns and selecting color and fabric schemes to reading blueprints and having in-depth knowledge of appropriate design software programs. In addition, a qualified interior designer must be aware of building codes, inspection regulations and universal accessibility standards, among other industry protocols.
4. Urban and Regional Planner: Urban and regional planners are responsible for developing land use plans and programs that help facilitate the orderly development of communities while accommodating population growth. Although your primary focus will concentrate on the planning of settlements and communities, your tasks may also entail the planning and development of water usage and affiliated resources, rural and agricultural bodies of land and parks, and the conservation of environmentally significant areas. Your duties may also include the revitalization of physical facilities in towns, cities, counties and metropolitan regions.
5. Civil Engineer: As a civil engineer, your work incorporates a multitude of working parts, including the designing, building, supervision, operation and maintenance of construction projects and systems in the public and private sectors. These jobs may include buildings, roads, airports, railroads, dams, bridges, harbors, tunnels, pipelines, power plants, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment. In addition, your responsibilities include protecting public and environment health, as well as upgrading or improving existing infrastructures that may have been neglected or fallen into disrepair. Most civil engineers are specialized in their industry, with specialties including construction engineering, transportation engineering, structural engineering, and environmental engineering, among others. Some civil engineers (especially those working for government agencies) may practice across multiple specializations, particularly if they’re involved in critical infrastructure development or maintenance.
6. Construction Manager: For those wishing to seek a career opportunity in construction project management (CM), your day-to-day work will span a broad spectrum of tasks, from planning and coordinating to budgeting and supervising construction drawings and projects from start to finish. CM is a professional service typically reserved for large-scale, lengthy, and high-budget undertakings, such as commercial real estate, military infrastructure, industrial facilities, transportation infrastructure, and other similar endeavors; in the industry, these are known as ‘capital projects’. Ultimately, your responsibility is to efficiently manage and control a project’s time, cost and quality based on demanding and comprehensive client specs. Keeping this information in mind, this is a senior-level position and requires a great deal of career experience and qualifications.

Product design can be a challenging and highly rewarding career, but how do you get started? There are many potential paths you can take, but in this post, we’ll give you some tips to help you achieve your goal of discovering how to become a product designer.

However, product design is an often misunderstood profession and title, so before we move on to how to become a product designer, we need to go over what this complex job even entails.

What is Product Design?

BusinessDictionary.com defines product design as: The detailed specification of a manufactured item’s parts and their relationship to the whole. A product design needs to take into account how the item will perform its intended functionality in an efficient, safe, and reliable manner. The products also needs to be capable of being made economically and to be attractive to targeted consumers.

Product designers connect engineers and consumers to create products and services that are useful and well thought out. As a product designer, you’ll wear many hats and get to do much more than just design a product. See our previous post for a full description on what product designers do.

Now, without further ado, here are some things you can do to help you become a product designer.

Go to Design School

The most traditional path to becoming a product designer is by earning a bachelor’s degree in product design. Learn about NewSchool’s Bachelor of Arts in Product Design degree.

A popular misconception about product design is that a degree or diploma is easy to attain, but it definitely is not. That’s because of how many different skills a product designer will need. Despite the misnomer of the title, being a product designer is much more than simply designing products. You’ll need to be savvy in business, marketing, sales, the design process, ideation, engineering, graphic design, visual design, design thinking, technical knowledge, customer service, production cost, manufacturing, user testing, user experience, user interface, digital product design, and more. You can’t just get by with basic skills in each of these areas either, you’ll need to be a well-rounded expert in each skill because being a good product designer means possessing a mastery of them all. It will most likely take around four years to learn the skills you need to become a professional.

If you truly immerse yourself in a design program at a college or university, you can gain a leg up on your competition (and the competition is stiff in the product design industry). In a college program, you will learn the core design curriculum of color, typography, and layout as well as how to clearly communicate your ideas. You’ll also learn how to give and receive feedback on your work, which will be vital in the workplace. This is something you may lack if you learn on your own, but communication will be critical to your work.

A degree in product design can qualify you for higher pay, so this is another thing to consider. Your experience and body of work are just as important as your educational background when looking for a job. So with that being said, you’ll need a strong portfolio.

Build a Strong Portfolio

Your portfolio showcases what you can do as a designer. A good portfolio should have several solid examples of your work, and show the steps of the process. You should be able to go over your workflow and processes for the projects in your portfolio to demonstrate how you operate. This helps interviewers see how you might mesh with their team and vice versa.

Whether the items in your portfolio come from actual work experience or just you practicing on your own, they should look professional, solve a real problem, and showcase well-thought-out, good design elements. Think of each item in your portfolio as a short story in which you can show someone that you are a capable and skilled product designer.

Specifically, with job interviews, it can be helpful to have an item in your portfolio that applies to the designer job you want to be hired for. It can be difficult for a hiring manager to envision your design skills and work applied to their products, so create something for the interview on something in their product line, or something that would add to their business. This can be a good way to set yourself apart from other applications, show the people at the company how badly you want the job, and that you will fit in with the experienced designers.

Creating a portfolio is also a great way for you to continue to practice your craft. If you feel something doesn’t have enough aesthetic impact, but it does functionally solve the problem it is intended to, then you can take the time to fine-tune things and make your product pop. You can get feedback from friends or other designers on the work in your portfolio to really help make things shine. If you want, there are even programs out there to help you build out your portfolio. It doesn’t have to be a groundbreaking design, just make sure it’s good.

Build Your Network

Talk with experts in the field and meet whoever you can. If you go to college, stay in touch with your classmates. You never know when a contact in the industry might come in handy when you are looking for a job. Every person you come in contact with can be an opportunity. Most product designers are more than willing to help out or bounce ideas off of each other. It can be a simple hello and exchange of business cards or contact information. You can even call designers up for interviews as someone looking to break into the industry.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Learning should never stop. You should read about design every day, study techniques, learn new tools, and practice those that you know.

Especially with a field like product design, the best way to learn is by hands-on training. So whenever you have an idea, sketch it out! Take it as far through the process as you possibly can, it’s the best way to learn without a job, unless you are in an actual educational program. Plus, since design is a rapidly changing field, you’ll need to stay up-to-date on the latest technologies as they relate to digital product design and visual design.

Find a problem and solve it. Is there a new product you use often that you think you could improve? Work through it and create a prototype. Get feedback from your friends or design peers and make revisions. Keep working at it and you should improve.

Check into design blogs to get the latest and brush up on your design history to get well-rounded while you’re at it. Consume everything product design that you possibly can. Become passionate about design, and in doing so become an expert. Designers are dreamers at heart, but you have to know the tools of the trade to make them a reality.

Use your spare time to become proficient in programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, After Effects, Premiere Pro, InDesign, AutoCAD, Solidworks and even become a pro with Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS and other web skills, as they are all involved in product design. Become so familiar with your UI design, UX drawing programs, and user research that they become an extension of you. You can even find tutorials to follow on YouTube.

Gain Some Experience, However You Can

Try to start out as an intern at an agency. One with a good track record of creating and launching successful products will be the best place to get your foot in the door. Get involved with the processes as much as they will allow you to and soak up as much as you can. Internships often lead to employment, whether within the same company or elsewhere.

If you choose the degree route, choose a program that offers a year of work experience. You’ll get the chance to work and help design real products as part of your program, which can help you grow your skills and build your portfolio. You’ll become a better thinker and learn how to operate in a real work environment.

Design competitions are another great way to put yourself out there and grow your skills. Whether or not you produce an award-winning design, the experience will help you learn the ropes of the process and give you practice. Competitions offer the added bonus of giving you opportunities to meet other designers and build your network as well.

Time to Get a Job

Once you feel you’re ready, it’s time to find yourself a job as a product designer. Shamelessly self-promote yourself to your network and search outside of your network for work opportunities. Product design jobs are high in-demand, so you’ll really need to stand out from your competition to land a gig in this highly competitive field. There are part-time jobs out there to help you get started as well.

But if you’re having a hard time finding a staff position somewhere…

…Or Make Your Own Job

Freelance! A lot of product design work will be on a project-by-project basis. Yes, larger companies will only work with the bigger design firms, but there is still work to be had on a smaller scale. Being a freelance product designer is a great option for those just starting out, or anyone who wants to work for themselves as a contractor.

If you have all of the design skills we’ve listed above, you can become an entrepreneur and design products for anyone who will hire you. You’ll learn through trial and error and build a portfolio with real work that solves real problems in the real world. Plus, you’ll get paid for it!

Working for yourself is a lot more actual work than you might think, so give it a try and see if it is a fit for your personality and work style. You have to tirelessly sell yourself and your work to land gigs, it takes tenacity and patience. One month you might be drowning under projects and the next they might dry up, but stick with it. Great product design will stand out, as will your unique way of thinking.

Connect with NewSchool’s Enrollment Team today to learn more about our Product Design program and how we can help you achieve your academic and professional goals! Or if you are interested in one of our related programs, discover how to become a graphic designer here!

While a title like “product designer” might seem fairly self-explanatory, it turns out to be a bit of a misnomer. That’s because understanding the question, what is product design, product design actually entails so much more than just designing a product. Well, good product design, anyway.

While a product designer does indeed create (or design) products, they are just a part of a larger design team. These product designers are typically employed by the manufacturers of most every product you can imagine. A product designer has to be a visual designer as well, who designs websites, furniture, technology, cars and anything else you can buy.

The list can even include food. No, a product designer isn’t in the kitchen creating a recipe (although they might be!) but they may design the look of a food product before it goes into production. A product designer may be behind a cookie’s packaging, name, marketing, etc.

They are artists, salesmen, marketers, architects, and engineers all wrapped into one. A product designer makes a practical and functional product as artistic and attractive to a consumer as possible. It takes creativity, consumer-savvy, and the know-how to take a product from ideation all the way to production.

To break things down further, the product development usually starts with that idea. If you’re the product designer, you’ll take that idea and go create a sketch, model or blueprint, depending on the product. This will often involve some computer-aided design (CAD) skills, but sometimes will start out with pencil and paper, depending on your preference.  

Once you have the idea drafted out, you will do some market research to refine and revise your product embryo. This process sometimes involves focus groups and will be where the almighty budget comes into play. From here, you will work with graphic designers, engineers and other team members to turn your drafted idea into a prototype. Once you have the prototype, you repeat the market research before you turn your prototype into a product.

And voila – there you have it! The product design process in a nutshell.

What is a Product Designer?

A good product designer wears many hats but is ultimately responsible for the entire product creation process, the user needs, and experience of a product. 

You might have heard a product designer also called the following: 

• User Experience Designers
• Customer Experience Architect 
• User Interface Designer 
• Interaction Designer 
• Information Architect 

This is all dependent on the type of the company, the size, and the diversity of the department. A product designer may be responsible for some or all of the above.  With these titles, there is an overlap in responsibilities.

An Example of What a Product Designer Does

Still unclear? No worries. Let’s try an example.

Let’s say you work for a company that makes backpacks. For whatever reason, your company decides they need a new backpack, a better backpack. So you take this idea and go, sometimes literally, to the drawing board.

Now, sketching the backpack is the easy part – it’s going to be relatively the same – but think about what you can change. You’ll gather input on the materials and see if any component can change to something new. You’ll consider the ergonomics and see if there’s a new design that can be better on a person’s back and posture.

And of course, you’ll design the look of the backpack. What’s the hot color right now? How can you incorporate it into the design? The look of a product is known as its aesthetics. While as a designer this may seem like the whole job – it’s only part of it. Sure, you’ve drawn up the coolest new backpack on the market – but does the thing work? Will it hold anything?

That’s where functionality comes into play. The backpack has to be able to hold things and be comfortable as well as look cool. You have to think about everything. You need to understand your customer and what they want and need. What problem does this product solve for them? Why is this something that will help their lives? You know what function a backpack serves, but what is it that this backpack does that others can’t? Now you’re marketing as well.

Key Responsibilities of a Product Designer?

As you can see, as a product designer, you will wear many hats, including product manager, designer, researcher, marketer, salesperson and of course, designer. While design is in the title of the role, it isn’t your only responsibility. There is so much more that goes into the “design” of a product in order to make it successful. While a product designer may consider themselves a designer first, they will still need to incorporate these other skills into their role like:

• Oral and written communication
• Time management
• Strategic thinking
• Project management
• Active listener
• Negotiating
• Being a team-player and more are all part of the job

As for the design itself, the best typically will have an area of expertise, or possessing being proficient in a few areas, but also capable in many others. You might not be the best salesperson, but you will still need to understand your consumer. That goes for every other area the job touches on.

Product designers bridge the gap between idea and production. You’ll convey your design through engineering, code, management, business requirements and more before it can reach consumers.

In addition, product designers are responsible for delivering a number of artifacts including: 

• Prototyping: A variety of fidelity but serve as mock-ups created with the purpose of testing. 
• Wireframe: Low-fidelity mock-ups that draft fast solutions for testing. For higher fidelity designs, it serves as blueprints. 
• Journey Maps: Tells a user story as they progress through a task or process at an in-depth and high level. 
• High-Fidelity Designs: The final mock-up of your design.

What is the Difference Between UX Designer and Product Designer?

Oftentimes the job title of a UX Designer and Product Designer can get mistaken as the same job. Both follow the 5-stage design process. The main difference is the UX designer is focused on the customer’s journey, while the product designer is concerned with the usability, customer’s experience, and the goals of the business. 

It’s a lot of work, with a lot of moving parts, but ultimately if creating products is your passion, a career in product design is the challenge you’re looking for.

So you want to be a professional interior designer. That’s great! The best way to get started is to attend interior design school. And whether you are a recent high school graduate, soon to earn your diploma or someone who is making a career change, deciding which school to attend and which interior design courses to take is a big decision to make.

This article will give you some tips on how to choose an interior design school.

Choose the Right School For You, Not The Best One

Interior design is a highly competitive field for those with an artistic flair. Formal training can be an important start down the interior design career path to expand your design skills, but choosing the right school can be tricky. There are several factors to consider, including your financial situation, career goals, and personality. You will want to have a decent grasp on everything from location and size to culture on top of the educational offerings and interior design faculty.

Because of all of these factors, the school that is considered to be the “best” can actually become the worst if it doesn’t jive with your style. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to get into this or that school because it is considered to be prestigious, but a school can be universally accepted as the best, and be a total disaster for you at the same time. The fit is more important than the school’s reputation.

On the other side of the argument, however, if a reputable institution is a good fit for you, you might find that you have a better launchpad for gaining employment. Well-respected design schools will be well-connected to the industry to help you network and find a job. You’ll also build a good portfolio and perhaps even have an internship or apprenticeship as part of your interior design program to give you professional practice in the field.

Look For Your Field of Interest

Since interior design is a very broad field, you should take some time to figure out your general field of interest or potential career path, then look at the school’s curriculum to see if they offer programs and interior design courses related to your interests. It’s OK if you don’t know exactly what you want to do right away, and going through this process can actually help you figure it out. It certainly helps put you in a good position if you can come up with a general idea of what you see yourself doing.

The top design schools will have a variety of courses to choose from, which will help you narrow your scope down the road. In this way, you can also become more well-rounded as an interior designer and have a greater technical knowledge of the field. And yes, you will need to get familiar with the computer so there will be plenty of technological courses involved. Each interior design course can be a little different, so if you want to focus on architectural design or space planning, for example, be sure to look at the elective courses that the school offers to expand your design skills.

Find an Accredited Institution

While a school’s reputation is important, accreditation is perhaps even more vital to getting started. You will have licensing requirements when you are looking to start your career, which varies from state to state, but will generally require a combination of education and work experience. You meet the educational requirement by attending schools that are recognized as accredited institutions in their state. One such accrediting body to look for as a prospective interior design student is the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). This accreditation enables students to qualify to take the national certification exam offered by the National Council of Interior Design Qualification.

Associate’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree?

There are both associate and bachelor’s degree programs available for interior design. You should choose the one that best aligns with your career goals. You can begin your career as a design assistant after attending a two-year associate degree program, while those who wish to start as an entry-level interior designer should go for the four-year bachelor’s degree. Transfer students can also start with a two-year program and transfer the credits toward a four-year degree.

Remember, You Don’t Have To Go To a Traditional College

Traditional college isn’t the only route to take for future interior designers. There are plenty of programs online that you can take to learn your craft, as well as a ton of free resources if you want to go the DIY route. Whether you’re interested in taking courses on interior architecture, sustainable design, residential design, or if you want to take a computer-aided design route, there are many elective courses and certificates that you can complete. Online courses are also available and make it possible to attend a reputable school from wherever you are located.

Choose whatever route is best for you, rather than picking a school based on “wherever I get in.” There is so much out there that you no longer need to attend university to start your career. While it can give you a leg up and gives you the best platform to learn, it isn’t the only way. So don’t get discouraged!

If you think a career in interior design is right for you, call NewSchool of Architecture and Design today to learn about our certificate in interior design for architects!