Graphic design qualifications typically include both educational and professional experience related to artistic creations and design, as well as a portfolio of work. Although a bachelor's degree is often considered preferable, especially for advanced positions in the industry, an associate's degree is typically sufficient for many entry level positions. Professional experience working in this field is also quite important, especially for someone interested in moving into a managerial or team lead position. Graphic design qualifications typically include a portfolio of work created by a designer, which shows off both print and media examples created by the artist.
An educational background is often a key asset for anyone interested in working in design. Many colleges and art schools offer an associate's degree to help people build a foundation for their graphic design qualifications, which typically takes about two years to complete. There are also schools that provide students with a bachelor's degree, which takes around four years to finish. Such programs usually focus on different elements of traditional design, such as color theory and the way in which space is used in a composition. These graphic design qualifications can also include courses that teach students to use computer software to create and edit images for a project.
Professional experience working in design is also a vital element of someone's graphic design qualifications, especially for those interested in a higher level position. Several years of experience may be required for an employee to move up within a company into a managerial position. A graphic design firm may include multiple teams, which all have leaders with numerous years of experience, and another manager supervising them. The best way to gain this type of experience is often to find work at a company, producing images and designs for use in a number of campaigns, and move up from within whenever possible.
Graphic design qualifications also typically include the creation and display of a strong portfolio of an artist's work. This portfolio is intended as a means by which someone can display his or her artistic skills and eye for design. A new designer just out of school might use projects from various classes as the primary source for the works within a portfolio. As additional experience is gained, however, new works and projects should be used to replace those that were completed in a scholarly environment. The portfolio is among the most important graphic design qualifications and should be used by an artist to demonstrate the type of work he or she would like to do.
