How to Become a Graphic Designer in Colorado

Currently, Colorado is crawling with creative artists seeking well paid employment in graphic design, more technically known as communications design. With several large, media-friendly cities and a population well over five million, Colorado ranks highly among states in terms of educational and professional opportunities in this broad commercial field.

Colorado Schools and Training Programs for Graphic Design

Numerous colleges and Universities throughout Colorado offer degree programs in communications design. Popular favorite design colleges include Metropolitan State and Regis University in Denver, Platt College in Aurora, Colorado State University in Fort Collins and Colorado Tech or Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs. Some schools offer graphic design training and degree programs online. Among the most successful of these are The Art Institutes, ITT Tech, University of Phoenix and DeVry.

Graphic artists earning degrees in Communications Design often major in visual communications or fine arts. A typical graphic design degree program in the state of Colorado covers topics like computer science, website design, digital art, animation, technical drawing, typography, commercial marketing and printmaking. Students also gain access to the latest professional graphic design software from Adobe and Corel.

Working as a Graphic Designer in Colorado

Colorado graphic designers are always in demand. Positions in the field are plentiful. Independent businesses need brand logos. Marketing firms demand effective promotional artwork. Publishers seek cover art. A website must have the right “look & feel.” Graphic designers also create product packaging for advertisers, print patterns for textile manufacturers and visual instructions for product assembly, to name just a few.

Some Colorado graphic designers are employed by top local advertising agencies like Location-3 Media, Cactus Communications and JWT in Denver, as well as Marquette in Aurora, Springs Media in Colorado Springs and Red Letter Publishing in Fort Collins. Other local designers sign with Colorado movie producers.  These include Citizen Pictures, Colorado Studios and Westwind Media in Denver, Pathways Productions in Aurora, DK Communications in Colorado Springs and Green Cheese Media in Fort Collins, among others. Professional graphic designers can also find work with software companies, educational centers, publishers, manufacturers, construction contractors, architectural firms, real estate offices, internet start-ups and many other businesses.

Companies in the U.S. currently employ in excess of a quarter-million graphic designers.  About half of them earn between $30,000 and $60,000 a year. The starting salary of a graphic designer depends on factors like training and experience. Employers study many designer portfolios when deciding who to hire and for how much money. A designer portfolio is a bound collection of a designer's best professional work.

Skills of a Graphic Designer

Graphic design professionals communicate with images, often for commercial use. A graphic designer alters and arranges pictures, words, shapes and symbols in a way that appeals to particular target markets. The most common task of a professional graphic designer is page layout - defining the size, color, location and orientation of images in a limited space.

It's safe to say that graphic designers are visually inclined and exceedingly attentive to detail. They understand the juxtaposition of form and color. They consider how colors affect moods. They utilize the psychological power of symbols. They remain conscious of how the human eye observes from left-to-right, light-to-dark, top-to-bottom and large-to-small. This kind of specialized knowledge helps professional graphic designers determine correct color choices and create optimal layouts for even the most challenging design jobs.