I've seen a few forum posts about being a graphic artist, but I wanted to ask you choppers what it took to get you there. Namely, did you get a degree? Or did you teach yourself?

Also, how hard was it to get into the business? What is the process like for getting clients? Do you do a lot of advertising for your services, or do you go through other means?

Also also, I wondered what the average day in the life of a graphic artists is like? How many hours do you average per day? What's the pay like? Do you do it as your primary source of income, or just on the side? How difficult is it to just do graphic arts on the side?

I guess the reason I'm asking all these questions is that I've been contemplating getting into the business sometime in the future. Anyways, let me know about your graphic arts lives!

... or, you could tell me to screw off, because we don't need any more untalented graphic artists running around.

er, um...

I was gonna say... well...

ah.....

Um.

NEVER mind.

Is that your version of "screw off"?

Hell no!

I'd just say "SCREW OFF"... you must be new around here.

It's just that, well.... you are SERIOUSLY thinking of this and, well, there have been a LOT of threads over the years here on the very topic you are inquiring about. I just don't want to go over it all again. It's not YOU. It's your question.

But seriously (and I'm ALWAYS serious!) you can use the handy-dandy SEARCH window at the top of this page and try searching for some previous threads.

AND - it is POSSIBLE - there might be some "graphic design" types around here that would, once again, wish to open up a can of WHOOP-ASS on the hopes and dreams of yet another aspiring "creative type". (damn - I'm sounding like my parents did - shit. I swore I'd NEVER do that to my kids. Merde! )

Anyhow, as the Brave Sir Robin said in "The Holy Grail" . . .

RUN AWAY!!!

Run away as fast as you can, and get a real yob.

Graphic designers are no different than fine artists (sorry, Naiko) in that you must create a niche for yourself if you truly want to succeed.

Being creative, resourceful and knowing ALL the tools of the trade aren't necessarily enough to guarantee a well-paid, respected position.

Best advice...get to know some designers in your area. Tell them you're doing research for school...that'll get them talking. Find out IF they had formal training and if so WHERE they got it.

(You WILL need formal training a.k.a. design school.)

All the crap work's being sent to India now.

If I were going to take a shot at becoming a full time graphic artist...
I would make my sales pitch to SUBWAY...
Yes...SUBWAY. Why you ask?
Cause the crazy freak they got now has put all his efforts
into the paper doll biz, and it looks like there's gonna be an opening real soon. AND word is he's been photoshopping
pictures of himself with fake injuries, and printing up fake
doctors notes. So be ready.
The next one to watch out for is to be ready to pitch yourself to Garrity Flashlights the minute there's ever a zombie attack.
I know for a fact their in-house graphics guy is zombie bait,
and his brains are all mushy. A true zombie delicacy.
I could also send all the work I do all the occasional time to you.
My clients rarely if ever pay, oh but the satisfaction of seeing your work publicly displayed or in print. What can beat that?
Ya know. I've done $1400 in sidework graphics jobs the last coupla months or so, and I've been out of work on my regular job
of swinging gracefully from ropes. Insensitive bastards. Do they even know it's Christmas time at allllllllllllll?
Like Larry would say.
Lady of the evening. Lady of the evening. Lady of the evening.

WTH? If I didn't write that garbage m'self I'd swear it was spam.

My degree was in art hist and painting. I kinda fell into the graphics side. I've been in the industry c. 13 yrs. I tested the freelance side for about a yr while in fulltime employment. I've been going it alone now for 5 years and still love it! I also do some sessional lecturing and have recently started private tuition of Pshp & Illus etc. Benefits - you are your own boss. Negs - irregular income, no paid hols and u have to sort yr own pension etc. I wdnt change it tho! Hope this helps...

let me say you one thing: if you see a chance to work as a graphic-designer ("artist" sounds like more than it is in real live) "just" beside another job, then try to keep graphics and chopping as a hobby or maximum second job. Doing GD as my primary business, I lost fun and inspiration after a short while. Sometimes I even hate it. There was a better feeling, doing GD as a hobby, and not with the pressure of having it saled too and servicing these stupid clients, that are unable to decide anything to bring your projects forward. There are tiny little jobs that last for weeks or even months, just because client doesnt know "which colour for this line" or "which font for the web-adress on my businesscard" f.e. such unimportant crap aaaaall the time. and for you there is waiting, waiting, waiting...and waiting is laming. maybe I let too much choice for my clients, and I should act more authoritarian...
the point, which hurts me most everytime, is getting clients, called acquisition. here its important, how your personality is working, if you are introvert or extrovert. when you think you are extrovert, everything is easier. but when you are more introvert, like me, selling your services is like pain in the butt. when someone give me a "no", than it is valid for me, and I will not longer drill for that job. just as well as I hate these annoying sales-persons, who ask stupid questions and play tricks, to tickle a "yes" out of me. Before you start your business, spend some thoughts on how you work. and dont think too optimistic on this topic, and be honest to yourself. Or you find a way, where you work more extrovert, f.e. in the pictoral language. getting clients by this way could be called advertising in the classic sense, and cost money, for printing, distribution, etc... the cheapest way is to appoint presentations and meetings personally, to do perfect jobs (especially in the beginning), and then you might be referred to the business-partners of your clients. thats the best way of akquisition, but needs quality and willigness for service. so, now I stop. Just another one thing: If you start your bizz, say goodbye to weekends and holidays. on the other hand, you can feel free to make a monday to a sunday

Just take the step forward and give it a go...I did and I got no qualifications what so ever other than what I learnt here. Ok so I dont do massive artworks or huge clients and yes a lot of the stuff I do is flyers and business cards and the little shit, but Im doing what I enjoy. SO you do a lot of photo repair and image color correction till ya seeing the rainbow and you see a better idea than the one the client wants...got to start some where. Right now I have been doing corporate xmas cards, not much art involved but its paying the bills.

So you just have to start some where and then work your way up...or get an agent that is willing to sell your work around town, Ive been told that's what I should do now, but Im not ready for that yet.

thats what I meant with "optimistic".

beside all, be sure to have a certain financial pillow, to survive the first year at least, some experts even say three years.

The false impression is that a full-time paid position is secure. Bullsh**. The only true security is in doing what you love to do. The you don't care if you work Sundays or Thursdays or whatever - in fact 18 hours straight doing what you love is no time at all.

Sure, there's never been a "sure thing" in graphic arts. I started doing architectural illustrations with watercolors after stretching cartridge paper on a wooden board. That faded as a marketable skill. Then I migrated to Letraset (you're old if you remember what that is) and then into mac typesetting in 84. Soon enough, that became old fashioned.... you just gotta keep ahead of the curve.

Anyone who tells you "..ohh, it used to be a great industry, but now it's going down the tube..." is deluding themselves. They're just clinging to the past. In any creative industry, you're either on the cutting edge, or you're doing shit work for clients that are behind the times.. or maybe they're just remembering the "old days" when they were younger and full of confidence.

Pick a niche, or do a whole bunch of random stuff until you find a niche for yourself, then just go with the flow. There's no point in trying to be as good as the others -- concentrate on being you. In fact, just realize that you're the ONLY person who can be you, and the ONLY person who can offer what you offer. For 15 years, I made a great living making ink line drawings of houses. Go figure. When color photos took over from line drawings in print, I just moved on to the next challenge... you're not looking for a gold watch after 50 years doing the same job anyway, so just embrace the uncertainties of the industry