As Visual Appeal Takes Centre Stage, Opportunities Open Up For Graphic Designers

Since time immemorial we have been told that a picture is worth a thousand words and not for nothing. Forms of visual communication have proven to have a higher retention value and a more lasting impact on its consumers. While it adds value to the story being told in some cases, it effectively tells the whole story by itself in many others. This is where graphic design and its efficacy comes in.  

The very essence of graphic design is the ability to convey ideas and resolve complex problems through a platform—a visual and design message board—which appeal to and communicate through the primal sensory touchpoint of sight, elaborates Anu Kiran, a graphic designer and motion graphic artist at marketing consultancy firm One Source.  

As per a report by market research firm The Business Research Company, the global market size of design services is projected to grow to $249.5 billion by 2022 from the $153 billion that it had touched in 2018. Things are looking up for graphic designers as well as the global graphic designers’ industry market size, which stands at $43.4 billion, is expected to increase by 3.7 per cent in 2022, says an IBISWorld report.

Today, there is hardly any field that is untouched by graphic designers and designers, in general. As Kiran aptly puts it: “I’m giving you these answers via a laptop which was translated from the product designer's mind to the product engineering team's industrial conveyor belt by a team of graphic designers on the R&D team at the company. Then, visually appealing packaging was added to the product mixture before it reached me as a final product. Alongside, there was a team of graphic designers that took care of its sales promotion and advertising which attracted customers and made the whole chain run again.” 

From the products and apps that make your life easy to the multimillion-dollar motion picture, graphic design is central to most consumer-facing companies today. What does that translate to? Opportunities galore for talented individuals who opt for graphic design as their career option—freelance or full-time. Interestingly, it is also one of those spaces where freelancers reportedly make more money than full-time employees by taking on more individual projects. 

Drawing The Blueprint

So, what does excelling in a career built around graphic design entail? “Apart from knowing the basics, the theories of design and the concepts, you must also be able to possess an understanding of what the user wants. Being a user-first designer helps not only you but also the businesses,” says Mohammed Zeeshan, CEO and co-founder of edtech firm MyCaptain. While the aspirants should know the digital tools like the back of their hand, they should also cultivate the ability to solve problems through their design, he adds. 

There are job titles like apparel graphic designer, logo designer, packaging designer, web designer, multimedia designer, art director and even UI/ UX artist that become available for a person trained in the field. 

Factors like rapid modernisation, increased production across sectors and the need for future-ready talent will increase demand in the graphic design sector. However, the demand for talent to design, produce and market that laptop that Kiran is talking about, or anything else for that matter, using tools of graphic design is not being met in India, lack of proper educational infrastructure being one of the reasons.  

Institutes like the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Industrial Design Centre in IIT Bombay, National Institute of Fashion Technology at multiple locations, Indian School of Design and Innovation, College of Art in Delhi, Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology at multiple locations, Pearl Academy in Delhi and GD Goenka School of Fashion and Design in Haryana offer courses in the field, trying to bridge that demand gap.  

Internationally, institutes like the Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Institute of Design in Chicago, UCLA Design Media Arts, School of Design at the University of Illinois and the UC Berkeley’s School of Information have similar courses in subjects related to graphic design.