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Graphic Designer Career Interview
John Kane is a graphic design instructor at Northeastern University in Boston and the Rhode Island School of Design. He has been in the graphic design business for over 30 years.
Graphic Designer Career Path
Without looking for it, John’s calling found him.
“I was the editor of the school yearbook and literary magazine back in the early ’70s, and I realized that I needed someone to post what we wrote on the page,” says John. “I got involved with students in the design program and gradually learned how they thought.”
John studied up on the subject of graphic design, and he learned that was the field for him.
Graphic Designer: Experiences
John has spent the last 13 years teaching typography and graphic design at Northeastern University, and the last five years teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Before that, John worked for four years in the design and public relations departments at the public broadcasting company WGBH in Boston. He then was the senior designer at Sametz Blackstone Associates in Boston for 17 years.
“All my experiences was ‘real world,’” John explains. “I was lucky to have school friends in the field, and to have an excellent mentor at WGBH.”
John got an English degree at Yale University.
Graphic Designer Degree Programs
To work as strictly a graphic design artist, you need a Bachelor of Science degree or a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design. To become a teacher, you need a Master of Fine Arts degree in graphic design.
Graphic Designer Job Description
John works as a graphic designer, a teacher at Northeastern University and the Rhode Island School of Design, and an author.
Graphic Designer Daily Routine
A graphic designer’s normal day is always different.
“There may be client meetings, team meetings, presentations – or you may just work at your desk,” says John. “Unless one is a freelancer, there is inevitably a high level of interaction with co-workers, vendors, and clients. However, because the problems that need to be solved keep changing, so does the quality of the day.”
Graphic Designer: Steps to Success
According to John, a successful graphic designer needs “highly evolved visual skills, abiding curiosity, good analytic and synthetic thinking, willingness to work with others, and a familiarity with prevailing graphic design software.”
Graphic Designer Job Opportunities
Working strictly as a graphic designer, the field can be quite competitive since it is an art-related field. However, if you have the talent and put forth the effort, you should be fine.
“It’s no harder than getting into law or investment banking,” says John.
Graphic Design Career Favorite Aspect
“My favorite part is making language visible and being able to give voice to content,” John explains.
Graphic Designer’s Future Ambitions
John hopes that he can just keep on doing what he’s doing now: teaching, designing, and writing.
Advice for Prospective Graphic Designers
“Design is not about making pretty,” John advises. “It is about solving problems. If you want to express yourself, become an artist. Design is never about the designer. Good designers are informed designers, so read The New York Times everyday and The New Yorker every week.”
