Graphic design and media design – everyone has heard these job descriptions. What exactly is behind it? First of all very important: A freelance graphic designer is not a profession like any other. There is always passion and vocation behind it! Unlike other creative professions, graphic design or media design is not restricted to a specific location. It doesn’t matter whether the media designer lives in Cologne or the graphic designer runs his studio in Düsseldorf.
He always has the opportunity to work nationwide, regardless of the client’s location. The corporate philosophy of the client should always fit the way media designers and graphic designers work. Here the distance plays no role. Particularly since Internet and electronics require the very near contact only conditionally.
What is the difference between media design and graphic design?
The term graphic design, the job title graphic designer, comes from the time of analog product design. It was about the creation of pure graphic products such as advertising brochures, company logos or magazine layouts. In the meantime, graphic design no longer only means the implementation of pure graphic products. The task field graphic design and the entire strategy behind it was extended by the communication between consumer and offerer. Therefore one uses the term communication designer instead of the term graphic designer ever more frequently.
The profession of media designer, on the other hand, is very strongly anchored in digital media. Media design means creativity in the audiovisual media sector. For the client this means: Regardless of whether the success of the project is only relevant for Düsseldorf, Cologne or nationwide: the combination of graphic design and media design is optimal for the client. Today, this covers the complete needs of every company, every group and every advertising strategy.
How does graphic design “work”? How does a media designer work?
The job description media design or graphic design is not a job by the time. The creativity program in the mind of graphic designers or media designers does not just start up when the PC is booted up in Düsseldorf. Both therefore work not only on one project alone, and a salesperson can only serve one customer. The media designer works on several orders in parallel. The idea for an assignment then often comes unexpectedly and independently of current activity and time.
The projects remain with the graphic designer even after work. In the S-Bahn out of Cologne it is then the right idea that pulls the media designer out of his nightmares. It’s the week’s shopping in Düsseldorf where the graphic designer has the right idea for the current project. It’s the 100 percent commitment to the job, without time or location restrictions, that connects activities such as graphic design and media design.
What comes before working as a freelance graphic designer?
It’s the creative passion that makes studying graphic design possible in the first place. Nationwide, a certain level of education is expected for graphic design studies. The following applies to every graphic designer of the future: whether university or college, whether FH Düsseldorf or HMKW Hochschule Köln. The application begins with the presentation of a folder with self-designed works. And an aptitude test for courses such as Media Design and Graphic Design is also usually mandatory.
What training does the media designer need?
The profession of “freelance graphic designer” also requires training in tertiary education, regardless of passion or vocation. Depending on the orientation, the university studies to become a media designer include the aspects necessary for management tasks. An in-company or school-based training that is oriented towards the job profile of media designer is called digital and print media designer. This takes place in companies in the media and communications sector. Vocational schools also train media designers nationwide.
How do I find the media designer for my project?
The job titles media designer and graphic designer are not protected designations. The professional field of design and layout is comprehensive, the training possibilities are manifold. The competence and creativity in the fields of graphic design and media design is therefore relevant for the client’s decision. Several criteria are decisive for the correct choice of the designer. Irrespective of the professional field of graphic design or media design, the designer’s references in various advertising areas and fields of activity are very important. Previous projects and contacts in various sectors speak for themselves.
The good graphic designer is not only recognizable by his talent for drawing. As little as the good media designer can be recognized by the professional handling of corresponding computers and programs. For expensive campaigns it is often advisable to pay attention to the reputation of a media designer. He – just like the graphic designer – should simply meet the customer’s taste with previous projects. And ideally he should also work in the client’s price range.
The modern media world has an invaluable advantage when it comes to working together with the selected graphic designer and the media designer on a joint project. The personal contact between client and contractor is severely restricted. Whether Cologne or Munich, whether Düsseldorf or Berlin: the Internet enables contact, the exchange of data and cooperation between client and designer throughout Germany and beyond.