place – to make inventive, imaginative, and useful things that will have value to both the user and the maker.
Glossary
The field is changing quickly, and with this comes an entire glossary of new job titles. This is a selection of some of them, but don't be surprised if you come across others in your job hunt.
Graphic designers are employed in virtually all kinds of businesses, industries, and institutions. Here are some of the typical terms used interchangeably for “in-house design department.” (The words group and team are also commonly used).
Different companies are organized differently, depending on their focus and goals. A large corporation may distinguish package design from promotion design, or editorial design from advertising design; a smaller business may keep all design activities under one umbrella, such as Design Department.
Likewise, proprietary or independent design firms, studios, or offices – design businesses that service large corporations and small businesses – may or may not distinguish among design functions, such as having a print design department separate from a multimedia design department, or promotion and collateral separate from editorial departments.
Art Department
Art and Design Department
Art Services Department
Design Department
Design Services Department
Creative Services Department
Creative Group
Graphics Group
Interaction Group
Research and Development Department
User Experience Group
The titles given to specific jobs and tasks throughout the design field vary according to the hierarchy of the specific company, institution, or firm. For example, an art director for one company may be a design director at another; a senior designer at one may have different responsibilities than a senior at another. Starting from the top, here are typical job titles as used by in-house art departments in publishing, advertising, corporations, and proprietary design firms and agencies.
The managerial level,
where jobs may or may not involve hands-on design work in addition to the oversight of the designers:
Creative director
Design director
Corporate art director
Creative service manager
Design manager
Brand strategist
The support level,
which involves working directly with the seniors in both design and production capacities:
Junior designer
Assistant designer
Deputy art director
Associate art director
Assistant art director
Production artist
Art associate
The creative or design level,
which involves directly serving clients. These titles embody different responsibilities, depending on the organizational hierarchy of the particular business:
Senior designer
Designer
Senior art director
Art director
Graphics editor
Entry level
Assistant designer
Junior designer
Intern (This category is temporary – a stepping- stone, perhaps – and is often unpaid.)
Since this book was first published, interaction design has become a dominant career choice for designers. Although communication is the common denominator between the graphic designer and interaction designer, there are profound differences. For more detailed information, see Becoming a Digital Designer by Steven Heller and David Womack (Wiley, 2004). In addition to familiar titles, like “art director,” new jobs in this field (see page xi for list of titles) include the following:
Information architect
Interaction designer
Service designer
Web designer
UX (user experience designer)
Freelancer
Freelancers, as opposed to principals of proprietary studios or firms, do not manage businesses with additional employees (although they may hire assistants as needed). They often take on individual, finite freelance projects either on the premises of the client or in their own studios. Freelancers usually do not use titles but, rather, advertise themselves as “Jane Doe, Graphic Designer,” or “John Doe, Design Production.”
Social media have revolutionized our interpersonal and professional interactions. Now, not only are graphic designers expected to have a well-crafted resume and online portfolio, but they must also be part of networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. Increasingly, message apps like Twitter, Instagram, and Pintrest are promotional tools for designers.
Of all the new social and professional networks, LinkedIn is quickly becoming a way of connecting with future employees for an increasing number of recruiters and hiring managers. In a segment on NPR, Yuki Noguchi wrote, “Not having a profile on the social networking site LinkedIn is, for some employers, not only a major liability but also a sign that the candidate is horribly out of touch.” Monica Bloom, a design industry recruiter for Aquent in Los Angeles, says that it is essential for graphic designers seeking employment to have a LinkedIn profile – more so than Facebook, although that is debatable.
And what about a designer's Google factor? Take a minute, open your Web browser, and do a search on your own name. What comes up? Are there any pictures that come up when your name is searched that you wouldn't want a future employer or coworker to see? What about things you may have said online? Prospective employers, like prospective blind dates, use the Web as reference. So be sure that you are aware of what others might find when they search for you in digital space.
As the design industry has become more and more digital, the portfolios are more interactive. Samples alone are not enough. Linking to successful projects increases credibility. While, in most cases, designers should still bring a physical copy of their portfolio to a job interview, an increasing amount of legwork is done when designers have their work posted online at all times for anyone interested to see.
Since many recruiters, headhunters, and employers
