FALCON Advocacy

Graphic Design encompasses so many things… Illustration, Logo, Branding/Identity, Package Des, Layout Des, Typography. But to pick one as my career choice feels so specific that it would limit my career options.

Is it even necessary to pick a specialty? I’m doing a GD internship this coming spring with the military (DoD civilian type), and according to the Director the graphic designers have a broad spectrum of responsibilities, so a well-rounded list of skills is preferred in this situation. Are most GD firms/departments like this?

It is certainly not going to hurt you if you have a variety of experience in a lot of areas, in fact, employers love it when a graphic designer can do many things!

In my experience as a graphic designer, A graphic designer is useful to a company because they concentrate on several areas of study pertaining to graphic design. The more you can learn, the better. Computer skills are a must. A great graphic designer is proficient in typography, illustration, logo identity/branding, photography, and packaging design. Web skills are a plus and in very high demand.

I would be careful when deciding to enter the DoD. While I think it is great of you to want to enter the Service, I feel I would be misleading in my answer if I did not tell you a lot of graphic design out there is rather plain, and largely ‘text/copy’ related. You have to be willing to ‘love’ this too. And I certainly would think this to be true of a government run program like the DoD.

If however, your first love is say, (in example) photography, then you can still make it your main concentration while also trying to learn as much as you can about the other fields of study. It would be unwise to concentrate on only one. I would certainly want to make it known to any potential employer of your preference for a particular specialty.

In any case, knowing more and being versatile to any employer will only help you in the long run. Good Luck!