What is the profession of graphic designer like?

What expenses are involved in setting yourself up in the profession of a graphic designer?

• Answer:

  The biggest expenses (outside of training & education) are hardware and software. Professional-level programs aren't cheap, and though they'll run on systems with minimum configurations, unless you want to spend a lot of time waiting for your files to be processed you really need the hardware horsepower to run it. The industry standards for Graphic Design (web, print, film, video) are developed by Adobe and Autodesk. Adobe is the software developer for leading programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Premiere, After Effects, etc. Autodesk is the developer for Maya and 3Ds MAX, the 2 top 3D and special effects programs on the planet. Virtually (no pun intended) all videogames and special effects you see in movies are created using Maya and 3DS. Other companies use their own proprietary software (Pixar's Renderman, e.g.). If you've never owned any Adobe or Macromedia programs and aren't eligible for upgrades, then investing in new programs outright can be expensive. For the primary Adobe CS4 suites, you're looking at around $2,000-$3000. For Maya/3DS suites, around $5,000. Hardware-wise, you need a system with both the CPU processing and RAM capacity, as well as GPU horsepower, to handle these kinds of programs. It's extremely important to check the configuration requirements for the programs you're interested in so that you purchase the proper hardware to run it. I've seen more than one person buy a cheaper system only to find it won't run the expensive program they bought to run it on. GPU capability is essential, especially for animation, 3D, film & video work. Adobe and Autodesk both provide a list of GPU's that have been successfully tested using their programs. With the advent of Vista and Windows 7, systems are moving to 64-bit in a big way, and software developers are following suit. Photoshop and Adobe's Lightroom (a digital darkroom program for photographers) are already available as 64-bit only programs. I expect with the upcoming CS5 release most, if not all, of their main programs will be 64-bit compatible. My point is that if you can afford it, spend the money on a 64 bit system (trust me when I say you'll be kicking yourself if you don't). Aside from the increased RAM potential (my own 64-bit notebook uses 8gb of DDR2, and desktops have been shipping with 16gb for almost a year now), 64-bit processing gives you a 200% increase in processing time per file. Of course it takes twice as much RAM to do it compared to its 32-bit counterpart, but it's worth the time saved. Graphics tablets - Wacom is the tablet maker of choice for most GD professionals, and the various types/sizes can run anywhere from $100 to over $1,000. Most GD professionals use some type of graphics tablet. I'd recommend checking out a subscription to NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). It's less than $100/yr, and the hardware/software discounts alone are worth it. Usually you'll get your money back with your first purchase. They have many online tutorials and subscription training courses as well. No, you don't need to be a Pro to join. Having said all that, you can of course get into the field gradually, with lower-end hardware and software. Programs like Paint Shop Pro, CorelDraw, and other programs are a lot cheaper and can give you pretty good results when you're starting out. However, it's important to understand their limitations as well; they give good results, but don't expect to get out of them what you can with Adobe programs, or as fast. If you can afford it, invest in the best equipment and software you can get. Not only will it sustain you longer, your frustration level will be a lot less when you're able to get the results you're looking for in a lot shorter time. It's cheaper to invest in a good program and the hardware to run it than finding you're not getting what you want out of a cheaper program (or worse, losing a potentially good client because you can't do what they want due to system/software limitations).