Graphic Design Jobs Entry Level - DesignProTalk.com (2023)

Portfolio And Websites For Graphic Design

4 Ways to Build a Graphic Design Portfolio Without Any Design Experience

To showcase the best graphic design work, a graphic designer can create both a portfolio and a website. Some opt for one or the other but having both is optimal.

To create a website, use software like WordPress and Wix. They offer upgrades for better features. Some go with a paid service right away such as Squarespace and Format. By building this website, it shows a graphic designers ability to be a web designer and utilize the website design software.

Another form of showing off graphic design work is through LinkedIn.

General tips for portfolios and websites are to use the best and most important work you have. Show and do not tell but also show the process.

Leverage Networking & Partnerships For Your Pitch

Getting that first job is a little easier if you have an experienced freelancer to help. One way many graphic designers get started is by reaching out to friends, colleagues, and professionals they know to find opportunities to work together. You may be able to join an existing project or pitch your services together.

It’s who you know, not what you know, said Connor Foltyn-Smith COO and creative director Kreativ Alchemy. If you know any freelancers who occupy different spaces in the marketing industry, see how your graphic design skills can support them and vice versa. You can pitch yourself alongside their skills to create a more desirable potential hire. For instance, if you find someone looking for a few Facebook ads, you offer to design them and say that you can bring on a professional copywriter to write the copy.

Digital Media Campaigns & Websites

The trick for these is to really know your client.

Youâll want to incorporate its brand identity into the platform with colour, typography and the overall vibe. In terms of time commitment, these jobs could go either way, depending on the size of the company, the number of people involved, the complexity of the page or site, and your level of comfort in this medium.

If youâre just starting out, youâll want to carefully weigh the pros and cons before taking on projects like these.

âThere are three responses to a piece of designâyes, no and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.â â Milton Glaser, who created the I New York and DC Comics logos.

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Signage Posters Postcards & Flyers

Oh, the fun, creative possibilities that come with these jobs. You can play around with typography, colour and artworkâand itâs a chance to really think outside of the box.

Think of Bob Dylanâs psychedelic-hair poster from 1967 designed by Milton Glaser and Randâs illustrated eye, bee and M poster from 1981.

Theyâre also pretty popular and easy to land, making them a perfect entry point to the career. Whether they wind up being one-off jobs or lead to lasting relationships with the client is hard to predict, however.

Creative Bloq / Love Design Jobs

Creative Bloq is an online design publication that publishes all types of stories directed at designers. They also have a job board through their sister site Love Design Jobs.

The job listing is viewable for everyone, but to apply to them you must first create a profile and set up a resume. The jobs listed are international and in all capacities, full time, remore, freelance etc.

The platform has plenty of resources for new and seasoned designers about landing jobs and is a great place to start if you arent sure about how to get started finding a job.

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Add A Video To Your Portfolio

Here is a secret tip that dramatically increases a freelance artists chance of getting a job: record a video to showcase yourself, said Jerry Han, chief of marketing at PrizeRebel. A video is an excellent method of showcasing not only your talent but also your personality. People want to work with others they feel comfortable with. Showing a video of yourself to potential clients helps establish your character.

Han said designers only need to write out a few sentences for a script and can use a smartphone camera for recording. Focus on introducing yourself and review it afterward to ensure the background looks professional and that its easy to see your face.

Interview Pointers For Graphic Designers

Prior to your interview, be sure to think of examples of personal experience applicable to the role:

• Describe your creative process. What are the main steps?
• Talk about an example of a time when you were able to produce excellent work while under a great deal of pressure.
• Discuss a time when you had to handle a difficult client who kept changing the projects goals on you. How did you deal with this?
• Talk about the most challenging project youve worked on. What did you learn from it?
• Walk the interviewer through your portfolio. What are your favorite pieces? What was most challenging? What are you most proud of?

Be prepared to answer questions like:

• How do you handle criticism or harsh feedback? How do you incorporate it into your work?
• What should you do if a client asks you to design something but gives you no context?
• What makes a design successful? How do you determine the success of your designs?

Trouble finding Graphic Designer jobs to apply for? Try searching for these jobs as well!UI Designer Commercial Artist Digital Illustrator Visual Designer

Famous Former Graphic Designers

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Fill Your Graphic Designer Profile With Work Education And More

Your portfolio website or profile on job boards or websites such as Upwork should reflect who you are as a designer and the larger person behind those skills. Share your experiences, education, and other relevant details. One of the best ways, according to multiple experts, is to add your resume and schooling.

Industry experience is not everything. The most important thing that potential clients want to know is: Can you do the job? said Matt Bertram, CEO and SEO strategist at EWR Digital. Having a portfolio is the best way to show clients precisely what youre capable of doing. Youre not restricted to only showing client work in your portfolio. You can base your portfolio purely on personal projects. Pick a specific industry to focus on for your portfolio to prove to clients in that industry that youre the perfect fit.

What Skills Are Required For A Graphic Design Job Search

How To Put Together A Graphic Design Portfolio

The most important digital design skill is knowing the Adobe products, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and After Effects. While there are other computer software options, these are the most used and most important.

Other hard design skills to have are sketching, typography, and free-hand drawing.

The soft skills to have as a graphic designer are time management, problem-solving, collaboration, and research.

A graphic designer has to organize because they will need to gather information, do research, plan, and then use their creativity to make a design.

Graphic designers have to be able to take criticism well because every mockup will have many many many revisions.

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Its Okay To Start Small

For many freelancers, it takes time to work up to the high rates the industry can provide. Even if you have the capabilities to make amazing designs, most companies will view you as a risk and a high price tag can make them avoid choosing you. When youre new to game, be open to starting small and building up to larger work.

As a junior or student designer, you’re going to have to charge less, said web designer and illustrator Rachel Foley. There are so many clients out there who will be thrilled with what you can do, but they won’t shell out much for it. That’s okay. Start small and work quickly. Pretty soon, your portfolio will grow, and you can take those bigger opportunities.

Preparing For A Graphic Design Job Interview And Common Questions

When going into an interview, a graphic designer should either bring paper copies of design materials, flash drives, or a computer. This is because an interviewer will want to see graphic designers work during the interview. A graphic designer should be prepared to walk a hiring manager or creative director through your portfolio.

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Work On Your Soft Skills

Camille Chulick, co-founder of Averr Aglow, told us that the candidates who stand out best are those that can hold a polite and intelligent conversation. Business communications are different from how youll talk with friends and family, so new freelancers will want to practice and read up on the right and wrong things to do.

You need to be able to communicate with people, said Chulick. Work on your soft skills like business communications and email etiquette to be a more well-rounded option in the eyes of the job poster.

Dribbbles Freelance Project Board

If you ever find yourself worrying about where your next client will come from or how youre going to land your next project, Dribbbles Freelance Project Board will help relieve some of those anxieties.

Browse the project board for new, high-quality freelance graphic design jobs posted daily. Filter through tons of design briefs based on your desired keywords, skillsets, and even project budget. Not only will you start to build a steady client base, but youll also have a stream of new available projects to tap into whenever you need to.

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Get A Graphic Design Education

While some companies donât require graphic design applicants to have a degree in this field, getting a degree in graphic design may open up more opportunities. You can extend your formal education with courses or certifications in specific topics related to graphic design.

Knowledge and skills you may need include:

• The basics of visual form, such as color, contrast, and visual hierarchy

Adobe Photoshop

Resume Tips For Graphic Designers

A graphic designer is inherently creative, but a resume needs to pass the applicant tracking system that sorts through applications. Therefore, a graphic design resume should focus on the substance of experience rather than design.

On your resume, use good action verbs such as analyzed, authored, collaborated, composed, contributed, ignited, facilitated, spearheaded.

To showcase your work, use a portfolio and website to link to on your resume.

Graphic designers should build a section in their resume on their portfolio. This area should have three to four succinct bullet points on what the portfolio goes through. Highlight different major projects like app design, web design, book design.

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Dont Shy Away From A Challenge

When youre just starting out, everything will be a challenge, regardless of your talent. Embrace it, said Marijana Obradovic, web designer at Qode Interactive. Even if you were the best logo designer in your class, the first logo you create for a client will come with a whole new set of obstacles youve never even thought about. So, dont be afraid to accept jobs you think youre not fully qualified for. If an opportunity presents itself, go for it. Youll learn something and develop new skills from every job you accept. And in the beginning, thats the only thing that matters.

Brochures & Advertising Materials

How I Became A Graphic Designer Without A Degree

These might sound a bit boring, but donât sell them short.

The challenge is to cast the brandâs identity and messaging in a way that inspires a call to action from the public or the clientâs target audience.

The material needs to be alluring enough to attract attentionâcaptivating enough to entice someone to pick up the brochure or stop and read the ad. And that adds value to the work.

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Perfect Entry Level Graphic Design Jobs For Freelancers

If youâre a student of graphic design, whether, by formal education or independent study, youâve probably heard of Paul Rand.

He ranks among the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century, and heâs the artist behind some of the most iconic corporate logos the likes of which include IBM, Westinghouse , UPS and the ABC television network.

Thatâs a mere fraction. His scope of work is broadâmagazine covers and page layouts, posters, and writings on the craft.

But did you know some of his most acclaimed work was done while working entry-level type jobs as a freelancer?

Freelancerâthe word alone conjures a sense of autonomy. Youâre free to do the work you want, free to work when you want. And freedom feeds the creative soul.

If youâre thinking about making that leap, consider this a tip sheet.

Here, we outline the types of jobs to seek out first and follow that list with other useful information, including deets on few resources that will come in handy as you build your freelance careerâTwine and the Chronos time tracking app among them. But weâll get to those later.

Letâs start with the burning question:

What kind of design jobs can a newbie freelancer expect to land?

The below list of entry-level graphic design jobs ranges from the most basic to the more complex, and youâll find a few brief notes on eachânot so much on explaining what the jobs are or how to do them but, rather, on why theyâre worth going after first.

Your Portfolio Branding & Website

Be thoughtful as you build these assetsâdonât feel like you have to put all of your work on display.

Itâs better to shine the spotlight on a few truly superb projects than mix them up with work thatâs just kind of, you know, meh.

If youâre super-good in one particular areaâinfographics, for exampleâyou might consider focusing more on that area of expertise. On the flip side, if youâre confident in your ability to create all kinds of projects, then organize your portfolio by genre. Either way, be selective.

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Apply For Jobs In Graphic Design

Search general job sites like Indeed and Glassdoor for job openings in graphic design. You can also search sites that are geared specifically to creative or design jobs, as explored in the table below.

Once you select your desired positions, gather all the information and work samples you need to apply and create a schedule for submitting applications. How many jobs will you apply for each week?

Start Building A Graphic Design Career Youll Love

The first steps to getting a graphic design job can often be the hardest. So, new designers should look for solutions that make it easy to build your portfolio and find potential clients, minimizing the amount of outreach or money you need to spend. Start with services that help you and the companies you want to serve.

One of the best initial moves for any graphic designer is to sign up with Upwork and use its simplified tools to build a world-class portfolio. You wont have to worry about coding or paying for hosting to get your portfolio out there and companies around the globe post design jobs on Upwork daily. Removing barriers and worry can help you master how to get a graphic design job and turn this passion into a career.

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How To Prepare For An Entry

by Ben Siegel | Jan 28, 2021 | Productivity

A graphic designer turns ideas into visual designs. They construct posters, billboards, logos, magazine layouts, social media graphics, motion graphics, marketing materials, and videos.

Not only do graphic designers do the designing, but they have to explain why they did those designs.

Most graphic designers will major in graphic design and realize their passion for it. Many work in and major in related fields like digital marketing, journalism, and social media.

For an entry-level full-time position, a graphic designer makes around $39,000. The median salary is $52,110 in 2019.

+entry Level Graphic Designer Jobs In United States

• New York City Metropolitan Area $50,000.00 – $55,000.00 Actively Hiring
• New York City Metropolitan Area $50.00 – $50.00 Actively Hiring
• New York City Metropolitan Area Actively Hiring
• New York, NY $70,000.00 – $80,000.00 Actively Hiring +6 benefits
• New York, United States $80,000.00 – $110,000.00 Actively Hiring
• New York, NY $50,000.00 – $75,000.00 Actively Hiring

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Graphic Designer Jobs Outlook

One of the benefits of working as a graphic designer is the growing need for talented artists. Many companies hire graphic designers for websites and branding, creating digital and print advertisements, and more. Becoming a graphic designer is a great way to put your creativity to use and turn it into a blossoming, riveting career.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , approximately 250,000 open graphic design positions in 2020. And that number is expected to increase into the year 2030.

A career in graphic design can earn you job opportunities in the following fields:

• Public relations
• Industrial design

Another great aspect of a career in graphic design is the opportunity to work as an independent contractor with specific clients or on particular types of projects.

Branding: The Creative Journey

Teflon Sega – Never In The Middle

Begin your Career as a Branding Specialist. Master branding strategies, branded content generation, image creation and customer experience

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