hi! im posting because im not 100% sure on my major and am considering graphic design or something along those lines. i’ve been taking a graphics class this year (im a junior in high school) which is basically using photoshop and illustrator to make logos and things like that. i’ve always been very interested in technology. i love what i do in the class, and i like to draw, but i haven’t been super committed to drawing at all. is graphic design the right place to be looking at all? i also know html and some game coding and i’m wondering if something there would work better.
thank you!
my son is a soph graphic design major @ Tyler. He’s always loved to draw but thought he’d have a better chance at getting a job if he studied GD. So far he loves it and his drawing skills have come in handy. It’s also way more than just using photoshop & illustrator to make logos. If you decide to go this route knowing HTML will definitely be a plus since many GD jobs also involve web design. There are a lot of schools that offer game design as a major but I don’t know much about them. Also many schools (art schools & universities) have art students take a foundation year as freshman so they can explore different areas and then decide on a major as sophs.
What you are doing in your graphics class is a big part of graphic design, but there is so much more. It involves layouts for ads, newspapers, magazines, photo editing, web design and more. Some graphic design jobs include some of all of it, while others are more specialized in one or two areas. If you enjoy your graphics class and drawing, you should definitely look into graphic design. My degree is in graphic design and it included a lot of art classes that help you learn basics of layout and eye flow that apply to all art forms. Knowing some HTML is a definite plus. I would suggest looking at course requirements at a few colleges to get an idea of what you would be doing as a graphic design major to help you decide if it is something you want to pursue. You could also look into game design to see if that interests you.
Keep this in mind. Photoshop is not design. Illustrator is not design. Technology is a design tool. If you want to be a designer, find out what design is first.