There is a glut of graduates in the United Kingdom and Europe interested in a career in design. Design graduate jobs include a wide range of professions from website design to creative installations in public museums. Young professionals who want to set themselves apart from the competition for design graduate jobs need to appreciate the entire process of finishing a complex project.
Many graduates head into the interview feeling entitled to a job based on their class work and limited professional experiences. Your appreciation of design history, production and international distribution of design will keep you ahead of the pack. Your competition for design graduate jobs will possess skills in computer aided design and other virtual tools for organizing a project.
Many design firms and other employers are moving away from applicants with a complete education in computer design toward versatile candidates. Versatility in design comes from the use of multiple media including the Internet, audio, visual and auditory works. Smart candidates for design graduate jobs register for courses in two-dimensional design, three-dimension design, sculpture and model making to prepare for a long career as a designer. Design graduates whose understanding of production methods is limited to their own work space will find their career opportunities limited. One of the most important aspects of modern design is the reproduction of popular images without any flaws.
Your ideas on an automotive advertising campaign cannot be limited to the mock-up you create on your desk. Top designers spend time in production facilities watching printers and typesetters recreate the same image hundreds of times to see how their design stands the test of time. You can devote the summer after graduation to working part-time at a printing studio in your area to help build up your knowledge for future design jobs.
A final approach for design graduates who want to land the best jobs in the world is to study international design aesthetics. Images that are appealing to consumers in Europe may not be as attractive to residents of Australia, Mexico or Japan. Designers who assume that their signature designs will work any place in the world are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Your research of fashion magazines, websites and TV advertisements in different geographical areas will help you develop dynamic design skills that transcend language, time and place.
Mike Sandiford is the Sales Manager at JustClick, who are a leading source of Graduate Jobs and Graduate Careers, also offering a Graduate Lifestyles portal with news and reviews on current affairs.