How to Become a Graphic Designer in Tallahassee, Florida

With more than 30,000 commercial businesses and a population over 180,000, Tallahassee, Florida is ideal for resident artists pursuing careers in graphic design.  Local companies hire communications design professionals for a wide range of visual tasks.

Tallahassee Schools and Training Programs for Graphic Design

Popular graphic design colleges in Tallahassee, Florida include Florida State University, Lively Technical Center and Tallahassee Community College.  Additionally, many schools offer graphic design training and degree programs online.  Among the largest of these are The Art Institutes, DeVry, ITT Tech and University of Phoenix.  Some Tallahassee graphic designers obtain degrees from Full Sail University, a popular online design college with a physical campus near Winter Park.

Graphic designers in Tallahassee, Florida typically major in visual communications or fine arts.  A communications design degree program in Tallahassee might include courses in computer science, marketing psychology, digital media, traditional media, website design, photography, animation, technical drawing, typography and printmaking, among other relevant topics.

Working as a Graphic Designer in Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee, Florida maintains an ongoing demand for professional graphic designers.  Communications design applies to many public and commercial products including brand logos, promotional materials, cover art, web pages and educational literature, as well as product packaging for advertisers, street signs for commuters, print patterns for the textile industry and visual instructions for assembly, among others. 

Some graphic designers in Tallahassee, Florida work for leading local ad agencies like Bowman Promotional Specialties, the Kidd Group, Sammons Media, Zcom2 and Zimmerman.  Other local designers are hired by Tallahassee movie producers like Evolution Media, Foley Video Productions, Keltash Communications and Mediawise.  Communication design professionals in Tallahassee, Florida also work for art galleries, photo studios, software companies, colleges, publishers, manufacturers, construction contractors, architects, realtors, internet start-ups and many other organizations. 

America's commercial businesses support more than a quarter million graphic designers.  Around half of them earn between $30,000 and $60,000 a year, although this figure does not account for the incomes of self employed designers.  Starting salaries for graphic designers in Tallahassee, Florida are primarily based on education, expertise and professional experience, among other things.  Final hiring decisions are heavily influenced by the quality and style of the designer's portfolio, which is a selection of professionally designed images representing the artist's best work. 

Skills of a Graphic Designer

Graphic design is the sending of precise visual messages, usually for commercial purposes.  Graphic design images are grouped and manipulated for optimal communication with specific target markets.  The majority of graphic design jobs involve layout, which is determining the size, color, location, orientation and other attributes of objects on a page.  Basically, graphic designers combine artistic talent with technology and psychology to affect consumer behavior.