Dane+Springer


 * So You Want to Become a Multimedia Designer? ** **A Career Study By Dane Springer (2nd Period) **

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 * __﻿Job Discription and Roles __**

A Multimedia Designer's job is to harness their creativity by using the proper design elements in order to fulfill their client's needs. The product which they will create varies, depending on what the client wants. Multimedia Designers create and design websites, logos, digital images, short videos, and animations. Since a Multimedia Designer's work varies so greatly, they must take on different roles such as Graphic Designer and Web Designer. These roles require skill in manipulating images, audio, video, and other digital data. The items that Multimedia Designers produce can be seen in every videogame, advertisement, and marketing campaign.


 * __Sa﻿lary __**

As of March 13, 2011, the average salary of a Multimedia Designer is defined at $62,000. The average Multimedia Designer salary is 15% lower than the salaries of all other job postings nationwide.


 * __﻿Schooling Needed __**

Schooling is not required to enter this field since one could start their own career as a freelance artist, but schooling helps to give a competitive edge in a large market. Bachelor Degrees in Multimedia Design are common, and there are many certifications offered as well. Since most work regarding multimedia design is done on computers today, the artist must be skilled and knowledgeable with the new programs. Many companies, such as Adobe, offer certification exams for their software programs that are commonly used in multimedia design, such as Photoshop (image editing), Deamweaver (web design), and Flash (animation graphics). Although further education would teach any artist how to manage clients, build an impressive portfolio, or properly harness the many media forms; it is not required.


 * __Where to Find this Career __**

One can find a career as a multimedia designer almost anywhere in the world, for this is a career where one has the option of being a freelance artist. This means that a person would work for themselves. If they would rather be hired by a digital design facility, they need to only be near a city. The closer you get to any large city, and the more demand you will find for multimedia designers. As for the United States, you can click here to see a chart of the job density in each large city.


 * __Where to Find this Degree __**

Many schools offer degrees that would assist someone seeking a career in multimedia design. Three respectable examples of such schools would be Full Sail University, Digital Media Arts College, and Academy of Art University. Full Sail University is located in Winter Park, Florida. It offers many Bachelor Degrees for the multimedia-designer-to-be such as Digital Arts and Design, Graphic Design, and Media Design. You can find out more about Full Sail University here. Digital Media Arts College is located in Boca Raton, Florida. Every program offered at this school would be beneficial to someone looking to enter the field of multimedia design. You can look more into these programs here. Lastly, the Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California. This school offers degrees in Advertising, Animation and Visual Effects, Graphic Design, Multimedia Communications, and Web Design & New Media which would all help the artist in need of education. You can find out more about this university here.


 * __Interest __**

I still have an interest in this career. It has much appeal because of the freedom being a freelance artist presents. This job has some clear downfalls though. When working with clients on a creative vision, it can be difficult finding cohesion. There is also the problem of having to stay up to date with the technology that is advancing at unprecedented speeds. If one gets behind the curve on the technologies and programs in this field, it will become very difficult to stay competitive.


 * __Interview __**


 * Q: ** What is your name?
 * A: ** "Jamari Tate"


 * Q: ** What profession are you in?
 * A: ** "Multimedia Design"


 * Q: ** Do you like your job?
 * A: ** "I really love my job. I couldn't imagine spending my life doing anything else for a living."

- Networking with other Designers - Being able to draw from a vast pool of resources and support - Making my own hours"
 * Q: ** List some positives about your job.
 * A: ** "- Doing something I'm passionate about on a daily basis

- Balancing a home and work life when you work from home - Having to bill all my clients personally and deal with taxes"
 * Q: ** List some negatives about your job.
 * A: ** "- Dealing with bad clients

My other job roles are as a Graphic Designer and Web Designer."
 * Q: ** What are your job roles and title?
 * A: ** "My title is Freelance Multimedia Designer.


 * Q: ** Out of the college/training that you had to go throiugh, what was the most useful and what was the least useful skills/classes/etc. that you were required to accomplish?
 * A: ** "Out of all my college and training, I would have to say the classes I took on business were actually the most useful since I work for myself. They helped give me the knowledge I would need to deal with clients on my own. My least useful classes were most of the general education ones including Physics and Algebra."


 * Q: ** How much do you make a week? A year?
 * A: ** "Well since I work on a freelance basis, my wages tend to fluctuate. During the year of 2010, I was able to make roughly 42,000(before taxes). As far as weekly goes, my projects tend to take up a weeks time, sometimes more. So that's harder to answer."


 * Q: ** Do you find it easy or hard to live off your salary?
 * A: ** "I find it to be easy for the most part. I don't have many expenses to worry about. Student Loan payments are the most costly thing I have to worry about."

If so, what sort of continual training is required?
 * Q: ** Are you required to continue training/progressing in your education to remain competitive and capable to do your job?
 * A: ** "Definitely. The entire field of design is always evolving and changing. That's why continuous training is essential to remain competitive in my field. New programs, new design processes, new in-demand styles. All of this requires nonstop involvement in the art community."


 * Q: ** Do you find your field in high demand (competitive), not enough well qualified persons, or are their too many people within your field?
 * A: ** "There are definitely too many "designers" involved within my field. But there are only a few qualified and quality designers out there. So having quality training definitely gives me a competitive edge."


 * Q: ** If you could go back to college and re-do your career choice, would you? Why?
 * A: ** "I would always choose to be a designer. So my answer to the question would have to be no."


 * Q: ** What tools/skills/equipment are required to be successful in this career?
 * A: ** "A computer is definitely essential. As well as design programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. That's all I really use mostly."

What advantages and disadvantages do you face working for yourself or someone else?
 * Q: ** Do you work for someone else or for yourself?
 * A: ** "I work for myself for the most part. Making my own hours, taking spontaneous vacations, and choosing what projects I take is definitely appealing. Some of the disadvantages include dealing with clients personally, maintaining productivity when your bed is in the other room, and fluctuating wages."


 * Q: ** What advice do you have for those entering the field?


 * A: ** "My advice for anyone entering any field of art is to be passionate about what you do. You'll have to deal with a lot of competition and the thing that will set you apart from all the rest, is your dedication and your love for what you do."


 * __﻿Works Cited __**

"Academy of Art University ." Find Your Art School ! Web. 13 Mar. 2011. . " Digital Media Arts College ." Find Your Art School ! Web. 13 Mar. 2011. . " Full Sail University ." Find Your Art School ! Web. 13 Mar. 2011. . "Multimedia Designer Salary." Indeed.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. . " Multimedia Designer Schools, Salaries, and Job Data." Job-Hunt.org. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.job-hunt.org/careers/multimedia-designers.shtml>. Multimedia. Digital image. Multimedia Designer Information. Mr. Lee, 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://beatageyer.com/projects/pages/multimedia designer information.html>. National Salary Trend. Digital image. Indeed.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.indeed.com/salary/Multimedia-Designer.html>. Tate, Jamari. Interview. 13 Mar. 2011.