TYPES OF CAREERS

As discussed last week, there are a lot of different ways you can enter the design industry. Well, you can still have your preferred niche, but knowing the ways you can work within the design industries is also important. As someone who has a little bit of experience with each type of career field, each one brings its own pros and cons to the table. Today, I will discuss with you these types of career paths you can take and what to expect with each.

FREELANCE

Freelancing means that you are your own boss. You get to decide who your clients are, how you market yourself, and how much you work within a day. Because of this, you have a lot of freedom in how you brand yourself and what you wanna focus on designing for. Freelancing ultimately gives you the most amount of freedom and what you work on; however, it also comes with having to market yourself and finding your own clients. As someone who has freelanced here and there, I have enjoyed the ability to be a part of small projects and dip my toes into different things; however, you have to be prepared to market yourself and prepare your own rates.

IN-HOUSE DESIGNER

Being an in-house designer means that you are responsible for the branding and designs for a specific company. You are responsible for creating collateral for the company you are employed by. You typically have less freedom, as you are usually expected to stick to the specific branding guidelines of the company. On the other hand, since you are so frequently working with branding guidelines, you become fairly acquainted with them, and you are directly involved with company initiatives. As someone who has been an in-house designer on numerous occasions, I enjoy the aspect of being hands on in business and marketing decisions. Your actions have a direct impact in the success and decisions of the organizations

AGENCY

We’re working at a design agency, and you typically work with many clients at a fast pace. With agency work, you’re encouraged to work as a team to create and innovate solutions for your client. You're able to become acquainted and have regular clients while also being a part of new projects. You typically have to be versatile and be well-versed, working in various industries and styles to be an effective creative outlet for your clients. The agency is the guide for your clients as they embark on a a professional opinion to visually represent thei

r company. You and your fellow designers at an agency must collaborate and think of the best creative solutions that appease your clients need at a typically fast rate.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, there are pros and cons to each career type, and what you pursue is what fits your interests and lifestyle the best. Regardless, you still get to use your graphic design skills to better society and help bring other people’s creative visions to life. Being a designer is much more than creating collateral for your clients and knowing how you want to impact the design world is vital to help yourself prepare your portfolio and narrow your job search.