Graphic Design Niches

Is anybody doing graphic design off the web anymore? Just look around you to see all of the graphic design niches available. The reality is that graphic designers are in high demand in many, many areas other than website design.

Unfortunately, when you’re out there looking for work, a lot of companies want you to be able to do the web thing in addition to “old” graphic design projects, like marketing collateral, layouts, and pre-press work.

Types of Work

The types of work you can consider doing include:

Direct mail—Millions of pieces of direct mail still go out every day. And each of those pieces need to be designed. But, there are keys to successful direct mail. I suggest reading up on some direct mail marketing. Try books by John Kremer or Denny Hatch. Also, check out the U.S. Postal Service’s Postal Explorer site for details about direct mail layout and design.

Corporate identity—Small, medium, and large corporations need corporate identity graphics to promote their images. Small and medium sized companies revamp their images less frequently than do large companies.

Signage—Many graphic designers seem to eschew signage as, well, a sign painter’s job. But much signage these days needs to communicate more than just words. Image, color, and calls to action are all part of the mix. Tradeshow graphics are critical in today’s business environment. Check out some of the examples here at BA Exhibits.

Magazine layout—Magazine layout is a very specialized skill that can really pay off, if you have a strong interest in it. They key here is to get hired on with a magazine publisher. That’s the best way to learn these skills. In my opinion, HOW is still one of the best magazines to learn about, uh, magazine design!

Internal communications—Lots of big companies produce internal communications that need to be designed. Newsletters, reports, white papers, employee communications of all types.

Technical illustration—After more than 20 years in high-tech, I can tell you there just aren’t enough people who are really good at this. If you have any interest in learning how to use Illustrator, AutoCAD, or other program to create detailed technical illustrations, both hardware graphics and conceptual diagrams, you will always have work. For different types of examples, check out Faith Bradford-Brown’s samples, and also the examples from Binary Pulse. Each provides different types of illustrations which are all in demand.

Comic illustration—Probably not an area where you will make a lot of money, but if you have a knack for comic illustration, you can promote your work to all sizes of companies. You’ll need to take a creative approach. For example, why not create a PowerPoint presentation promoting your art services, using your comics? Use the presentation to give away some free tips on how to use comic illustration in business (like in PowerPoints, signage, internal communications, and so on). Use the web, company directories, classified sites, and personal contacts to promote the PowerPoint as a free giveaway. If you haven’t seen Drawn, check it out.

Production work—Yeah, it’s boring, but you might consider it if you really need to pay the bills. On the other hand, really good print pre-press production artists are worth their weight in gold. Most of these jobs are in the printing industry, so if you want to do this kind of work, look for printers who need help. Check out Jobster for descriptions of these types of jobs.

Types of Companies

Agencies—Once again, agencies seem to be providing the bulk of the job offers out there. Right, you have your own agency, you say. Well, working for a larger agency might be a good way to learn more about all of the internal processes required to run your own agency.

Biomedical—Like most companies these days, bioengineering, biomedical, and medical device firms need web design and print design work. They also need technical illustration work. Juju seems to list a few of these types of jobs.

Computer hardware—There are still a lot of hardware companies out there that need technical illustration, collateral design, packaging design, and in-the-box collateral. Search for networking, wireless, server, and peripheral companies.

Retail product manufacturers—Retail product manufacturers need all sorts of packaging and collateral design.

Retail corporations—Retail corporations, particularly in the clothing and fashion segments go through massive amounts of design work because styles change at least four times a year. Companies like the Gap, Jessica McClintock, Hot Topic, Chico’s, and many others employ dozens of graphic designers with all types of expertise.

Product and industrial design firms—These are small firms who do contract design work for other companies. Typically, they design actual products for these customers, but those designs often need to be accompanied by collateral and packaging for presentation to the customer. Check out sites for companies like Ideo for product graphics examples and Gottschalk + Ash for environmental design examples.

Non-profit organizations—Just because they are non-profit, doesn’t mean they don’t pay for services. Nancy Schwartz has a great blog on non-profit marketing. Check out her article on graphic design tips for non-profits. It might help stimulate your thinking on how to approach non-profits that interest you.

Graphic Design Blog Site—I’m also a fan of Tara’s Graphic Design Blog. Check it out!