Furture in graphic design??

Hi People,


Does anyone have an understanding where graphic design is going? And do they see a future in this industry.

Thanks

Clampdown

Sure, but it is more and more common for designers to be a jack of all trades and be able to do web as well as print, which means learning code, etc.

If you only do print work then you will most likely end up in low paid (like min wage-ish) jobs in print/sign companies if you are based in Ireland. And most of the jobs you will get will be uninteresting crap and even if you try to do something interesting the client won't get it. I did that for a while before realizing that it would be less hassle client wise and just as fulfilling creatively to make burgers in a fast food joint, and the pay would be about the same too. The only con would be the grease and having a less fancy sounding job. Also a lot of small print shops will expect you to do the printing/cutting/folding,/binding as well, which is actually a whole different set of skills, and often you have to use old crappy equipment that should have been replaced or repaired/sharpened/calibrated years ago but the place is too cheap to do it.

High end agencies will pay much better, have more interesting work, better conditions, and better pay, but are hard to break into. A talented, passionate, hardworking designer can make it as a freelancer, but you will have to do freebies for a while, build your name up, etc also.

All in all I don't recommend it unless you are super into it, a lot of people just don't want to pay for design work any more, especially since people are a lot more familiar with using photo-editng suites since the rise of camera phones, cheaper PCs, etc.

I would suggest looking atr jobs sites to see what programs are in demand and if you study design, learn some of those programs in addition to Adobe CS to have a specialist expertise that will set you apart. The rarer the skill the more you get paid.

And if you go to work in print, triple check for typos. An extra r in a line of copy (furture) on a run of 5000 fliers will not go down well with your client or your employer.

Thanks Clampdown,

Some good advice right there. I have good knowledge of css, html and some java script. However, Im gravitating more towards adobe photo shop and illustrator.

Much appreciated for you knowledge in the area

Peace

Web Graphic Designer

Becoming a certified expert in photoshop and illustrator along with some basic coding is by far the best core foundation to start with.
InDesign to an extent also for printing, but that's not really rocket science, just a layout compiler program.

Graphic Design & Visual Communications in general encompasses a very very wide area and the long-term future is bright.
VR, AR, 3D printing and 'blended-interaction e-learning' are also on the cusp of massive expansion over the next decade.

Thank you Web Graphic Designer.
Again some great wisdom there. This will defo help me on my path.
Much appreciated