Education and internships: working towards a career
Graphic design is tougher than it looks. It takes a lot of determination in learning the technical aspects before one can really thrive in the field of creativity. As a full time college student for almost two years, majoring in Graphic Imaging Design, I am just beginning to see the light of day from the intense comprehensive studies in publication design, print media, seven different design softwares, and multi-media and web.
I have been fortunate in having excellent instructors who have been by my side since day one, encouraging and praising every mark of improvement in my skills. Each day, I learn something new in this field. My whole outlook on life has changed as I view everything around me as an element of design and I look at each piece of graphic with a new perspective; looking at how the designer was possibly inspired, the choice of colors in the piece, the layout of the print, and the overall "feel" that the design has in relation to the text.
If you enjoy creating visual representations of ideas and messages through artwork and words and have a desire to get into advertising, website design, printing, and even photography, then you will certainly thrive in this line of business. I have always been told that graphic design was a tough field to break into, yet even with my few years of experience, there has been plenty of freelance opportunities for me.
The best way to get a hands-on approach to learning the field is through an internship. I have been interning this spring semester at The Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch and have already acquired a wealth of new knowledge and experiences. Working with the extremely talented designers at the library has been a benefit alone, not including the experience of having assigned projects handed over to me (with deadlines!).
Megan Spilker lives in the Brookside/Waldo area of Kansas City, MO. She keeps busy with freelance graphic design and photography jobs as well as serving in her community through multiple volunteer opportunities. After completing her Associates in Graphic Imaging Design with Kansas City Kansas Community College this summer, she plans to attend UMKC to complete a major in Graphic Design and minor in political science. She looks forward to putting her learning into practice at further graphic design related internships in Washington D.C. next year.
Related books
The Internship Bible
By Mark Oldman and Samer Hamadeh
The Internship Advantage: Get Real-World Experience to Launch Your Career
By Dario Bravo and Carol Whiteley
