Designer: description of the profession, types, responsibilities and requirements

The profession of a designer is directly related to the creation of designs and the development of images of interior models, furniture, accessories, computer graphics, landscape and much more. We will talk about who such designers are, give a description and characterization of the profession, consider what responsibilities they perform and what qualities they must have in order to succeed in their profession.

The designer is a specialist in the development of models of the surrounding reality, and this model can be both real and virtual, it can find its embodiment in life or just remain an idea. The main tools for design will be graphic drawings, concepts, drawings and various schemes. Designers provide ergonomics and ease of use of various objects and interior solutions. These specialists should be well aware and be able to combine different objects, materials, forms and textures. In addition to artistic abilities, they must have computer skills, since the activity of any designer involves the constant introduction of information technology and new developments.

Many confuse the profession of designer and artist. Difference between them are in the practical use of work results. A painter can afford to draw surrealistic models, for example, interior design, completely without thinking about how to put all the furniture depicted there. The goal of the designer is completely different - he must create a project that can be implemented so that people can live and successfully interact in this interior.

The designer's tasks include designing, as well as creating the latest modern concepts for interiors / landscapes / products / computer products. When creating projects Be sure to consider the ergonomics of the solution, ease of use, as well as color design and the overall aesthetics of the finished product. When making layouts, designers should first of all be guided by the requests of individual customers or the wishes of consumers in general. During the preparatory work, the specialists make the necessary measurements and tests, and then embody the plan in the form of a drawing diagram or design layout.

Like any other profession, the design direction has its advantages and disadvantages. So, the following points can be attributed to the pluses.

• Demand. The profession is popular and relevant. According to experts, in the coming decades, interest in the services of designers will only grow.
• Decent salary qualified specialists.
• Job opportunity both in the office and as a free freelancer.
• Creative work allowing you to realize your creative potential and improve the surrounding reality.

Not without flaws.

• The difficulty of reaching a good level of payment. Beginning designers are forced to work for almost a penny for several years, filling out their portfolio, as specialists without experience in the market are not quoted.
• Almost irregular working hours.
• For a freelance designer, a significant drawback could be irregularity of orders. They can get a tidy sum for the project, and then sit waiting for several weeks.
• The most difficult in this profession experienced designers call the subjectivity of job evaluation. Even with the highest qualifications and vast experience, designers will always be confused by customers, builders, engineers and other specialists.

The range of duties and tasks of a designer is limited not only by the professional skills and competencies of the employee, but also by the chosen specialization. The following areas are most demanded to date.

• Interior design. Most ordinary people understand the profession as the ability to pick up beautiful stylish furniture and ergonomically place it indoors. That is how those unfortunate specialists who completed two-week courses see their work. Actually, the duties of a designer are more complicated. The interior is not just furniture, it is also engineering communications, lighting, architectural groups. This specialist is obliged to come up with a finish option, the location of the wiring, heating appliances, ventilation.
• Web Designer. This is one of the most common professions to date. Surely many noticed that different sites of similar subjects and approximately similar structure may vary in their design.On some, everything is clear and structured; on others, finding the necessary information is quite difficult.
• Site design - this is the very first thing the user sees, a visual reflection of the functionality and positioning of the resource. Here it’s not enough just to create an attractive picture - it’s important to consider how the portal will be imposed upon transfer to the frontend developer, how convenient and understandable it will be for visitors, what methods can achieve page conversion. To do this, it is not enough for a specialist to be able to draw beautifully in graphic editors; here it is important to know the basics of developing Internet projects.
• Graphic Designer. This is a specialist who creates some shell. Examples of his work will be the creation of logos, corporate identity, navigation systems, as well as visual packaging models and the media. The product of his labor performs one function - to attract, thereby contributing to the promotion of the brand. At the same time, the graphic designer must remember the practical use. So, if a package for chocolate is being developed, you need to understand how convenient it will be, whether its color design will be pleasing to the eye, whether the font and image used will become recognizable - all this directly depends on the professionalism and talent of the specialist.
• Landscape designer. In fact, this person performs the tasks of the designer and is responsible for creating the landscape of parks, squares and personal plots. This specialty requires deep knowledge in botany and engineering. Here you need to choose plants so that they not only look beautiful, but can still successfully grow and develop in the place allotted for them, the development of irrigation and sanitation systems is no less important. In the drafted landscape project, it is necessary to touch upon the practicalities of landscaping, the effectiveness of the laid communications and the creation of conditions for good survival of trees, shrubs and flowers.
• Industrial designer. This is the person in charge of the creation of projects for production. An example of this is the automotive industry, once the design of a vehicle has been created, it affects millions of people who want to buy such a car from the manufacturer or abandon it. However, here too much attention is paid not only to the aesthetic, but also to the engineering component, practicality and functional features of the car.

These are only the most popular destinations. Today, there are over 20 varieties of design, each of which has its own individual specialization and requires a basic level of knowledge. For example, an image designer who creates beautiful clothes, shoes and jewelry; techno-stylist developing products with built-in devices; bio-designers responsible for creating 3D models of organs and tissues. Printing and narrative designers, developers of layouts of the urban environment, as well as advertising, manicure, curtains and other textiles, a designer-designer, a designer-florist, and a photo designer are widely in demand.

In simple terms, a designer is a person who is called to create beauty and maintain functionality using his imagination and professional skills. The job description of these specialists includes:

• listening to customer wishes;
• development of a common idea and project and its coordination;
• concept drawing;
• 3D modeling work to facilitate visualization of the concept;
• preparation of spatial layouts;
• construction;
• prototyping;
• final agreement with customers;
• transferring the project to work and monitoring compliance with the project at all stages of work.

In order to become a designer, it is necessary to have certain professional skills and personality traits of character.

To optimize activities, a professional designer uses the most modern programs in his work. This specialist is required to:

• mastery of classical and non-traditional techniques of drawing and drawing;
• knowledge of the basics of computer design, SketchUp, AutoCAD, as well as ArchiCAD and Sweet Home 3D;
• possession of identity and economics skills of the project under development;
• understanding basic marketing principles;
• communication with foreign customers will require knowledge of a second language.

No less attention should be paid to personal qualities.

• Logical thinking. The designer creates not a beautiful picture, but real projects, therefore, within the framework of this specialization, it is very important to think conceptually and logically.
• Individual style. Usually this quality is closely intertwined with a creative approach and allows you to generate unique ideas that will make the design more recognizable and stylish.
• Mindfulness. A single mistake can result in the most unpleasant consequences. So, if there was an inaccuracy in the design of the interior, this is a hello to a complete violation of its functionality, and incorrect layout of the web design will result in long sleepless nights for the layout designer.
• Perseverance. This artist can afford to wait for years for inspiration, and the designer is forced to work in a limited deadline, the violation of which is fraught with large penalties.

Salaries of designers directly depend on the direction of professional experience, the quality and quantity of completed projects, the level of ownership of technical and software tools, as well as on the region of residence and many other factors. Therefore, it is difficult to indicate the exact size of the designer’s remuneration, although setting the benchmarks is quite realistic. In our country, specialists receive an average of 30-35 thousand rubles, in Moscow this amount is close to 40-50 thousand, however, designers in the Russian countryside are often paid 10-15 thousand per month.

Best paid interface designers - their salary reaches 100 thousand, 3D designers literally come on their heels - they get about 90 thousand, web designers - 75-80 thousand, interior designers - 50-70 thousand, furniture - up to 60 thousand and landscape designers - up to 50-60 thousand. An experienced designer can try to realize their strength in European countries, where specialists in each area receive much more. So, the same interface designer in the USA receives up to $ 3,000 per month, in Canada - 2,5 thousand, and in Germany the payment reaches 4 thousand euros.

Despite the widespread belief that anyone with artistic abilities and good taste can design, this profession nevertheless requires a good profile education. In order to become a competent specialist, you need to be well versed in the technique of designing projects and master graphic programs perfectly. A true specialist never stops improving, as more and more new technologies appear annually.

Today, in every city there are institutes and universities offering educational programs in design. It is advisable to choose only large institutions that have a good reputation and monitor the quality of the process of obtaining specialized knowledge and skills. In universities, the direction "Design" usually includes several profiles:

• graphic design;
• clothing design;
• Industrial Design;
• game design and virtual reality creation;
• communication design and some others.

Upon admission to the university, applicants usually pass the exam in the Russian language, mathematics, as well as history and social science - a more detailed list depends on the characteristics of the educational institution. In some cases, it is necessary to pass an additional creative test, which will demonstrate the level of ability. After grades 9 and 11, you can enter a specialized college, which allows you to get a secondary special education in the design field.

As practice shows, many students are disappointed during the training, because they initially believe that they will be taught everything. However, this is far from the case - they can give a theory at the university, and you can get real projects only after gaining experience. In the institutes, in the first courses, many general subjects are studied (cultural studies, political science), and an introduction to the profession is also given. In the same period, acquaintance with computer programs-designers begins.

In the third and further courses, a deeper study of the subjects necessary for the profession is already given, and various exhibitions and competitions are held. In the second half of the training, students are given the first projects for development, and at the end of the university everyone is faced with a diploma defense. Usually for this the student is given a large project, which he must complete independently and present it to the members of the commission.

The main difficulty of any novice specialist is this is a lack of practical experience. However, this problem can be solved by taking into development low-paid orders in a small design studio or through freelance labor exchanges. In the latter case, you can work on the task without leaving your home, and the low salary is fully compensated by the accumulation of good experience. The second difficulty is the lack of ideas; there is no universal solution.

There are several ways to make money in the design direction. First, you can become a freelancer and work for yourself. In this case, you can select orders yourself, depending on the level of payment and the deadlines. And you can get a job in the staff of a design bureau or a large project company and work in a team - in this case there is always the possibility of career growth and, accordingly, salary increase.

Beginning designers usually settle in small studios for a small position. As a rule, there are no career prospects there, but working in them can only be used as a start for compiling a portfolio and developing the skills acquired during training. Those who received education in a prestigious foreign university are much better prospects - this immediately opens the way to the international arena.

In any case, only a designer who is distinguished by hard work and constant self-education can achieve a good position and stable high earnings.