The Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
With the job market becoming ever-increasingly competitive, it’s normal to feel unsure about choosing a major, especially one in the art field. Well-meaning friends and family members tend to toss around the term “starving artist” over Thanksgiving dinner, and it makes you reconsider if following your passion is really worth the risk.
On the other hand, maybe you “speak computer,” and love working with technology, but a lifetime of programming and IT work does not appeal to you. You prefer to be more on the social end of technology but aren’t sure of career options that would provide for you to pursue that interest outside of communications.
If either or both of these scenarios sound familiar to you, maybe you should consider a graphic design major. Becoming a graphic designer can bridge the gap between your love of creativity and sciences like programming and other computer sciences and form them into a marketable skill set.
Professor Kessle Silva, a graphic design professor in the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Augusta University, speaks on the expanse of graphic design in the modern world, saying that everything visible in social media, apps, and websites is the work of a graphic designer. “[These] are new fields that expanded our industry tremendously, the possibilities of a gratifying and well-paid job are huge.”
Graphic designers are some of the most sought-after specialists in the business world today. “The graphic design industry is one of the largest today thanks to the way technology is going,” Silva says. “With new fields such as applications design, UX design, UI design, and social media that allow us to target a global market, our industry got a million more opportunities. Graphic design is not local anymore.”
All of these fields make those with graphic design training and experience invaluable to both well-established companies and up-and-coming businesses.
Some career paths that can come from a graphic design degree are:
- Corporate identity
- Motion graphics
- Web and applications design
- Desktop publishing
- UX Design – User Experience Design
- UI Design – User Interface Design
- Advertising
- Production and printing
It’s easy to believe that you must limit your job options to jobs directly related to your major path. However, there are many fields for which a graphic design degree might not directly relate but would be very relevant experience to have. A few examples include:
- Interior design
- Exhibition planning/design
- Landscape architecture
- Public relations
- Urban design
- Marketing
- Print industry
Need another reason to consider graphic design? It pairs easily with business or marketing for a double major and makes you just that much more desirable to potential future employers.
At Augusta University, you can get a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design. The courses you would take not only provide you with training in the technical aspects used in graphic design such as computer programs and nuances of design, such as Web and Applications Environments, but the social aspects as well, including customer interaction and working as part of a team for the big picture.
Professor Silva adds, “We offer up-to-date classes and technology that fit today’s global market. Our program is led by professionals active in the industry today, with 20+ years of both academic and professional experience.” He also would like students to know that “These are classes most of the universities in the country are not offering yet or are trying to implement as fast as they can.”
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