Five Services Every Graphic Artist Should Provide

With the invention of the desktop computer, graphic design was changed forever. There are so many things that can be output from the PC, the realm of the graphic artist has expanded to cover many areas of design and technology.

1. Print Design

Logos, Business Cards, Brochures, Posters, CD Covers, etc. Historically, these have been the meat and potatoes of the graphic designer. The computer has made things easier here. There is no longer any cold or hot press boards to rapidograph, parapaque and photograph. Everything can be designed on-screen, emailed to the printer and, if you're cocky, not seen until it arrives at your doorstep before delivery to client. For a graphic designer, print output should be the first thing learned, because it will be the foundation of your output. These kinds of jobs are always out there.

2. Web Design

This has become the second largest provider of work for the graphic designer. Websites. These can be very daunting to the designer that has worked in print throughout their careers. But education has caught up with the technology. Designers are being trained in both forms. Website design is becoming even tricker for artists now that so many online applications offer free customizable websites. The trick will be to know these systems well enough to offer these customized widgets, banners, logos, flash animation, etc. These designs that may never see print but most do provide a new canvas in which to stretch your design muscles.

3. Video Design

With the ability to make a movie at your desk, there's really no reason a graphic artist shouldn't have some working knowledge of video production. Whether you shoot the video yourself, or you're just editing footage - it's a skill that many more people will learn in the next ten years. Title sequences, visual effects, video photoshopping - there are many opportunities here.

4. Presentation Design

And I'm not just talking PowerPoint backgrounds. Animation, music, transition. It's a hybrid of many techniques, but professionals have embraced this format for it's quick messaging. Test the limits Powerpoint and Keynote and discover this unique form of communication and it's possibilities.

5. Display Design

Tradeshows. Companies are still hitting them hard. Find a display vendor in your area and get to know them. Ask if you can stop by and look over some of their products. Get to know their specifications. Designing great display graphics means getting to know the skeletons you're dressing. Think of this area as 3-Dimensional graphic design.

These all are skills I've picked up over the years to stay competitive and fed. I hope they give young artists something to think about as the opportunities for the creative grow and the field becomes more competitive. The designer who can show they are a jack-of-all-trades has a leg up in this exciting market.