Junior Graphic Design Jobs
You might be wondering just what exactly is considered a junior graphic designer. Simply put, a junior graphic designer is an amateur in the world of graphic design. Even if you have some ‘field’ experience under your belt, you’ll still be the rookie if you’re a recent college graduate, and you’ll remain an amateur for about two years. You could be a published artist and still be seen as the artistic layperson. And you can probably guess from the name itself what some sorts of junior graphic design jobs are…the scutwork of the industry, I guess you could say. You’re the one who will be doing logo designs and website layouts for next to nothing to build up your portfolio; the kid stuff of the design world. The work the senior designers point at and make belittling comments about. Junior graphic design entails some mental gymnastic skill, because it will mean bending over backwards for your clients while simultaneously kissing their backsides. Now, if you can do that in real life, forget being a designer and go to work in the adult film industry.
You might even need to do one of those adorable unpaid internships just for a pat on your resume…those words should ring a bell if you’re a college student. Sometimes those jr. graphic designer jobs include doing professional-quality work in a professional setting for absolutely no pay. Talk about “free” lance. Charity work, in other words. And trust me; no business will turn down a volunteer for an unpaid internship, because that means they won’t have to pay an experienced graphic designer to work for them.
Many art students or entry-level graphic designers seem to think they’ll immediately get an art director position and make a six-figure income if they graduate college or make some pretty pictures for someone. But the truth is it takes years before anyone gives a crap about you or your skills, and in order for said crap to be given, you’ll have to take orders from higher-level designers within the same firm. Lucky you.
I will say, though, that it’s quite an achievement if you managed to get into a junior graphic design position. Getting any graphic design job can be difficult, and no one will want to give you a chance to do work for them if you’ve little or no prior experience. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds ridiculous. You’re thinking, “Well, if no one will let me do work for them, how will I get experience?” Artists continue to ask themselves this even now. It’s a matter of being good enough to catch someone’s eye…and sometimes, unfortunately, it’s a matter of which designer has the more expensive degree.
Also, if you happen to live out in No-Mans’-Land, you’ll probably never find a graphic design job beyond maybe painting someone’s picket fence. Odds are, if you can see trees, dirt roads, or prairie, there’s no graphic design jobs of any sort where you live. So, that being said, if you really want to do art for a living, you’re going to need to move to or near a big city, like New York City or Atlanta; those are the best cities for graphic design jobs. Or you check out that cool new-fangled invention called the internet.
No one great ever went from zero to amazing in one single leap. Like with any well-paying position, you’ll have to work your way up to a respectable graphic design career with an equally respectable salary. Experience is what will get you impressive details on your resume, and those details will be what gets you hired.
Posted in: About Graphic Designers, Jobs for Graphic Designers
