Graphic designer

By ROBIN MARTIN

Name: Amanda Cranston

Job title: Graphic designer

Age: 25


Employer: Dashwood Design. In general, graphic designers work in advertising, fashion promotion, fabric companies, television companies, public relations, newspapers, magazines and marketing.

Qualifications: Bachelor of design, Massey University. A tertiary qualification in design is a must for this job.

Pay: About $25,000 for juniors up to $100,000 for top senior designers.

Career prospects: Graphic designers can advance to senior designer within a company or set up their own businesses. They can also move into design-related fields such as corporate design or fashion branding.

Q. Why did you choose graphic design?

A. I'd really enjoyed art at school - I had a really good art teacher - and I'd met really interesting people who had done the [graphic design] degree. I went along to exhibitions at the school and I was really inspired.

I began preparing my portfolio when I was 16 and about to spend a year in Brazil on an American Field Scholarship. For me it is something I am really passionate about. It offers an opportunity to work with other creative, like-minded people.

For example, when I arrived here [Dashwood], out of all the places I'd tramped around, I clicked with the people. You get to work with photographers, illustrators and other talents.

Q. Why is design important?

A. It's a means of communicating and selling a client's brand, communicating the essence of the brand. Through design you can target a set group of people, everything in design contributes to this communication.

Q. Explain the process.

A. We start with a brief, where the clients are the brand experts and outline what they want. Then we bring together the random elements into one device [or package] that captures the brand. One person is usually in charge of a product but we will brainstorm and share our work with one another and use each other's experience.

Q. What is considered a success in design?

A. Something that increases sales, that puts the client's product in the spotlight. For me personally, it's just being able to see work I've done out in the public domain, walking around the supermarket and seeing products I've designed.

Q. What kind of person makes a good designer?

A. Someone who is creative, who can think outside the square. Someone who is visually creative but can come up with brilliant ideas, intelligent solutions to a problem and who is a team player.

Q. What are your strengths?

A. My fine arts background allows me to make a different sort of contribution as a opposed to those [designers] from a more structured background.

Q. What are your weaknesses?

A. I'm still learning. Because I've only been working for 2 1/2 years I'm often having to step out of my comfort zone.

Q. What would you be doing if you weren't a graphic designer?

A. Maybe something in fashion or fine arts.

Q. What is your dream job?

A. I'd love to work for a really creative fashion brand, do their design work and even fabric prints.

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years?

A. Working overseas, perhaps New York, and travelling to places like Spain.

Q. What tips would you give to someone wanting to become a graphic designer?

A. There are so many courses and so many graduates looking for jobs that it is important to research carefully what courses are out there.

You need to know where the graduates go, are they getting jobs? There are not many jobs for new graduates so you have to be proactive - make contacts and find out what companies you'd like to work for. You could ring companies and ask which courses they recommend.

A portfolio that presents your work in an interesting way is important but remember, quality rules over quantity.

Different degrees offer specialist courses in illustration, graphic design, electronic media or web design but pigeonholing yourself could also lead to trouble. A degree is a stepping stone but it's a big step up to working in a design environment.