Myths: Every Job Has Them
No matter what you select as your career there are probably a number of myths or misunderstandings about what you do.

People who are self-employed or work at home often hear, “You must have a lot of free time on your hands.” Of course, this is farthest from the truth as many who are self-employed often work more than a standard 40-hour workweek.

If you are a graphic designer, enrolled in graphic design school or are thinking about becoming a graphic designer, the following “mythbusters” may provide some illumination and advice on how to handle some of the misconceptions regarding a career in graphic design.

The Myths
“The Customer Is Always Right”
When Gene Roddenberry first pitched his science fiction television idea of Star Trek to programming executives, (”the customers”), at NBC in the early 60s the reception to his concept was quite less than favorable.

Executives were concerned about the show being too “cerebral” for the common television viewer. As history has demonstrated, the concept and the television show has outlasted many of the original executives who didn’t believe in Roddenberry’s vision. Star Trek has gone on to be syndicated around the world and commands a loyal and growing fan base to this day.

In a similar way there are times when prevailing “common sense” is overemphasized by graphic design clients. Graphic designers have a responsibility to give their professional feedback on projects (when warranted) to help create the best possible designs.

An observant graphic designer can point out critical flaws in an otherwise “perfect” concept. Keep this in mind when working on your graphic design projects–the customer isn’t always right.

“‘Constructive Criticism’ Is Always Beneficial”
Although this is generally true, you will run into a few clients that go overboard on this — it isn’t so much about improving a concept as much as having an obsessive need to nitpick and be in control.

As a graphic designer it helps to develop a sense of when criticism is actually valid.

Genuine constructive criticism helps you to improve, while nitpicking has the opposite effect — it demoralizes and is counterproductive. Learn to distinguish between the two and maintain open lines of communication with your clients to resolve any conflicts regarding design ideas or changes.

“Exceptional Talent Is All You Need”
A hiring manager at a graphics firm was fond of saying, “Talent can always improve; attitudes, rarely so…”

Exceptional talent is a strong calling card when applying for a graphic design position but it is rarely the only attribute that graphic design firms seek in their potential hires.

The job of a graphic designer encompasses a great deal of communication between the client, coworkers, and project managers. A design concept gone wrong is usually a design concept that was not communicated effectively among the project team.

In addition to talent and a solid education in graphic design basics from a graphic design college, you must also develop strong communication and teamwork skills.

Next Time…
In part 2 of this series we will cover misunderstandings about creativity, education and other topics related to the field of graphic design.

Calling All Aspiring Art and Graphic Designers
Langara College and Rethink Communications are offering one $18,000 two-year scholarship to Langara’s Communication and Ideation Design program. The CID curriculum at Langara College centers on expanding the creative aspects related to graphic design, art direction, and other visual-media related fields.

The winner of this competition will also receive an internship at Rethink, a cutting edge communications-idea agency located in Canada.

The Rethink competition is open to anyone 19 years or older. You should be able to attend full-time classes starting September 2010 semester. This contest originates in Canada. If an international student wins this award, the scholarship is conditional upon the issue of a valid student visa. Participants in this contest must also have a valid high school diploma or equivalent background.

The Contest Details
This contest is announcing an open call for submissions of sketchbooks from all art and graphic designers.  According to the sponsors:

“The sketchbook can be any size in terms of width and height, but it must have a hard black cover. Also, the number of pages in the book might vary depending on where you get it, though it should not exceed 250.

“Remember not to worry about filling out the whole book, because a few brilliant ideas are always better than a huge pile of mediocre work…

“Your job is to put your most interesting ideas into that sketchbook to demonstrate what you can do. Your book should also tell us something about who you are.”

The official application form must accompany your sketchbook. The form can be downloaded by clicking here. Mail your sketchbook for this contest to:

The Rethink Scholarship
700-470 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
V6C 1V5
Canada

Judging and Submission Tips
The judges for this contest want to be “amazed” by your work. Entries will be judged upon:

* The clarity of the ideas and how they are executed …within your sketchbook.
* The relevance in association to the scholarship program ….you are applying to.
* How “fresh” and imaginative the thinking is.
* The craft and production value of your work.
* Quality over quantity of your sketches. You don’t have to show ever idea you’ve had.

The sponsors of this contest provide the following tips regarding the submission of sketchbooks:

* Give your book an idea (or ideas) beyond your bio. If we wanted that we’d just steal your diary.
* Your application to a communication arts program should, well, communicate, artistically.
* Don’t use the entire book if there’s no reason to. Remember that a few great ideas will always …beat an entire book filled with mediocre work.
* Pen and paper aren’t your only options. Sculptures, photos, interactive, it’s all fair game.
* It never hurts to show us your thinking, we like seeing how you got to what you’re presenting.

Other Details
Complete details for this contest can be found by clicking here and here. The official application form can be downloaded as a PDF document by clicking here. Questions about his contest should be directed to questions [at] rethinkscholarship.com.

The contest deadline is June 1, 2010. There is no entry fee for this competition.

Medical Illustration–A Closer Look
Many people are familiar with what illustrators do; they draw and create  images of things, scenes, and concepts for advertising, media, and businesses. Artists who decide to become medical illustrators receive advanced training and education in communications and the life sciences.

Medical illustrators work closely with doctors, scientists, and medical specialists in order to render images for use in research, education, public relations, and patient care. They often perform background research on the topics and subjects they are asked to illustrate.

Medical illustrators confer with science experts to validate illustration concepts  and sometimes observe laboratory techniques and surgery procedures to help in their creative process.

The Field of Medical Illustration Is Changing
In the past, medical illustration was primarily focused on anatomical drawings and related needs for the medical and educational community. While this is still an important function of the job it has expanded to other fields due to the rapid growth in science, technology, and medicine.

Medical illustrators have expanded their duties by producing computer generated images and animations to educate the public in health care, medical information, and proactive health maintenance techniques. Lawyers call on medical illustrators to produce images for juries and the court in order to explain complex ideas related to personal injury and malpractice lawsuits.

Hospitals and healthcare agencies use the services of medical illustrators to provide graphics and images for their websites to inform and educate the public on various programs, information, and services.

There are several specialties that are available in this job category such as illustration for:

* Surgery
* Veterinary medicine
* Ophthalmology
* Computer animation/three-dimensional models
* Medical publishing
* Pharmaceutical advertising
* Medical-legal work
.

Careen Training and Education
Some graphic artists start their illustration careers by attending a graphic design school. They go on to earn their bachelor’s degree in art and premed courses at qualified education centers.

Many medical illustrators have a master’s degree from accredited two-year graduate programs in medical illustration.

There are currently several specialized programs in the United States and Canada that are officially accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The number of available positions for these programs are limited and competition for these openings is high.

If you are currently attending or are planning on enrolling at a graphic design college for your career training, check with your college counselor about what you need to do to pursue a career in medical illustration.

The Job Market for Medical Illustrators
In general, the prospects for artist  jobs will grow approximately 12 percent thorough 2018 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008). Competition for these openings will be high.

Medical illustrators should experience a constant demand for their services due to the relatively small number of professionals in this area of work.

Since medical illustration has a broad career path, the salary range for this job group is varied. In 2006 medical illustrators who worked for universities or institutions made a yearly salary of $44,000 to $55,000 including benefits. Medical illustrators who have extended experience in multimedia, computer graphics, multimedia and animation should command higher salaries.

The mean annual salary for artists and related workers was $51,600 in 2008  (BLS May 2008).

Frogs Are Our Friends
Frogs can be found, virtually everywhere, throughout the Earth in jungles, lakes, ponds, waterways, marshes, forests and other natural habitats.

Frogs are not only interesting and unique creatures that are able to live on land or in the water; they serve an important role in balancing the ecosystem by eating various insects, small animals or pests.

Frogs also serve as a source of nutrition for larger animals in the food chain.

Frog Population Declining
According to various studies the population and health of frogs are declining due to deforestation, climate change, and pollution. The organization, Save the Frogs, is an international group of scientists, naturalists, educators and policymakers whose goal is to help protect amphibious creatures by educating the public and through legislation efforts.

The Contest
Save the Frogs is holding its 2nd Annual Save the Frogs Art Contest. The competition is especially calling for entries from art students and teachers, however amateur and professional graphic designers are welcome to enter as well.

The contest is international and artists from any country can enter. There is no entry fee for this contest.

The sponsor of the contest is asking for submissions that have graphic elements that feature images of amphibians, the text Save the Frogs!, Save the Frogs.com or both texts.

The winning artwork will be used on various Save the Frog items such as t-shirts, mugs, hats, posters, and stickers. The money raised from the sale of these items will be used for conservation efforts by Save the Frogs, a public funded charity.

Contest Guidelines
A Grand Prize Winner will be selected from one of the following age categories:

* Under 10 years old
* 10-13 years old
* 13-17 years old
* 18 years and older

Submissions for this contest may include artwork that is either hand-drawn or produced through a computer graphics program.

The theme of the image may include pictures of frogs, toads, salamanders, caecilians or newts. The artwork may be in color or black and white.

According to the contest sponsors, artwork entered to this contest must be original and not be based upon the artwork of others. All artwork must refer to the theme Save the Frogs by including one of the following elements in a clear and legible form by showing:

– the phrase SAVE THE FROGS! (capitalized, with an exclamation point!)
– the phrase savethefrogs.com (lowercase with NO exclamation point)
– both SAVE THE FROGS! and savethefrogs.com (as in a logo)

These two phrases can appear on the same design, or alternatively you could put one phrase each on two related pieces of artwork which could work well as the front and back of a t-shirt, or on the outside and inside of greeting cards, for example.

For complete instructions on image format, resolution settings and submission guidelines click here. For questions concerning this contest that are not covered on the official website, send your emails to: art [at] savethefrogs.com

Awards
Each age category winner will receive $35 in cash and a $30 credit to the Save the Frogs gift center. The Grand Prize Winner and category winners may have their artwork featured on products and items sold by the Save the Frogs gift center.

Contest winners and honorable mentions will be acknowledged on the Save the Frogs website along with images of their artwork.

Other Info
For those who wish to submit their entries via regular mail, click here for the contest entry form. Complete contest rules can be found by clicking here. The art contest terms and condition can be found by clicking here.

The deadline for entries is September 29, 2010.

Little Boxes
Package design has come a long way in the last 50 years. In the past the usual difference between one product packaging and another was simply the graphics and color schemes of the design.

Today’s walk down the many aisles of a modern supermarket or department store literally offers thousands of uniquely designed packages with amazing looking graphics or container shapes.

If you are currently attending a graphic design school or are already a graphic designer you may have been intrigued with this particular subset of graphic design work. In this article we’ll explore what this interesting field is all about and what you can do to prepare for a career as a package designer.

School First
As it is in any career area you want to pursue the usual route for obtaining proper career training is through proper education. For any field in graphic design there are many qualified graphic design colleges that can help you to earn your degree.

Generally speaking a bachelor’s degree is necessary to qualify for most entry-level positions.

If you are targeting package design as your specialty, you will need to take courses that are focused for this design field. In addition you should have a good grasp of spacial relations as it relates to designing packaging.

You can qualify for some entry-level jobs with an associate’s degree or certificate of completion earned at community colleges or two-year junior colleges. Various online education centers also offer these degrees in addition to bachelor’s degrees in graphic design.

Be sure to thoroughly investigate the graphic design schools you are considering as each one differs in its approach and curriculum. Choose the one that best matches your career and education goals.

What a Package Designer Does
A package designer has the responsibility of creating designs for various forms of packaging such as bottles, containers, cartons, boxes, and other packaging needs. The packaging design can be as simple as a logo on a beverage container or as complex as a multi-DVD case for a movie series. In each case the design must meet the specifications of the client.

Package design must be eye-catching and have the ability to entice consumers to pick up and buy the product.

A package designer should not only be well acquainted with the use of traditional design tools such as pens, paints, and pencils but must be well versed with the various graphic design/image editing software and CAD (computer assisted design) software that are commonly used in the industry.

The design process usually starts with meetings with the client and design team in order to understand and agree upon a concept. After the design is approved a number of sketches, computer generated images and a formal mock-up of the packaging is created. During the period of time between concept and final production, there are usually many changes and alterations during the design process.

These frequent changes in design concepts require an individual who is flexible and has good communication skills.

The Job Situation
Package designers usually work for manufacturing companies in the graphics departments, independent graphic design studios or companies that specialize in packaging.

While a typical workweek of 40 hours can be expected, overtime and weekend work is usually required during “crunch time” or when deadlines are shortened.

The job outlook for graphic design positions is expected to grow approximately 13% during the decade 2008-2018. Competition for available job positions will be extremely high.

The mean annual wage for professionals in the graphic design fields (including package designers) is $46,750, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2008).

Tate Art Galleries, with four locations in the United Kingdom, and cultureLabel.com–an unique culture store that offer items from over 70 museum shops, artists, galleries and institutions are announcing an open call to all graphic artists and designers to enter the 2010 Release Contest.

Contest Details
The sponsors of this contest are seeking, “…two outstanding product designs that will be produced and sold in Tate shops, through Tate Online and at CultureLabel.com.”

According to the contest guidelines, the winning product design could:

* Capture the experience of Tate visitors, be they young or old, from the UK or from across the …globe
* Capture the impact that Tate has had on the public’s experience of galleries and its influence on …the arts
* Be inspired by the architecture of the buildings, such as the iconic Tate Modern, which is 10 years …old in 2010
* Be inspired by any of Tate galleries, which include Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate St Ives, Tate …Liverpool and also Tate Online

There are two product design categories - products that fall into a retail price range of up to £10 (15 USD) and the second with a retail price of up to £100 (150 USD).

Product Design Guidelines
For a product that will be sold for up to £10 (15 USD) the sponsors state:

“This product will become a much-loved and widely recognized souvenir of any visit to a Tate gallery - the object that anyone visitor will want to take home.

“You might want to focus on London and Tate Modern or Tate Britain and seek to create an iconic tourist souvenir that rivals the ‘Mind the Gap T-shirt’. Or, perhaps you are more inspired by the idyllic coastal setting of Tate St Ives or the post-industrial gallery spaces of Tate Liverpool?

“We want to capture the experience of someone visiting Tate - whether the magic of the first visit or the allure that keeps people coming back. Alternatively, you might seek to capture the impact that Tate has had on the public’s experience of art - transforming galleries into experiential, interactive and lifestyle spaces attracting incredibly diverse audiences.”

For example, some ideas for the sub £10 class of products could be things such as key fobs, cups, posters, t-shirts, folios, pens or other small items.

For product designs that will be sold for up to £100 (150 USD) the guidelines state:

“This more premium product might be the collector’s item that captures the human experience held in Tate.

“We still want to capture the spirit of Tate described above but this product could be a much sought after limited edition, object or accessory and would have the creative flair, artistic and design values reflecting Tate brand and the higher price point.”

Ideas for products in this pricing tier could be, but not limited to, items such as special edition posters or prints, ceramic pieces, jewelry or lithography prints.

Prizes
The winner will receive a cash award of £500 (750 USD) plus royalty payments for the first 6 months of the sales of the design.

Other information
There is an entry fee of £5 (7.50 USD). For the complete rules and guidelines for this contest, click here. To submit your product design idea, click here. All questions regarding this contest should be sent to release [at] culturelabel.com.  The deadline for this contest is March 22, 2010.