Graphic Communications & Printing Technology Essential Skills

Graphic Designer

Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

SAMPLE OF REPORTED JOB TITLES

Graphic Designer, Graphic Artist, Designer, Creative Director, Artist, Design Director, Composing Room Supervisor, Creative Manager, Desktop Publisher, Graphic Designer/Production

TASKS

Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.
Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Internet websites.
Review final layouts and suggest improvements as needed.
Prepare illustrations or rough sketches of material, discussing them with clients or supervisors and making necessary changes.
Use computer software to generate new images.
Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
Maintain archive of images, photos, or previous work products.
Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing.

TOOLS USED IN THIS OCCUPATION

Laser printers — Computer laser printers; Wide format printers
Notebook computers — Laptop computers
Photocopiers — Photocopying equipment
Scanners — Computer scanners
Still cameras — 35-millimeter cameras

TECHNOLOGY USED IN THIS OCCUPATION

Computer-aided design CAD software — Autodesk AutoCAD; Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D; Autodesk Revit; Bentley MicroStation
Desktop publishing software — Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign; Adobe Systems Adobe PageMaker; Microsoft Publisher; QuarkXPress
Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Cloud; Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator; SmugMug Flickr; Trimble SketchUp Pro
Video creation and editing software — Adobe Systems Adobe AfterEffects; Apple Final Cut Pro; WeVideo; YouTube
Web platform development software — AJAX; Cascading Style Sheets CSS; Drupal; Oracle JavaServer Pages JSP

KNOWLEDGE

Design — Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Fine Arts — Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

SKILLS

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

ABILITIES

Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

WORK ACTIVITIES

Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

WORK CONTEXT

Electronic Mail — 100% responded “Every day.”
Spend Time Sitting — 92% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
Face-to-Face Discussions — 69% responded “Every day.”
Telephone — 69% responded “Every day.”
Time Pressure — 54% responded “Every day.”
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 58% responded “Extremely important.”
Work With Work Group or Team — 46% responded “Extremely important.”
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 77% responded “Every day.”
Structured versus Unstructured Work — 50% responded “Some freedom.”

INTERESTS

Artistic — Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Enterprising — Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.

WORK STYLES

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

WORK VALUES

Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results-oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility, and Autonomy.
Recognition — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, the potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition, and Social Status.

PRINTING PRESS OPERATOR

Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.