Externship Art Institute and Blue Bug Graphic Design By Suzanne Dean Graphic Arts Teacher
Dates of Externship Art Institute Orange County 2/2/09 2/25/09 4/28/09 Blue Bug Graphic Design 4/6/09 4/7/09
Industry Professionals Jenny Gonzalez Director of Career Services Tricia Cook Public Relations Julia Wolf Blue Bug Graphic Design
What is a Graphic Designer?
Graphic Designers These individuals use the computer screen as their canvas. They manipulate scanned photographs, or render images from scratch. Many use a combination of techniques to provide solutions to a concepts.
Graphic Designers The end result is usually a computer file that can be used for Print Web Multimedia projects
Graphic Designers Skills Grasp of software (Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator) Diverse page layout experience Able to design without a computer Strong concepting abilities
Stages of a Graphic Designer s s Career Path
Career Path: Graphic Design Entry Level Grasp of software (Qwark, Photoshop, Illustrator) Diverse page layout experience Able to design without a computer Strong concepting abilities
Mid-Career Employment Art Director Senior Designer Production Manager Project Manager
Pinnacle of Career Creative Director VP Creative Services Director of Design
Sample Careers Available in Graphic Design
Junior Graphic Designer Required skills Good general graphic design skills Basic digital retouching Basic production skills and computer generation Familiar with the printing process Generally 0-2 years of experience
Junior Graphic Designer Education An Associates degree or a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design or a related field
Junior Graphic Designer Skills: Photoshop Illustrator or Freehand Quark XPress:
Production Artist Has a working understanding of Layout Type Color
Production Artist Is able to take instructions from a designer on a complete layout, working proficiently in Quark XPress PageMaker Photoshop Illustrator Freehand
Production Artist Responsibilities include producing final files that image properly to film. Prepress experience is vital Ability to prepare files for Output Scanning Color Correction
Presentation Specialist General graphic design skills are needed Generally provide support within a company producing Low budget pamphlets Brochures Flyers and presentations
Presentation Specialist Creation of basic graphics, charts and graphs Clip art is generally used with limited usage of Photoshop Illustrator Freehand
Desktop Publisher/Presentation Specialists General graphic design skills are needed Generally provide support within a company producing low budget pamphlets, brochures, flyers and presentations that are printed via a laser or inkjet printer for limited circulation
Desktop Publisher/Presentation Specialist Skills and tools used for basic graphics, charts and graphs: Clip art Limited use of Photoshop and Illustrator of Freehand
Desktop Publisher/Presentation Applications: MS Word Quark XPress PageMaker CorelDraw PowerPoint Specialist Extensive skills enable a more seasoned candidate to produce animated, slide show presentations.
Mid-Level Graphic Designer In addition to the requirements for Junior Graphic Designer: Drawing skills Experience with layout, typography, and have a solid grasp of design trends Prepress experience Time management skills
Mid-Level Graphic Designer Application Skills: Advanced knowledge in Photoshop Illustrator Quark XPress Possibly Page Maker and Power Point
Mid-Level Graphic Designer Educational and professional experience BA of Fine Arts in Graphic Design or related field A minimum of 2 years experience in the field
Senior Graphic Designer The individual should possess all the requirements for Junior and Mid-Level Graphic Design and should be experienced in client relations
Senior Graphic Designer The individual could have management responsibilities working in tandem with an Art or Creative Director
Senior Graphic Designer Experience and Skills Brainstorming and conceptualizing Being able to translate ideas into storyboard format Understands projects on a tactical level with basic supervision Project coordination skills Efficient at handling multiple projects at the same time
Senior Graphic Designer Expert Knowledge in the following: Photoshop Illustrator or Freehand Quark XPress Moderate knowledge in PageMaker and PowerPoint
Information about the Art Institute Orange County
Admissions All programs (except for Game and Design) simply require students to have a high school diploma or equivalent and have an interest in the arts. The Game and Design program requires a portfolio
Length of Career Preparation The bachelor s degree program is a 3 year program. An associates degree may be obtained in 18 months.
Career Placement 90% of students are placed in jobs. The school finds jobs for students as soon as they enter orientation. The first job may not be in the graphics career field. Students will gain experience and later be placed in their career fields.
Job Fair During the third week of the first quarter, there is one of the following: Job Fair Pizza with the Pros During all of the various job fairs, students might expect to meet over 200 people in their field
Orientation Class During the first quarter, students attend an orientation class. One segment is career services Students learn how to bill clients When they are career eligible Resume writing
Career Development During the 5 th 7 th quarters, students take a class on career development. Students continue to work on Resumes Cover letters Mock interviews