Meet Ste and find out about his life as a graphic designer. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Ste Bradshaw - Graphic designer
I am a graphic designer by trade and my role does vary purely depending on the job. I always end up creating the visuals so I always put the face on ideas and bring them to life.
I did art as a GCSE and then I did design technology or DT. They do have quite a lot of principles that my job actually requires, being able to think creatively, being able to come up with ideas so those principles are very much important in my job and you’ll find them in those courses.
The most important skills at professional level is having a full understanding of Adobe Creative Suite. The other one is being able to critique your work so look at everything from another person’s point of view. Any criticism is good criticism regardless of it doesn’t feel nice or not, it’s always helpful to have it.
The best thing about my job is when something you’ve made, you’ve maybe laboured over it for weeks, months, being able to see it out in the world so you never always know when exactly it’s going to appear but when you do see it it’s really satisfying. I saw something in the supermarket that I’ve worked on and you know, I always tell someone when I’m walking past ‘oh, I made that’, so you know it’s always really really really satisfying seeing it out in the world.
You may have laboured over it for weeks, months - so seeing it out there, in the world, is really satisfying.
Ste works as a graphic designer. He's responsible for creating the visuals and bringing the ideas to life on all his projects
The key skills required are a good knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite and being able to criticise your own work. It's important to be able to step back from your work and look at it objectively and see how you can make it better
The subjects that really helped Ste at school were Art and Design and Technology. Both of these subjects helped him develop the ability to think creatively and come up with fresh and new ideas
The best part of the job for Ste is the satisfaction of seeing his work out in the world
Ste's top tip for the workplace is to accept all criticism as helpful - "regardless of if it feels nice or not". Criticism helps you improve your work and look at it from angles that perhaps you hadn't approached it from before.
What to expect if you want to be a graphic designer
- Graphic designer average salary: £18,000 to £35,000 per year
- Graphic designer typical working hours: 37 to 40 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a graphic designer?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course or an apprenticeship.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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