FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How hard was it to get started? Pretty easy. People recognize the need to hire a designer to make them more competitive.
How did you get started? In 1991, I got tutoring from someone who was ahead of his time. I owe him a lot... Thanks, Tony C.! This was before just about everyone had a personal computer – having a computer was a real novelty, if you can picture that. Back then, programs were so small that Photoshop and Freehand both fit on floppy disk!
What education do you have? My degree is in a different field altogether. In graphic design, I am essentially self taught, through reading software manuals and doing software tutorials. A surprising number of designers working today are, like me, self taught.
What schools do you recommend to become a graphic designer?

I have had college juniors, seniors, and graduates from various schools as interns and employees. They were talented...but some of them lacked some of the technical skills basic to this field. It seems to me that they got short-changed in college design programs. Believe it or not, a couple of them graduated without even having a portfolio! Exceptions I've seen were grads of University of Texas at Austin and Texas State Technical College. Graphic design is a comparatively new field and college programs are getting better every year.

What specific skills must a designer have?

Aside from being able to use graphic software, you need to know how to set up files to be printed, such as trapping spot colors and the proper steps for processing rgb/cmyk images. Other essential skills: spelling and proofreading. Personal skills: listening and following instructions.
Where can I find this kind of work or get a job in graphic design?

My advice is: Create a good portfolio that shows a variety of design solutions. Then offer your services to a local print shop, or if you live in a larger city, try to get hired at a prepress service bureau. There, you will learn the all-important technical skills that you need...because there is much more to professional graphic design than drawing cool pictures. Another alternative is to offer yourself as a short-term, non-paid intern to an established graphic designer or some other company with an in-house design department. If you prove your worth, you might get hired. This is how I have ended up hiring some of my staff.
What suggestions do you have for someone interested in this work? It's not all glamorous. It takes discipline and skill. Really WANT to do it.
Do you have to know how to draw? You don't have to be Michelango...but you will benefit from the skills and insights you learn when practicing drawing.
How do I create a good portfolio?

Get one of those big portfolio cases and fill it full of color samples. Student work is OK, and so is spec work (for potential or imaginary clients). Demonstrate your talent by including as much variety as you can. Illustrators need a consistent, identifiable style - but diversity is the hallmark of a good graphic designer. My personal preference - don't send your portfolio on a CD! With all the viruses out there? Do a website instead.
What kind of work can a beginning designer expect to do? I ask newer staff members to do a lot of the preliminary work that needs to be done before the real design work begins. That includes scanning, typing, cleaning up images in Photoshop, processing images for websites, etc. I ask them to handle phone calls and get to know the clients, too.
Do designers specialize in a certain area of design or are they involved in all aspects of the design process? Plan on knowing about all the aspects of the design process. Your projects will, at one time or another, demand that you are competent in all areas from planning to delivery.
What kind of salary could I expect to make with my own business? The first year being self-employed, you may find yourself surviving on Ramen Noodles. It gets easier and easier as you add clients and earn repeat business from existing ones. For a self-employed graphic designer, it depends on how much work you do.
How long have you been doing this job? Over 12 years.
Have you had different jobs or careers before this one? Yes, but I don't want to remember any of that!
Is there much variety? Every day is different, being self-employed with a variety of clients.
What is the pace like? Starting out, I worked 70 hours per week for about 3 years and felt like I was going about 70 miles per hour. But now, being established with lots of clients who send repeat business and talented people to help, I would describe the pace as about 45mph, with occasional spikes of 60mph.
What are some of the rewards you receive from this business? Instant feedback for any work performed... Constantly changing combination of people and projects... And of course, I love it when people express how happy they are with my work.
Are there any stresses involved in your job? When there are numerous projects underway, it can be challenging to switch gears between them. It is sometimes necessary to meet sudden or simultaneous deadlines. Also, constantly switching back and forth from focused creative work ("right brain" activity) to bookkeeping, or other "left brain" activities, can be exhausting.
Are you required to travel or move from place to place? On occasion I travel to meet clients or deliver work. I've been offered opportunities to relocate but chose not to.
Do the demands on a graphic designer stifle their natural talent? A professional in any field will commit to subjugating his or her own preferences to that of the client - or at the very least to compromise without being personally offended by the client's demands. It's OK to experience an occasional prickle of impatience when you KNOW you're right and the client insists on something tacky, but the bottom line is that the client is always right. It is one thing to be blessed with natural artistic talent, but it is also enriching to polish your self-discipline and interpersonal skills. If you are feeling thwarted, find a reward in the ability to recalibrate your attitude.
How many clients do you do business with on a regular basis? At any given time, we simultaneously work on projects for an average of 8 clients. There have been times when projects in progress numbered over 20.
Are your clients located all over or is there geographic boundaries that you have to deal with?

For the first few years, all my clients were located within a 100 mile radius of my home town. However, the internet changed all that! Now only a fraction of my business is local, and the rest comes from other cities, states, and even other countries. With competitively priced overnight shipping and bank wires, there are theoretically very few boundaries.
Would it be easy for you to find another job in this field? I imagine so, but I am spoiled by being self-employed!
Where the design industry is heading and what you think will make up a successful design studio in the future? Designers will need to know website design and development. I believe there will continue to be a huge demand for new website designs – and updating existing designs. And this means more than just good-looking graphics. The successful design studio will offer IT services as well.

Tips for the beginning, self-employed graphic designer:

 

Design an ad and get it published in the yellow pages right away. This is money well spent.

Create alliances with all the local printers you can. While some of them may have in-house art departments, some of them get reams of so-called camera-ready artwork that is in no way camera-ready and needs your help. Set up mutual discounts, if you can.

Offer to take subcontract work from ad agencies and other design studios in your area.

Commit to your reputation. Some artists develop crazy ideas like, they're artists! They aren't expected to show up on time or meet deadlines! Repeat customers are the most valuable asset you will ever have.

Make friends with other designers in your area. I promise that they are allies, not competitors. There will be plenty of work to go around.

Get a website. My first one, which was pretty lame, still doubled my business in under a year.

When the phone rings, smile before you pick it up. The person on the other end of the line will hear it.