Info on Working as a Graphic Designer in St. Louis, Missouri

With nearly 320,000 residents inside the city limits and as many as 100,000 commercial businesses, Saint Louis, Missouri is a popular home for many local artists pursuing careers in graphic design.  Thousands of Saint Louis companies hire graphic designers for limitless assorted commercial purposes.

St. Louis Schools and Training Programs for Graphic Design

A handful of renowned Saint Louis colleges and Universities offer full degree programs in graphic design.  Popular local choices include University of Missouri, Maryville University, Missouri College, Ranken Technical College and Washington University.  Some aspiring local designers earn professional degrees online.  Among the largest schools offering online degree programs in graphic design are The Art Institutes, DeVry, ITT Tech, University of Phoenix.

Graphic artists attending design schools in Saint Louis usually major in visual communications.  Courses may include website design, digital media, traditional media, photography, animation, technical drawing, typography, printmaking, mass marketing, psychology and other relevant topics.

Working as a Graphic Designer in St. Louis, Missouri

Graphic designers in Saint Louis, Missouri remain in ongoing demand.  Many local design jobs exist such as company logos, visual product descriptions, promotional artwork and educational materials, as well as book covers, web pages, product packaging, street signs, building interiors, textiles, assembly instructions and many others. 

Some Saint Louis graphic designers work for leading local advertising agencies.  Reputable local firms include Adamson Advertising, Garrow Media, Moosylvania Marketing, Mozaic, and Wehrenberg Theatres.  Other local artists design film credits, movie posters and promotional artwork for top Saint Louis motion picture producers like Coronet, Ironman Sound Industries, Technisonic Studios, V-9 Studios and Vision Factory.

Graphic designers who live in Saint Louis might also work for news syndicates, landscaping professionals, art galleries, patent offices, software developers, colleges, book publishers, retailers, equipment manufacturers, industrial contractors, architects, real estate agents and internet start-ups.  Businesses in America currently support more than a quarter million graphic designers.  Their salaries vary depending on education, related experience and skill, among other factors.  About half of all graphic designers working in the U.S. earn from $30,000 to $60,000 per year.  

Skills of a Graphic Designer

Graphic design is a form of visual communication by which the attributes of forms, symbols and backgrounds are organized, distorted or otherwise manipulated to achieve a desired effect.  In other words, graphic designers send precise visual messages more clear than written language.  Most professional graphic design work involves layout – the arrangement of lines, colors, shapes and symbols on a page.

Graphic designers expertly juxtapose visual elements, combine certain colors, shift light sources, change backgrounds and tweak the physical features of words to metamorphosize their meaning.  Preferred attributes of a professional Communications Designer include visual alertness, intense concentration and extreme attention to detail.