Key Skills You Need to Be an Art Designer

Imagine this for a secon d: there is a job that allows you lot a ton of creative freedom.

At present get this: pays extremely well as well .

And almost every company in America–actually, the globe–needs ane on their team.

Yes, the job is a graphic designer.

Searches for examples of graphic designer jobs and resumes are in the tens of thousands a month.

So I looked at 100+ chore posts to figure out what skills they want a graphic designer to take.

Here are the graphic pattern skills you need to get hired:

If you lot're confident well-nigh the skills yous've got as a designer, peradventure you demand aid acing all these interviews you've been getting? You can check out this guide on common graphic blueprint interview questions, and how to answer them all-time!

But if you lot're a new graduate just getting started, or an experienced designer looking to improve your skillset, hither are 12 things yous need to consider!

one. Be a master of Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign

If you are non a principal (or plan to become a master) of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, y'all should probably beginning now.

I am not joking.

It is an essential skill to create your ain graphic design and there is no mode to avoid it either.

Almost every job postal service required applicants to be well versed in using those programs.

Like this ane from Snap :

In fact, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign are the most requested skill in our sample of job postings.

Like, they blew the others out of the water.

Out of the 100 job posts that I studied, 76 required Photoshop, 74 wanted Illustrator, and 74 needed InDesign.

And well-nigh wanted all 3!

 

The need for these three graphic design skills far outpaced other pop ones past a large margin.

The side by side most pop skills were Adobe Artistic Suite, Microsoft Part Suite, and HTML.

That beingness said, none of those skills passed the 40% marking, which confirms our notion that Adobe skills are essential if you would like to be a designer in 2017 or beyond.

And I mean style beyond 2017, Adobe has dominated this space for the past xx or so years, and it does not expect similar that will be irresolute any time soon.

Additionally, information technology did not thing what size company you want to work for–they followed the same tendency.

Which farther shows that these are the cornerstone of any graphic designer's skill set.

I did notice that companies with more than than 1000 employees, the need for the iii Adobe programs dropped a bit. I recall that can exist attributed to nigh of the large companies assuming you already have these skills.

Even exterior sources seem to ostend our findings, with the GDUSA stating that those 3 programs are requested by most employers. Which is always good.

And if you plan to become a graphic designer in the future, I would recommend learning the basics of each of them.

These are baseline graphic design skills and if your portfolio does not show off your skills in each, I would not even endeavor applying.

Now if y'all need nonetheless don't take a website, check out these website builders for designers!

two. Become familiar with HTML like today

HTML was one of the most pop skills in my study of marketing skills from earlier in the year.

Both my data and the experts I consulted agreed that to survive in 2017 and beyond, being familiar with HTML is key.

This idea is echoed when I looked at the graphic design skills, to almost a greater extent.

In the marketing job posts only well-nigh twenty% of the companies wanted HTML, just in pattern job posts, more than thirty% did.

So well-nigh one-tertiary of all graphic blueprint jobs would require you lot to know the basics of HTML. If not more.

Now you won't take to build a whole website from scratch.  But if you know how to make minor fixes online, information technology could exist huge. And help your resume stand up out.

What was a chip surprising was that the demand for HTML every bit a graphic design skill is not express to only small companies and teams.

In fact, 36% of companies with less than thou employees want their graphic designers to know HTML.

 

Although you may never utilise HTML at your next job, I would all the same brush up on the nuts for the task hunting procedure.

It is the minor things can really assist you stand up out when a hundred other applications with the aforementioned graphic design skills that pass over a hiring manager's desk.

3. UI/UX design is not that pop a skill but information technology's worth knowing

Now, if you are looking for a graphic blueprint skill to focus on that will exist worth it in the terminate, I would recommend UI/UX blueprint.

I mean Concern Insider gave it one of the spots on its coveted list of top skills to accept in 2017.

This was non echoed in my research, though.

Only 13% of job postings wanted a graphic designer to have UI/UX experience. Information technology was barely in the top twenty nearly popular graphic design skills out of the unabridged written report.

If this was whatsoever other skill, I would say avoid learning it considering the demand seems pretty depression.

But if you lot want to be able to employ to these higher paying jobs, I would say y'all should start learning it.

Because you tin can earn a nice clamper of extra money for having UI/UX pattern on your resume.

Equally in $7k more than average.

When I looked at the average salary for each skill, I plant that those jobs that wanted UI/UX skills had a salary of $58k!

When you compare it to other popular graphic design skills based on salary, UI/UX skills blows the others out of the water.

Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator all hovered around $51k, equally well as HTML and Adobe CS. Microsoft Office dropped down to effectually $49k.

And so if you lot are looking to larn a graphic pattern skill that will help you brand more than money, UI/UX design is perfect.

iv. Y'all demand these 9 other graphic design skills

Now that nosotros have hit on the near highly demanded graphic design skills, I will show some of the others that were highly demanded.

Just remember that this does not include the skills that I covered above, like HTML, UI/UX Design, and the three Adobe programs.

Without further ado, hither they are:

I retrieve it would exist safe to say that your resume or portfolio should include an example of each of the skills from higher up.

Also, it is of import to remember to pursue some of the graphic blueprint skills that are in smaller demand. Similar Photography, which was demanded past sixteen% of companies.

In my marketing skills study, some of the skills barely broke the 20% need threshold but were even so very important. Even if hiring managers did not know how to properly convey this.

It is quite difficult to get hiring managers on the same page with the team managers when it comes to what an ideal graphic designer, or really any hire, looks like.

It is a tough thing to communicate!

In fact, there were well-nigh 56 graphic design skills that were only mentioned once because of that disconnect.

This is why I would still recommend that you evidence that you can utilize your branding or photography skills in your portfolio.

And maybe make sure you know how to use Microsoft Office programs, especially PowerPoint.

I mean, I think everyone who has used a calculator in the last 20 years has feel with this.

But if you are one of a scattering of people that has not, it couldn't hurt to castor up on all of the programs before you utilize. Also, the amazing thing almost learning all these graphic pattern skills, is the unlike kinds of jobs related to pattern that you lot tin get.

v. You need at least 2-3 years of experience

If you are looking for a career pivot and then maybe becoming a graphic designer immediately is not for you. Unless you lot already accept some past feel. If not, you meliorate come back when you have information technology!

Considering nearly every company I studied required some existent-globe feel in graphic design, in improver to the many graphic pattern skills listed.

According to the data, 83% of all task posts required at to the lowest degree one year of experience, with the residuum either not requiring experience, or omitting it from the text.

And that was the bare minimum.

Although the most requested was a minimum of 3 years, about 50% of the companies wanted betwixt two and three years of feel.

The boilerplate corporeality of feel required was around 2.33 years across the company sizes. And it followed an virtually linear pattern as the company size increased.

This gradual increment started at 1.viii years for companies with less than 200 employees and finally catastrophe at 2.half dozen years for companies with over 1000 employees.

This type of experience is not seen in other jobs, with a big chunk of marketing jobs I studied previously looking for people with minimal experience .

Simply the skilful news is that the smaller the company, the better chance you have of being hired with niggling to none experience. Because about half of all the companies that did not overtly country that they require feel were under 200 employees.

So fifty-fifty if y'all only take a bit of experience, but practise have a stellar portfolio, you lot can find a chore!

In that location are a number of online platforms that can help y'all get your blueprint portfolio started. You tin consider graphic design piece of work for print on demand products such as t-shirt press, blankets and even watches. Impress on Demand, in case you're not familiar, is a fast-growing manufacture where designers partner with third-party suppliers who tin can print their designs on a white characterization product when someone purchases it online.

For instance, Teespring allows designers to upload their own designs and make coin when someone purchases it from their site. Since it's assisting, it becomes a side hustle that also develops your portfolio. The added bonus (on summit of passive income) is that you can testify prospective employers your knack for creating designs that people beloved.

six. The all-time paying jobs want 3 years of experience

Yous may exist able to get a design task with minimal experience but it probably won't be i of the best-paying ones.

And having besides much experience can hurt you lot likewise, which is an interesting phenomenon.

Actually, graphic blueprint jobs that pay the best require at least 3 years of feel, with a midpoint salary of $55k on average.

The average bacon that nosotros found for graphic designers is correct in line with outside sources …even Glassdoor confirms information technology.

Plus, about thirty% of the companies that I studied wanted a minimum of three years of feel.

So I would say that 3 years of experience is the perfect identify to be when applying for jobs.

Jobs that want three years of feel have an average minimum salary at $43k or 8% more than the sample average. And an average maximum bacon at $67k is nigh 10% more than the sample boilerplate.

Then, by getting just a few years of experience nether your belt, you can increment your earning potential past between a minimum of $3k and a maximum of $7k each year.

That is why I retrieve getting this feel while yous are in college or another job is essential.

Because who does non want to earn more money?

No one, that is who.

7. The biggest companies pay the best

If you lot have nothing but money on your mind, I would recommend applying to the larger companies.

They volition pay you on average a lot more than the smaller businesses or startups–which actually may be surprising to some, especially if you are in the startup or tech industry like I am.

Only alas, the companies with the biggest pockets will actually pay you the most for your graphic design skills.

For example, companies with nether 200 people pay almost $3k less per twelvemonth for the minimum salary when compared to those with 1000 employees.

At the maximum, yous could earn $5k more per twelvemonth at a large company compared to the medium and small companies.

That is a pretty large gap, for the exact same chore.

And compared to the boilerplate of the sample, those who would like to work at a visitor with less than 200 employees volition make about $2k less a year.

In fact, the smallest bacon I establish, $23k a year, came from a company with less than 200 employees. That is virtually $8k less than the minimum salary you could brand working at a company with more than thousand employees!

So if cash rules everything around you, I would recommend looking to work for the larger companies.

Only be certain to remember that smaller companies can offer more creative liberty and fun perks.

Like Venngage does.

8. Want to work for a bigger visitor? Get a caste

Itching to apply to a big company after seeing how much more than you tin can make?

Well, there is 1 catch, and it's kinda big.

You must have a caste.

Just having appropriate graphic blueprint skills is not going to cutting it this fourth dimension.

Most 70% of the job posts that I studied suggested that the platonic candidate has a degree.

And not simply any degree–most wanted a bachelor's degree in graphic design, web design or art,  with the larger companies about requiring information technology.

In fact, a higher degree is essential if you want to piece of work for 86% of brands with more than than 500 employees. In contrast, merely virtually 52% of companies that accept less than 500 employees want their applicants to have a degree.

And if yous look at the companies with less than 200 employees, the rate drops even more than–just twoscore% of those job posts mentioned a degree in their chief torso text.

 

The smaller companies were the only ones that had more than job postings that did not request a degree compared to those who did!

So if yous do non accept a degree only do have some experience, I would recommend looking at the smaller companies showtime.

Peculiarly since 88% of those modest companies require iii years of feel or less!

Conclusion

Honestly, I was a bit surprised when it came to what companies were looking for in their graphic designers in 2017.

Who would have guessed that so many companies required a college degree? I was not expecting that.

Or that your salary starts to drop after you accept three years of experience? Color me surprised.

Permit'due south recap what graphic blueprint skills you need to go hired:

1. Know Photoshop, InDesign & Illustrator like the back of your hand
2. Be familiar with HTML, but not a master
3. Practise not forget to get some feel with UI/UX
4. And Microsoft Office, Impress Blueprint and the remainder of that list
5. You need 2-3 years of experience
6. Just 3 years of experience will help you earn the nearly
7. And the bigger companies volition pay the best
8. A caste is virtually required to work for those companies

And there yous have information technology. If you have any other questions, be sure to accomplish out in the comments!

Become upwardly to speed on the latest graphic pattern trends:

eight New Graphic Pattern Trends That Will Take Over 2018

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Source: https://venngage.com/blog/graphic-design-skills/

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