Portfolio Presentations: Expressing Your Beliefs Through Your Work
In today's dynamic digital landscape, the demand for graphic designers with a keen eye for branding, packaging, product, and communication design is on the rise. With a diverse range of sectors eager to harness the power of visual identity and user engagement, graphic designers are finding themselves in high demand.
One such industry is marketing and advertising. Agencies and in-house marketing teams are constantly seeking graphic designers to develop brand identities, packaging, promotional materials, and digital content that effectively communicate key messages.
Product design and manufacturing companies, meanwhile, are hiring graphic designers to create product packaging and enhance product aesthetics, ensuring visual appeal and brand consistency on physical products.
The apparel and fashion industry also presents opportunities for graphic designers, who specialize in creating original clothing graphics, including screen prints and embroidered designs, tailored to brand audiences.
Healthcare organizations and hospitals are another significant employer of graphic designers, particularly for digital communications, presentations, informational materials, and branding that require clear, effective visuals.
Publishers in the publishing and digital media sector need designers for book covers, magazines, digital publications, and branding elements that engage readers and consumers.
The technology and UI/UX sector is another fertile ground for graphic designers, with firms hiring them for user interface and experience design, product branding, and digital communication tools.
Corporate communications is another area where graphic designers are in demand, producing internal and external communication materials such as reports, brochures, presentations, and signage aligned with brand standards.
These industries offer a mix of in-house positions offering steady employment and freelance or contract jobs providing flexible, project-based work with varied applications from print to digital media.
Leslie McDougall, a graphic design practitioner, educator, and connector of creatives, is well-versed in the demands of this ever-evolving field. With a career spanning over a decade, McDougall has designed branding systems, packaging, products, and communications for major brands such as Cargill, 3M, MacPhail Center for Music, Spice Islands, The University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, MindWare, Schwan's.
McDougall's design and illustration work has been recognised by Communication Arts, Graphis, How, and Print. Since 2018, McDougall has been an adjunct professor at North Hennepin Community College, and in 2023, began teaching at the University of Minnesota's College of Design in the School of Graphic Design.
As a graphic designer, it's essential to express your ethnicity and culture in some of your project work, while also ensuring that your materials (resume, cover letter, portfolio, website) match and reflect your personal brand. A designer can convey their values through a pro bono piece or by representing their work ethic.
Case studies that include project objectives, research, ideation exercises, mind mapping, lists and thumbnails, sketches, and refined sketches are impressive to employers. Hiring managers look for portfolios that show high-quality work, design thinking, and design process, as well as the ability to create digital mockups and prepare files for printers.
Understanding and utilising AI is also beneficial, but it's crucial to understand why and how to use it rather than using it blindly. Figma is an important technical skill for graphic designers to learn.
In summary, graphic designers for branding, packaging, product, and communication design can find opportunities in a wide array of industries, including marketing and advertising, product manufacturing, apparel and fashion, healthcare, publishing and digital media, technology and UI/UX, and corporate communications. These industries reflect the broad demand for graphic design skills in both traditional print and emerging digital platforms through 2025 and beyond.
- In the technology and UI/UX sector, graphic designers are sought after for designing user interfaces and experiences, product branding, and digital communication tools, demonstrating the demand for their skills in both traditional and emerging digital platforms.
- In addition to marketing and advertising, product design and manufacturing companies also employ graphic designers to create product packaging and enhance product aesthetics, showcasing the importance of visual appeal and brand consistency on physical products in various industries.
- Figma, an essential technical skill for graphic designers, is useful when utilizing artificial intelligence, as it's crucial to not only understand and use AI but also to understand why and how it is employed effectively, rather than implementing it blindly as part of education-and-self-development or career-development objectives.
