Have you thought about being a graphic designer? Do you have a general knack for it? While you might have talent, being in the field can be more difficult than you would imagine. There are a lot of challenges out there that could derail your career very early on.
Fortunately, there are options out there. One is to go to a school that specializes in it. Here are some ways that a graphic design university can get you ready for many of the things that a professional will face.
Learn Graphic Design crafted by industry experts with strategical planning that makes the way simpler for newbies.
Experimentation
The graphic design field is filled with trials and errors. It can be a pressure-filled situation with clients that can change their minds on a whim and have you see hours and hours of work go down the drain. Doing this in a university setting can help you adapt faster than trying to immediately jump into the deep end of the pool.
You’ll also be able to learn how to use the graphic design programs that professionals use at a pace that isn’t sink-or-swim. Along the way, you’ll figure out how to use these programs in a way that will allow you to create a workflow that lets you quickly produce designs. Meaning: You’ll be able to create your vision that much faster.
The university will likely have technology that you might not otherwise have had access to. That way, if you were hired by a company, you’d be able to start working without needing any kind of learning curve. That can make the tuition worth it right there.
Just like art school or any other creative space, you’ll find yourself surrounded by like-minded people. As a result, you’ll be able to constantly bounce ideas off others. Who knows, you might become friends with someone who you could work with for several decades to come.
Think of university as being a place where you can learn and any mistakes you make will be confined to the classroom. Your instructor will be able to point out the mistake and guide you back on the correct path.
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Mentorship
These universities often hire instructors who have spent years in their specific field. Many of them may even be highly-regarded. As a result, you’ll be able to learn from the best of the best.
If you get the chance to work one-on-one with an instructor, you should take it. They can tell you things that go well beyond mere job duties — they can tell you stories about weathering the industry and the challenges it presents. The longer they’ve been in the field, the better, though you want to make sure they’ve adapted to the current times.
Listen to what the instructor has to say. They’ve been in the business and they know what art directors and other design-related jobs are looking for. This will help you stay ahead of the curve and they can also show you what to keep an eye on in terms of any changes in the industry.
There are a lot of benefits to mentorship, such as the instructor possibly being able to help you once you finish your time there — like connecting you with certain agencies or other job possibilities.
Graphic design is a visual field. Your mentor will also be able to help you customize the portfolio that you’ll be showing to any potential interviewers — they’ll be able to tell you what can help you stand out from other applicants.
Opportunities
The instructors aren’t the only people that can open doors for you in terms of your career — getting a job is a real-world challenge in of itself. Oftentimes, a university can be a pipeline for many businesses. Those companies may often recruit the students who perform the best.
You’ll likely be able to attend networking events throughout the course of your time there. A lot of people who are hiring will likely be there as well. It would be smart to talk with them.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get immediate results from these networking events. You might make a really good impression on someone and they might contact you further down the road. So treat these events seriously.
You could also benefit just from listing your degree on your resume. If you’re on a job board and have that on there, someone in the industry might reach out to you.
Treat your time at the graphic design university for the learning experience it is and prepare for what to after you graduate.. Yes, once you’ve started working for real, there will be times when you’ll encounter unusual situations or have a client that throws you a curveball with a last-minute request. Life can be unpredictable.
However, you’ll likely find that one of your instructors at the university fed you some information or gave you a hack to figure it out on your own. That will make it worth it.