If you are highly skilled on the computer and artistically inclined then a career path is in all likelihood going to relate to something in the area of graphic design. If wishing to pursue this career path there are many high-quality art schools offering a comprehensive range of graphic design courses, which are tailored to specific areas in the industry. Prior to enrolling into a particular graphic design school it generally benefits to have an appreciation of what will entail if you followed this particular career line.

Knowing what to study in art or design school

The type of learning you are likely to experience in an art school is likely to vary quite significantly; this will depend on the particular program you sign up to. Basically, you are likely to be instructed on the basics of design, which might involve typography, color theory, and drawing. Your chosen direction is likely to involve a wide range of typography classes, such as experimental, poster, web-based, manual, and digital. A standard course might also involve learning several different fields including those relating to information design, editorial, and print.

Deciding on the best career path in design

A chosen career path in the graphic design industry is likely to revolve around the particular type of tuition you received throughout your time at art school. Some of the main opportunities in graphic design for a successful career included website design, brand identity design, publication design, retail design, environmental design, and several others.

Even though there isn’t any guarantee that a recognizable qualification or degree in one of the arts or design fields will result in a promising job in the short-term, these qualifications will go a long way to making sure that you are rightly prepared to pursue a career in this industry at some stage. In view of the increasing demands of design, either internet-based or offline, this is one of the career paths that is likely to require more and more skilled personnel as time goes by.

Considering the other skills a designer might require

Beyond just being highly skilled at creating the artwork for a website or print publication, it is also necessary for someone in the world of graphic design to acquire other standard skills, which can relate to having an excellent people skills. A need to interact with other people in a team is likely to be essential if you are to be working in a team.

The historic and technical initial stages of graphic design

Graphic design developed alongside the printing and information technology industries. Printing was brought to Jordan in the 1940s by people who had learnt the trade in other countries. Jordan’s printing evolution was similar to that of other countries. Printing started using wooden moulds, then zinc clichés and letterpress, as well as other printing tools, symbols and shapes. It was the printing technology that restricted the scope for producing new designs. The range of items printed was limited to newspapers, cards and stationary. Printing started mainly in black and white, and was then developed to make photo made clichés through which the printers were able to print in full colour. Typolography, or raised printing was the main method and is still used today. Offset printing enhanced the quality of production, providing improvements in colour and picture reproduction. Around the same time the role of the graphic designer was developed, involving the preparation of makettes and then film montage and plates to be ready for printing (prepress); this relied on the professionalism of the film montage technician for the preparation of backgrounds for the pictures and words. Prepress was considered the most important process in the production of the final printed article. This process was carried out at the prepress service centre which was limited to a single institution until 1987. This centre had the capability and technology to perform a range of techniques where an artistic touch was required.