What is Graphic design?

What is the printing side of graphic design called?

• Hey. I'm a senior in HS and have a huge college decision to make. I want to get into a vocational program. I really love the idea of Graphic Design and stuff but I have to say..I'm afraid I'm not creative enough. But I know a graphic designer who knows somebody who kind of does the printing side of the field. She would take what the designers made and lay it out, print it blah blah. That seems so much more me. I'm more technical so it would work better. BUT... The comm. college I want to go to offers a degree program for Graphic Design and the classes focus mainly on the art aspect of it. Would I be able to get a layout/print job after I get a Design degree? I hope that makes sense. ALSO... What would that job titled be called? (for printing/laying out/etc) Also, Is Web Design a good option for me?

• Answer:

  In some colleges it is called "print technology." And I would advise that the more you know about print technology, the more versitile and valuable a designer you can be. SOMEONE has to prepare a graphic for final output, and you, (or your employer) has to pay someone to do it. The more you can do yourself, the more efficiant a project's "throughput" can be. This process is, often, called "preflight," in which the graphic is prepared for the specific kind of final product. This involves color gamut adjustments, mode selection, color separation, traps & chokes, bleeds, cropping, page layout, typesetting and many, many more operations. One can, either pay a printer's technician to make these operations, or the designer, with knowledge of the software features that can do this, can get it done before a file is sent to a print service bureau. What this means, for you, if your college program does not stress these functions enough, is that you might consider a separate course or two, or, at least, the kind of book or tutorial that shows how these steps are applied in the applications you will probably use, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and QuarkXPress.