Source: Occupational Information Network (O*Net Online)

Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Sample of reported job titles: Graphic Designer, Graphic Artist, Designer, Art Director, Artist, Composing Room Supervisor, Desktop Publisher, Graphic Designer/Production, Mac Artist (Macintosh), Online Producer

Tasks

• Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
• Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
• Use computer software to generate new images.
• Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer.
• Draw and print charts, graphs, illustrations, and other artwork, using computer.
• Review final layouts and suggest improvements as needed.
• Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.
• Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Internet websites.
• Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
• Prepare illustrations or rough sketches of material, discussing them with clients and/or supervisors and making necessary changes.

Knowledge

• Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Design — Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Fine Arts — Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

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Skills

• Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities

• Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Work Activities

Work Context

• Electronic Mail — How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
• Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
• Spend Time Sitting — How much does this job require sitting?
• Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
• Time Pressure — How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
• Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
• Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — How much does this job require making repetitive motions?

Interests

• Artistic — Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Enterprising — Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
• Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Work Styles

• Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Work Values

• Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Related Occupations

Art Directors
Painters and Illustrators
Cartoonists
Commercial and Industrial Designers
Fashion Designers
Interior Designers
Set Designers
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

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