March 31, 2011

Career: Graphic Designer For An Advertising Agency

Graphic Designer Career in Advertising Agency
The career of a graphic designer (at advertising agency) has a very big opportunity. Moreover, when based on a high willingness, love to learn and able to cooperate in teams, then a graphic designer career opportunities will be more wide open. For
example: from a graphic designer to art director, then became creative director.

Graphic Designer Career in Advertising Agency

Before discussing about how the career of a graphic designer, we should first look at the structure (division or department at an advertising agency).

In general there are 3 divisions which are very important in an advertising agency, they are: creative, marketing (account service and media) plus a strategic planner. By the way, not every agency has a strategic planner division, and it's probably because of human resources for this one is still considered "rare" or still to play doubles with marketing division. A strategic planner should be a very competently and experience person in marketing or advertising especially in the marketing communications strategy.

Where is the position of a graphic designer?


Division of graphic designers are within the scope of the creative department. Structurally they can be mentioned from the top are:

  • creative director
  • copywriter / art director
  • Visualizer / graphic designer.

Among the three structures are actually still have one more division that is "associate creative director" or commonly referred to as "senior art director / copywriter" but not all agencies implement it, it depends on how many clients or brands they handle. More and more clients or brands that need to be addressed, then the billing would be even greater. With a big billing, then certainly the structure of the creative department will be more complete.

Impressed with the structure of the lowest position and whether the graphic designer will be treated as a stepchild?


Don't worry guys! For your career ladder, the graphic designer position is a good first step to be able to step into "junior art director" or "art director" and then after getting honed ability could have become an "associate creative director" or "creative director". But of course it takes struggle and the extra effort, and the long process that takes thought and effort.

Imagine the ability to be increased far beyond the "basic skill". Especially are the experiences of involvement in the process of ad creation to production until ready to run, it also includes insights and knowledge of the creative concepts and strategies of advertising and marketing communications. So when a graphic designer has managed to become an art director, I would say: "great success". Moreover, the creative director job still requires a very long process.

What exactly is the creative director?


Hold on, we'll cover in another article, okay? :)
Peace- Yesta

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8 Comments

To be a graphic designer it takes lot of time an great experience. I try to learn some design and i found out that is not so easy as i thought. In advertising you can make lots of money with some luck and great knowledge.

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I totally agree with Daniel, you must have great experience and skills to be a graphic designer.

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Graphic designer is a pretty hard job. And for those who want to become graphic designers, i wish them good luck !

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to be any kind of designer one has to have a talent and great power of imagination! I totally respect such people as always wanted to be like them!

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To be a graphic designer you can do inimaginable stuff. You can use your creation to make great things. You can focus on another level of creation. I think it is another world.

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Graphic Designer has a good opportunity in Advertising Agency. However Internet would be on Advertising Agency in the future. It would be more needful of the graphic designer further.

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I think that graphic design is one of the hard jobs, but, after reading this blog, I get some points, which are really helpful to graphic design.

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Its good that you've defined the roles and the career paths here.

Often the art directors come from an advertising (not design) course and go straight in as a junior art-director, then move up the ranks.

I haven't really found this with graphic designers. They come from design school and while they work in the agency, they'll go up to senior designer or design director but never art director - Art Direction is a different headspace.

Art Direction is more about selling. Graphic design more about crafting.

It does depend on the size of the agency, though.

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