So I was recently asked to be interviewed in my area by Candy MacDonald for a research paper. I thought the questions and answers were worth sharing with everyone, so here we go:



1. What do you believe is the job outlook for Graphic Designers over the next 10 years? And, do you feel that Greensboro [NC, USA] offers many opportunities?

I think design is going through a very exciting period of time. With technology we are able to produce many finished products in less than half the time it used to take. Also, I think society is going through a phase which admires and appreciate the aesthetic and functionality of design more than it did in years past. Nowadays, there are many products and businesses devoted to producing objects and services to produce such design because there is an increasing market for it. That being said, because of this increase of interest, more and more people are entering design school. At the uni I graduated from, there were hundreds of design majors compared to a few sculpture majors and just over 10 painting majors. It’s exciting but at the time same, with all these design graduates, the field is over saturated. I think many business are opening that are in need of more designers but the competition is getting more difficult. It’s possible to find an in-house job with a company, but that’s “bottom of the barrel”, sort of speak, whereas most designers want to work with a firm so that they may excel in their work over time and create a diverse portfolio. Because now a days we have to know so many different old-world techniques combined with technological skills, we have a lot to work towards to get started in the field. To really do well and aim for that position in a firm, you have to be up-to-date on everything and be ready to market yourself. You almost have to have a completely original design aesthetic as well as be able to mimic others to do very well; the competition makes it very hard.

Greensboro, and North Carolina as a whole, is trying to become more of a service-based industry over manufacturing. I think more opportunities are sprouting up all the time, but the competition for these positions are fierce, just as it would be all over the country. Luck and networking play a big role into getting any job I think.



2. Apart from the required design classes, what other coursework do you feel would be helpful for a Graphic Designer to know?


Well, it depends on what you really want to go into, whether your focus will be as a freelancer, into academia, going into commercial design, advertising, typography, etc. I think taking any fine-art classes are beneficial, especially drawing, color theory, photography and print-making. I think for any commercial designer though, they must take business courses to understand how important budgeting projects are, how to manage collaborating on a team, and some basic law, such as non-compete clauses and copyright law. And of course it’s important to understand where we came from before we can move forward, so art history combined with world history would be very beneficial to get a real perspective on everything.



3. How does a Graphic Designer stay up to date with new trends?


A lot of people have their own techniques and some designers prefer not to stay up-to-date, so they hope their design won’t mimic another’s. For me, I think the Internet is the best thing to happen to design. We are able to see trends all over the web, read articles from colleagues and share information quickly. I can go online and see what they’re doing in Asia for instance - this wasn’t possible years ago. Other than web surfing though, I pick up random underground magazines and read a lot of books, both on practical application and theory. I tend to enjoy staying up-to-date with the design world both in print and web as well, so for me, having both mediums is the best way to be up-to-date with both fields, as they are still very separate. Fine art is Design’s sibling though, so going to museums, especially contemporary art, is great not only for inspiration but also for current perspective.



4. Do you believe the field of graphic design is trending toward a higher demand for Web site development and other interactive medias?


Absolutely. I think some businesses are stubborn and don’t want to admit that the Internet can propel their business. Others are adoring it and getting on the bandwagon quickly. Even if the company doesn’t service website development themselves, I think having a web presence is important as a designer and that means that the business should at least have their own portfolio online that they would need to design and develop. For the first time in history, there are designers who work both in design and programming in their skillset, I am chunked into that category at the moment as well. It’s very exciting, we can do things no one ever has before and reach audiences all over the world with our design. And because the Internet is an active experience with a user/visitor, we are in fact now designing experiences as well, not only a single product, we are designing those moments in time.

To go back to the question though, I don’t think design will ever be forced to go into web development only, there will always be a place and a strong need for design without interaction over the web. I doubt paper will ever be replaced entirely, there’s nothing that could replace a traditional book, the feel of newsprint or the interaction of material, no matter how hard other designers try to mimic that over a monitor. With web development, designers are afforded another field to get into, not that they have to compete with it, and that’s exciting.



5. What professional association memberships do you recommend? Magazines? Other publications?


I really, truly, am very random of what I pick up. I try to pick magazines I’ve never seen before and use different layout than I’ve never seen before. If I stick to one magazine long enough, I get very bored or notice all their content becoming redundant - it’s truly hard to keep my attention that long. So for me, I recommend picking up random things that catch your attention in any way, we are all moved by different things. This goes for any publication or inspiration in general. If mountains move you, then visit every mountain you can. Designers have to be like sponges in a sense, so just try to absorb anything you can, no matter where you find it. I know a lot of people love CD inserts as inspiration, and hey, that counts.

As for professional associations, any in your local area is recommended - even if it does nothing for you, networking will be a vital part of your career. With any designer, I would recommend joining the national AIGA (http://www.aiga.org/), American Institute of Graphic Arts, which founded in 1914 and are active in creating publications and advancing the standard for designers nationally. The AIGA hosts regional groups that meet often and host events as well. For the Triad area in North Carolina, I recommend attending the DATS symposiums each year, which feature presenters, exhibitions and workshops. This year it will be hosted at UNCG, you may find more information at this link: http://dats.uncg.edu/. To find more associations you may be interested in joining, go to your local bookstore and search through the design section for books that produce a list of these and many more helpful groups to join.