JOB DESCRIPTION

Graphic Designers

Most people are confused by the term graphic designer. A lot of the time I get asked whether I only design posters or draw. While we do all these things, being a graphic designer means you do many different things. We create different types of design for a range of industries, it gets difficult to describe exactly what the job of a graphic designer is. 

A Graphic Designer is a creative person who assembles type, images, and graphics to carry out a specific function. It is their job to communicate a specific message and solve problems with visual answers through research and testing. This can look like a poster, a social media campaign, a logo, a website, a book cover, or anything visual. A graphic designer has to be creative, skilled at a variety of design software, have good communication skills, time management skills, attention to detail, and resilience. The best way to comprehend the role of a designer is to describe its duties in the context of these three jobs:  

Artist

The work of an artist involves the following tasks: 

• Studying their specific medium 
• Creative brainstorming and sketching drafts for artwork
• Producing work that conveys a message from a unique perspective 

Ultimately artists use an artistic medium to convey a message. They achieve this by thinking outside of the box, practicing, and refining. Here’s an example of how an artist’s job can be seen in the work of a graphic designer. First and foremost, a good designer is someone who practices their software regularly. I always try new ways to use the tools to generate specific effects, images, and graphics. When given a project, I then spend hours brain-dumping ideas to find a unique way to communicate a specific message. Once I understand the message I want to convey, I go to the drawing board. At this stage, I sketch out as many iterations of that idea as possible, in as many different, unexpected ways as possible. I take the most creative idea and use my mediums - Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop - to turn it into something I can show the public. 

Storyteller

A good designer needs to be a good communicator, and that is even more important as a storyteller. We accomplish this by doing these tasks: 

• Understanding the story fundamentals (effective character, trajectory, hook, authenticity/details, and calls-to-action) 
• Encouraging certain emotions or reactions in listeners 
• Leaving the audience with something that can resonate with them once the story is over

Let’s say I want to create a poster for a new organic energy drink catered to gen-z. The story fundamentals would be the key RTBs of the product and the character of the brand. I need to ensure that the visual messaging and the copy on the poster demonstrate both. These two aspects of the design not only need to convey a story but make the audience feel a certain way. In this case, it would be the desire to purchase the brand or some sense of brand affinity. Last, a designer who knows their audience will know how to cater their design to their audience, so they feel like their needs are fulfilled by whatever the product is. I would achieve this by suggesting the energy drink solves a certain problem for the audience like making studying easier during finals. 

Scientist 

The last role of a designer is similar to that of a scientist. Many people consider design to be a merging of art and science, both perform the following tasks: 

• Recording and analyzing data 
• Planning and conducting experiments 
• Presenting results to senior/ other staff 

Behind every successful design is a large amount of research. Looking back at the organic energy drink analogy, I would need to deeply understand the product and the target market to create an appropriate poster. To assess the success of this poster I would find a focus group and record their reaction to the design, ask them questions like what does this make you feel or who do you think this product is for? Once I’ve created the poster, I would have to present it to the senior designer and/or the creative director. They would ultimately decide whether the poster was a successful design, ask me about my process, and give me pointers on how to improve for next time.