Graphic design is a fun and fast-moving field to be in at this time. As a graphic designer, you will have the opportunity to use your creativity to do things like create a Web site image, a wedding invitation, a magazine advertisement or a t-shirt.
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Your Smart Career
Move for a Slow Economy

When the economy is up, it's impossible to count the number of companies flocking to the Internet. When the economy is down, every inch of cyber-real estate becomes that much more precious. If you're looking for ways to weather this current downturn and potentially ride the next wave that comes along, perhaps Web design is where you should set your sights. Use this time now to develop the necessary skills required for this occupational field.
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Featured Schools

The Art Institutes

[Multiple Locations]

The Art Institutes system of schools is a leading educator of students in the creative and applied arts, including design, media, fashion, and culinary programs. Every program of study offered to you is regularly reviewed by industry leaders, advisors, and employers for relevance in the marketplace. Changes are made, if necessary, to integrate subject matter into the curriculum so that our degree programs reflect the way things are done in the real world of work. Programs listed are not offered at all locations.
Programs:
  Advertising
  Digital Film & Video Production
  Graphic Design
  Video Production
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Top 3 Reasons to be a Graphic Designer

Graphic designers use a variety of visual media to help communicate ideas and concepts to end-users. They enjoy tremendous demand in entertainment (television and movies), but their skills are also needed in business, marketing, science, and education. From product design to logo creation to advertising campaigns, you can see the mark of graphic designers almost everywhere you look. But with a bachelors degree usually representing the bare minimum for entry, you might be wondering whether the extra training and preparation are worth the effort. Below are 3 reasons that might help answer your question:

1. Graphic Designers Enjoy Creative Jobs
A mix of business, art, and entertainment, graphic designers often enjoy very creative jobs. Clients and employers come to you for solutions.
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Photoshop Brushes: Intricate Design Details Made Simple

The devil may be in the details, but so are the top graphic designers. In fact, you can tell the difference between expert and basic business communications by the subtle textures that literally bring graphics to life. But what if you haven't reached that level of design prowess? Photoshop offers easy-to-use brushes that you can download immediately.
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Tips for Creating and Maintaining a Successful Brand

A brand is essential to the success of any business, large or small. It is the company's identity, its psychological form, what helps create new customers and retain established ones. Perception is everything, and a company's brand is its perception.

Here are some tips for branding for graphic designers whose job it is to help create and maintain successful brands:

Simplicity
A 1-3 word business name, a short, memorable slogan, and a clean logo or icon help make the brand simple. If the brand is too complicated, it will be lost on the target audience. Keeping a brand simple will foster recognition and even loyalty with a customer base.
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Resisting the Client's Poor Design

Creative design tools like Apple's iLife, Adobe's Creative Suite, and even the latest version of Microsoft Office have brought desktop publishing to the masses. However, many professional designers encounter too much of a good thing when clients bring their own, poorly designed mockups to project meetings. Use these three techniques to coach your client away from design flaws without bursting their bubble.

First, seek to understand. As Stephen Covey suggests, seeking to understand before trying to be understood can help you get inside the head of your client. There might be a reason your client loves beveled oval marble shaped with drop shadows that look ten years out of date. Derek Powazek's advice of asking “why” instead of “no” can turn a potential confrontation into an opportunity to make your design project better.
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