Is graphic design a good career choice for you? What is graphic design? What attributes do graphic designers need? What are the salary ranges for graphic designers? What are some job descriptions for graphic design? What does HFCC offer in graphic design?
What attributes do graphic designers need? Creativity. A good eye for design. An apptitude for working with computers. Attention to detail. A good attitude and ability to work well with others.
What are some job categories and salaries? 25th% Median 75th% Art Director $ 50,000 $62,000 $ 76,400 Senior Designer $ 45,000 $54,000 $ 65,000 Entry-level designer $ 28,000 $30,000 $ 35,000 Print Production Artist $ 31,900 $40,000 $ 48,000 Web Designer $ 40,000 $50,000 $ 60,000 AIGA / Aquent Survey of Design Salaries 2005 www.designsalaries.com
job descriptions Art director: The art director establishes the conceptual and stylistic direction for design staff and orchestrates their work, as well as the work of production artists, photographers, illustrators, prepress technicians, printers and anyone else who is involved in the development of a project. The art director generally selects vendors and, if there isn t a creative director on staff, has final creative authority. Senior designer: The senior designer is responsible for conceptualization and design of solutions from concept to completion. In some firms, a senior designer directs the work of one or more junior designers, who generate comps and create layouts and final art. In some cases, senior designers do not manage staff but are designated senior because of their authority in design decision-making. Entry-level designer: An entry-level designer is one to two years out of school and requires mentoring in all aspects of design conception and implementation. Print production artist: A print production artist has a working understanding of layout, type and color, and is able to take instructions from a designer and create a complete layout, working proficiently in InDesign, Quark, Photoshop and Illustrator. Responsibilities also include producing final files that image properly to film. Web designer: A web designer determines and develops the look and feel for sites, and is responsible for site navigation design and visual execution.
What does HFCC offer in graphic design? Animation Illustration MultimediaDesign PrintDesign WebDesign
Animation Classes include: Maya instructor, Dennis Fraser is working on one of his game characters. Maya is a 3D modeling and animation program. It is one of the required classes for the Animation Certificate. Basic Design Drawing Photoshop Flash Maya Animation Basics
Illustration Classes include: Illustration of a VW Bug by Illustration major Erica Johnson. Students learn to combine traditional drawing and painting with computer graphics to create illustrations. Basic Design Drawing Photoshop Graphic Design Illustration Painting
Multimedia Design Classes include: Basic Design Drawing Photoshop Flash Interactive Design Audio Production Video Production Multimedia projects combine interactivity with animation, audio, graphics, text, and video.
Print Design Classes include: Basic Design Drawing Photoshop Graphic Design Illustration InDesign QuarkXPress Logo and stationary design for Linknet by Print Design major Terry Thompson.
Web Design Classes include: Basic Design Drawing Photoshop Flash Graphic Design HTML Interactive Design Web design for Pelikan Paper Company by HFCC student Matthew Garin.
Graphic design classes are taught by design professionals working as: Graphic designers at advertising agencies, newspapers, TV stations Modelers and animators for game developers Designers and Illustrators for automotive companies Freelance Designers for themselves
Graduates of the Graphic Design program at HFCC have worked and interned at: The News Herald Newspapers Detroit Public Television Ford Motor Company Visteon The Detroit News various Advertising Agencies in the Detroit area
Areas of Concentration / 36-38 credit hours each / May be taken alone for a Certificate or with the General Education classes listed below for an Associate of Arts Degree. Animators are artists who create the magic of motion. With animation commonplace on television, movies, and the web, there is a demand for artists with the skill and knowhow to produce creative animation. Computer and drawing skills are very important in this field. As long as there have been newspapers, books, and magazines, there has been a need for hand-drawn art that tells a story or communicates an idea. Illustrators need to have excellent drawing skills, know the history of their craft, and be proficient with programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Computers did not simplify the lives of graphic designers, but made them more interesting. Designers working in multimedia must be able to blend animation, audio, video, and graphic design into a cohesive arrangement. Design skills and computer savvy are important for multimedia design. The demise of the printed page at the hands of the internet has been greatly exaggerated. The majority of graphic designers design for print. A good eye for type, strong layout skills, and a technical understanding of the printing process are important in this field. Proficiency with Photoshop, Illustrator and either QuarkXPress or InDesign is a must. Interactive design presents new challenges. Designers must understand how users interact with the sites they design in order to create new and effective ways to present and communicate ideas in a non-linear format. Photoshop, Flash, ImageReady and Dreamweaver are among the programs web designers need to know. Class Number ClassTitle Hrs Class Number ClassTitle Hrs Class Number ClassTitle Hrs Class Number ClassTitle Hrs Class Number ClassTitle Hrs *ART101 2D Design 3 *ART102 Drawing 1 3 *ART107 Photoshop/ImageReady 3 *ART101 2D Design 3 *ART102 Drawing 1 3 *ART107 Photoshop/ImageReady 3 *ART101 2D Design 3 *ART102 Drawing 1 3 *ART107 Photoshop/ImageReady 3 *ART101 2D Design 3 *ART102 Drawing 1 3 *ART107 Photoshop/ImageReady 3 *ART101 2D Design 3 *ART102 Drawing 1 3 *ART107 Photoshop/ImageReady 3 Semester 1 Semester 2 *ART108 Flash 3 *ART112 Drawing 2 3 *ART130 History of Graphic Design 3 *TCM157 Digital Video Editing 1 *ART112 Drawing 2 3 *ART121 Art History Survey 1 3 *ART165 Graphic Design 1 3 *ART108 Flash 3 *ART165 Graphic Design 1 3 *TCM151 Digital Audio Editing 1 *TCM251 Audio Production 3 *ART109or110 QuarkXPress or InDesign 3 *ART112 Drawing 2 3 *ART121 Art History Survey 1 3 *ART108 Flash 3 *ART112 Drawing 2 3 *ART165 Graphic Design 1 3 Semester 3 *ART113 Life Drawing 1 3 *ART209 Maya 3 *ART255 Animation Basics 3 *ART113 Life Drawing 1 3 *ART130 History of Graphic Design 3 *ART265 Illustration 3 *ART211 Director 3 *ART245 Interactive Design 3 *TCM157 Digital Video Editing 1 *TCM257 Film/Video Production 1 3 *ART113or115 Life Drawing 1 or Intermediate Perspective 3 *ART130 History of Graphic Design 3 *ART165 Graphic Design 1 3 *ART130 History of Graphic Design 3 *CIS126 Advanced HTML 4 *ART245 Interactive Design 3 Semester 4 ART115 Intermediate Perspective 3 ART265 Illustration 3 **ART275 Adv Projects/Animation 3 ART115 Intermediate Perspective 3 ART116 Painting 1 3 **ART275 Adv Projects/Illustration 3 ART255 Animation Basics 3 ART130 History of Graphic Design 3 **ART275 Adv Projects/Multimedia 3 ART172 Color Theory 3 ART265 Illustration 3 **ART275 Adv Projects/Print Design 3 ART172 Color Theory 3 ART255 Animation Basics 3 **ART275 Adv Projects/Web Design 3 Total for Certificate 37 Total for Certificate 36 Total for Certificate 38 Total for Certificate 36 Total for Certificate 37 *You should complete these classes before taking ART275 Advanced Projects. **ART275 Advanced Projects satisfies the Computer Literacy requirement for graduation. General Education Classes / 22-24 credit hours / May be taken with any of the areas of concentration above for an Associate of Arts Degree. The General Education courses listed below can be combined with any of the 5 tracks above for an Associate of Arts Degree in Graphic Design. Credit Hours English 131 and (either 132 or 135) 6 Math or Science (100 or higher) 8 Social Science (must include POLS 131 or SSC 131) 8 Phys Ed 2 Minimum hours for A.A. Degree 60 313-845-6487