Skills You Need to Get a Design Job

There are many possibilities for the right people on the internet, but before thinking of getting a design job on, you need to have several skills. It is a very popular topic and I debated on itmyself back in March, if design and development should overlap and, if yes, then how much.

Should a webdesigner know how to code HTML and CSS? Should a web developer know how to create a layout in Photoshop? Regardless of what you think about this topic, every employer looks for different things when trying to employ somebody in the design field. Today we take a look at what it is required for you to get a design job on today’s market. But before jumping into this, let’s review the type of jobs on the internet:

Graphic designer– a graphic designer creates the graphic elements of a published, printed or electronic media product. They work very closely with typography, illustrations, user interfaces, webdesign and others. The graphic designer is mainly responsible for presenting the information in a way that is both memorable and accessible.

Webdesigner – the web designer’s goal is to create the website from a layout made by the graphic designer. He needs to satisfy the clients and the objective is the final product which will be delivered to the client (in case no programming is needed). He usually has a basic knowledge of Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator and has a very wide knowledge in the fields of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, and most of the time some basic PHP. He is the one who transforms the idea into the final product.

Web developer– he is the employee who takes the project from a webdesigner and makes it final, if programming is needed. He can create Content Management Systems, build themes from scratch, e-commerce systems and usually has a wide knowledge in PHP, ASP.net, JavaScript, C and AJAX. Even if he does not work too much with them, a web developer should know HTML and CSS at an intermediate level, in case he needs to modify the visual style of the webpage. Check these tips to improve an existing website.

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As you can see, each of these careers require different skills, but you might be surprised by the conclusion of this article, so bear with me here. While many experts think jobs should not overlap, in order for each employee to deliver its best, most of the employers look for multitalented designers. Therefore, this kind of job advertisement is not something rare for a graphic designer advertisement:

Skills:

At least 2 years of work experience on the web.
Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash. Skills in Fireworks are not required, but are an advantage.
Understanding of HTML and CSS at an intermediate level. Knowing HTML5 and CSS3 would be an asset, while JavaScript/jQuery skills are required at an intermediate level.
Knowledge in PHP required for WordPress theme customizations. Understanding of MySQL databases required as well.
SEO skills and knowledge of the best practices in design and user experience.
Skills in Premiere Pro and After Effects are not required, but would be an advantage.

This is how an advertisement for a graphic designer looks like (What do you need to have before applying to a job?). So, while the basic work should be only posters and layouts, a job in graphic design requires much more than that; and if HTML and CSS are totally understandable, then PHP, MySQL and JavaScript are not. And why would a graphic designer need Premiere Pro and After Effects, when these go much more into video than graphic. And since when does a graphic designer need SEO skills? The conclusion is that this employer is not looking for a graphic designer, but for a web developer or, at most, a proficient and very experienced web designer.

But if we think of it from the other side, since when does a web developer need to know Premiere Pro, Flash, After Effects, InDesign or Fireworks? And why would a web developer need to know that much about typography? In the end, everything is already styled and in place when he takes over the project.

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The truth is that the title of this article might be a bit misleading, because I can’t provide a list with skills needed for each job. I can’t and nobody else can’t do this either, because most of the employers would like to shove as many assignments into only one person as possible. And this is really damaging the web industry, because the quality of the products decreases and there will not be any more experts in all these fields. All of them will be Jack of trades, but Masters of none.

A bigger problem is that regardless of how much we debate over this, job postings will still look like this one in the future. The employers are still the ones to decide what the ones they pay have to do, and if you really want a job in this field you will have to comply and do it. In these awful economic times we live the need for a job is so high that there are lots of designers who might consider this job a fit for their skills (Quick Guide for Freelancers to do Well in Recession). This definitely gives the employers power and, as stated before, damages the way we know the web industry works.

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It is really frustrating to see how people who worked in the industry for lots of years, with Master’s Degrees from high-quality universities and a strong portfolio would not even qualify for this simple graphic design job posted above.

Truth is that we can’t change this. The field of designers is really big and there is always more and more competition for jobs. This will definitely either decrease the number of applicants for jobs, or make more designers fill in their CVs with false skills and information. I strongly think that only a few of them will go and actually learn all these things, because it is impossible to be good at all of them.

However, the only way of getting through this difficult period is to actually become better at more things at once. And even if this is not possible for you, there is always the opportunity of working as a freelancer (How to Sell Yourself Online as a Designer). Most freelancers work in collaboration with others and share projects, so they do not have to learn all those skills mentioned above. They settle for a smaller paycheck, but know they do what they like and do not have to learn much more than they can handle.

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Right now I think this is the solution to our problem: working freelance. The web industry will not change for the better, at least not in the near future, and job postings will continue to look like that.

Bottom line

The conclusion is that not many designers can handle so much, therefore going freelance might be the solution for a short-term period. Always improving and becoming better is the long-term solution. If the industry continues to look like that in 10 years, all of us will have to settle for it and get a grab of those bunch of skills. In the end, the employer is always the one who decides on everything. Being able to match his requirements will only help you get closer to your dream job.