Choosing The Right Design Career Path
Graphic, video, web, and UX design are all rewarding design career choices if you dream of a job that is challenging, fast-moving, and creative. These careers can be found in a variety of industries and are in high demand in today’s tech-based economy. The Digital Workshop Center offers certificate programs that lead to four different design career paths. While some skills overlap, each path is unique depending on what career goal you have in mind.
In this blog, we’re going to breakdown each of these design career paths to help you decide what type of design is right for you.
Choosing the right design career path
Graphic Design
At its core, graphic design is about using visual media to communicate information and ideas. The media used by graphic designers can vary wildly. Print publications such as posters, brochures or magazines; digital media such as apps, websites or virtual billboards; or physical media such as set design, signage or murals are all examples of media created by a graphic designer. Whether it’s for company branding, public information, or an advertisement, graphic designers share messages through text and images.
Graphic designers need skills that go beyond a sketchpad and a pencil. Its essential to have proficiency in design software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The median national income for a graphic designer is $49,000, according to Glassdoor, with starting designer salaries in the low 30s, and high-end designer salaries bringing in $78,000.
Interested in a graphic design career and need to know more about these programs? Check out our Advanced Graphic Design certificate program and sharpen the skills you will need to become a graphic designer.
Video Design
Video design focuses specifically on creating promotional or artistic productions from film footage. This design career involves working with directors and producers to determine which material is most captivating for their audience and piecing together scenes. The editing process involves trimming footage down into segments, marking frames for audio and organizing raw footage into a seamless and polished final product. Video designers do this by understanding of the most cutting-edge video design software available today such as Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Business in all industries are looking for video content to tell their story. 85% of businesses are now using video as a marketing tool, according to Hubspot’s ‘2020 State of Marketing’ Report. With so many video channels now available through the web and social media, video content is more important than ever before. The national average salary for a Video Editor is $52,518 with a high-end salaries in 90k range, according to Glassdoor. If you are interested in learning the skills to start this design career, take a look at our Fundamental Video Design Certificate. Classes are small, hands-on and taught by professionals in the industry.
Web Design Career Path
To excel in web design, you need a highly diverse skill set. Web designers are responsible for planning, designing, and building websites. The art lies in understanding the client’s vision and turning it into a visually compelling, fully functional website. This covers a vast range of tasks, from planning the site architecture to choosing colors, layout, typography, and graphics. Web designers need both technical and creative skills.
An understanding of content management systems, basic programming languages, visual design principles, and SEO will all come in handy. You don’t need a degree in web design. Many employers are looking for practical experience and an impressive web site portfolio. One way to do achieve this is by completing a Frontend Web Development Bootcamp which can be completed in less time and for less money than a traditional four-year degree. Web designers make an average $75,899 per year according to Indeed and are in-demand across the country. If you enjoy knowing how to code from scratch and build beautiful websites, this may be the design career path for you.
UX Design
A user experience designer has very different end goals and responsibilities from a graphic or video designer. A job in UX incorporates elements of interaction design, visual design, information architecture and user research. On a day-to-day basis, you may find yourself devising user personas, sketching wireframes, creating prototypes, or conducting usability testing. Essentially, UX encompasses anything that impacts how the user feels when they engage with a product.
The field of user experience is relatively new and interdisciplinary in nature, so degrees in psychology, anthropology, computer science, or from graphic design school could all be considered relevant fields of study. UX design also tops the list as the most lucrative field, with an average yearly salary of $100,670 according to Indeed. Digital Workshop Center offers a UX Design certificate program to give you the skills you need to break into this in-demand design career.
If your looking to start an exciting design career and want to learn more about which skills you need, our advisors are here for you! Click here to talk to a student advisor to discuss which design certificate program is right for you!