Occupation Profile

Graphic Designers

(SOC Code : 27-1024)

in California

Design or create graphics to meet a client's specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Bachelor's degree .

Occupational Wages

[Top]

Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$27.83	$19.17	$25.52	$34.35

View Wages for All Areas About Wages

Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

[Top]

Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	37,300	43,300	6,000	16.1	1,760

View Projections for All Areas About Projections

Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

[Top]

Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

[Top]

Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Specialized Design Services

11,375

11.1%

Advertising and Related Services

11,500

7.6%

Newspaper, Book, & Directory Publishers

5,427

6.2%

Computer Systems Design and Rel Services

9,933

5.4%

Motion Picture and Video Industries

6,338

5.2%

Printing and Related Support Activities

6,989

5.1%

Management & Technical Consulting Svc

28,222

2.2%

Management of Companies and Enterprises

914

1.9%

Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing

6,864

1.6%

Architectural and Engineering Services

23,211

1.6%

Other Information Services

3,168

1.0%

Electronic Shopping & Mail-Order Houses

1,785

1.0%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

[Top]

Program Title

Commercial and Advertising Art

Computer Graphics

Design and Visual Communications, General

Digital Arts

Graphic Design.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

[Top]

Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.

Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.

Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.

Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Internet websites.

Review final layouts and suggest improvements as needed.

Prepare illustrations or rough sketches of material, discussing them with clients or supervisors and making necessary changes.

Use computer software to generate new images.

Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.

Maintain archive of images, photos, or previous work products.

Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing.

More Tasks for Graphic Designers

Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

More Skills for Graphic Designers

Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

More Abilities for Graphic Designers

Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

More Work Values for Graphic Designers

Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

More Interests for Graphic Designers

Alternate Titles

Advertising Layout Workers; Art Directors; Catalog Illustrators; Desktop Publishers; Digital Artists; Graphic Artists; Layout Artists; and Multimedia Specialists.