Career Tracks: Commercial Art

Career opportunities are available in advertising agencies, commercial printing businesses, newspapers, fabric printing businesses, publishing companies, photography studios and various business and industry graphic design departments.

Duties:

Graduates in this field may be required to:

Layout and design of requested items such as:

Business cards	Service manuals
Brochures	Invitations
Menus	Flyers
Letters/envelopes	Programs
Business forms	Posters
Catalogs	Calendars
Technical manuals	Design web sites

Touch-up and manipulation of requested items such as:

      Photographs

      Scanned line art/drawings

      Scanned paintings

      Scanned renderings
Scheduling of items to be printed
Working with clients to determine layout, color choices, etc.
Quoting print jobs
Operation of desktop publishing hardware and software, and peripherals
such as laser printers, image setters, color proofers, scanners (drum and/or
flatbed), digital cameras, graphics tablets, etc.
Digital rendering and gaming development

Working Conditions

Graduates in this field commonly experience:

Clean; air conditioned (usually)
Office/computer room/art department environment/darkroom
May work alone or with others
May perform a variety of duties
May work with clients one-on-one or in a group setting
May work under direct supervision
Work under stress to meet deadlines
Overtime sometimes required
May be expected to proof own work carefully to avoid mistakes
Some outside work may be required (photo shoots, etc.)

Physical Demands

Great deal of sitting (in computer rooms/offices/art department)
Very active
Focused on computer screen for a good portion of the day
Movement back and forth between computer and paste-up, light
and cutting tables
Movement in order to get certain angles in photo shoots

Characteristics & Temperament

Graduates in this field should have:

Ability to work with things
Problem-solving skills
Good communication skills
Good proofing/editing skills/spelling
An “eye” for good design
Ability to work with different types of people
Ability to work with numbers (measuring skills for layout)
Preciseness, attention to detail
Good organizational skills
Good memory skills
Ability to “catch on” quickly
Fair motor movement (hand/eye coordination/manual dexterity)
Self-discipline/self-motivation
Ability to make generalizations, evaluations, decisions based on verifiable data
Patience

Employment Outlook

Graduates in this field can expect the following developments:

increased pay and advancement possible with experience and further education
employment in cities and towns of all sizes
freelance work is a huge opportunity

possible entry level positions: layout assistant, typesetter, customer service, administrative assistant, photography assistant, graphic arts assistant, designer