Popular Graphic Design Magazines
Any serious graphic design student or graphic designer should subscribe to at least one graphic design industry magazine. Graphic design magazines give graphic designers and graphic design students the ability to keep up with current graphic design trends, learn about new or coming graphic design technology, and discover new graphic design opportunities. Graphic design magazines can also give graphic design students information about graphic design scholarships and graphic design compeitions.
One of the best graphic design magazines is HOW Magazine. This graphic design magazine allows graphic designers to find information about graphic design technology, freelancing as a graphic designer, and graphic design career opportunities. Students of graphic design will find this graphic design magazine helpful in its showcases of graphic design career opportunities, graphic design schools, and graphic design events. Of interest for all graphic designers and graphic design students is the stress that this magazine puts on not just the how, but the why and the creativity of graphic design.
Graphic Design USA is another fabulous graphic design magazine. This graphic design magazine has technology information for serious graphic designers to keep up with industry news. Graphic Design USA magazine also has resources for students of graphic design, as well as contests and scholarship programs. The online version of Graphic Design USA magazine also has opportunities for free graphic design stuff, and a graphic design online newsletter that can be emailed to your inbox weekly.
Print Magazine is yet another great graphic design magazine. This graphic design magazine seems to tend more toward the creativity side of graphic design. With regional and nationwide graphic design contests, student graphic design contests, and other graphic design competitions, this graphic design magazine is a must for students of graphic design or those just starting a career in graphic design. The online version of Print Magazine offers graphic design forums, a free graphic design newsletter, and other free graphic design stuff.
DT&G, (Design, Type, and Graphics) Magazine is an online only publication for graphic designers. This graphic design online magazine offers the option to read on the web site, or on a text only email edition that is sent out around the first of every month to subscribers. Not only does this online graphic design magazine offer industry news, graphic design technology information, and other graphic design features, but it also offers reviews of graphic design software, graphic design books, and other graphic design resources. Anything graphic design related, big or small, might be included in this online graphic design magazine.
There are many other graphic design resources and graphic design magazines that can be found both on and off of the internet. Serious graphic designers and graphic design students should subscribe to at least one graphic design industry publication in order to keep up with the latest graphic design industry news. If you would like to find more graphic design magazines and resources, do an internet search for graphic design magazine and be amazed at the wealth of graphic design information available to you in this type of graphic design forum.
Austin Area Graphic Design Freelancer Resources
Working as a freelancer in graphic design can be very challenging. Not only do you have to find your own graphic design clients, do all of your own graphic design work, and handle all of your own graphic design office tasks, you are also on your own with keeping up with graphic design information, technology, and resources. The best way to keep up with these types of information about graphic design is through networking. There are many networking and client finding resources for graphic design freelancers in the Austin area.
Freelance Austin is possibly the best available resource for the graphic design freelancer. This organization offers a graphic design freelancer directory for Austin business owners to search and locate a graphic design freelancer. There are also many graphic design networking events, and various freelancer meetings and events. While Freelance Austin is not specifically for graphic design freelancers, it does put the graphic design freelancer in contact with other industry professionals as well as potential clients. This Austin freelance organization is, if nothing else, a great way to generate referrals for clients for the graphic design freelancer.
Publishers Resource Group is a great resource for any freelancing graphic designer to be aware of. Rather than a networking organization or graphic design professional association, Publishers Resource Group is simply an organization that routinely, and preferably, uses freelance graphic designers for all of their publishing needs. Based in Austin, this curriculum designing company hires freelancers for type design, cover graphic design, and all other graphic design projects.
Creative Freelancers online is another great graphic design freelancer resource. Carefully screened graphic design freelancers are listed in a graphic design freelance directory. Clients then look through the available graphic design freelancers, go through online graphic design portfolios and resumes, and then contact the graphic design freelancer through the Creative Freelancers web site. This is a great way to get qualified clients and leads for your graphic design freelancing business. Best of all, there are not many listings in the Austin area, so anyone looking to get in on the ground floor of this web site in the Austin area should get themselves listed as soon as possible to take advantage of the many Austin graphic design freelancing opportunities that may become available.
The Oasys Network is another great online graphic design freelancer resource. This web site allows all graphic design freelancers to post their talents and graphic design portfolios. The web site has numerous options and opportunities for gaining exposure as a freelance graphic designer as well as generating leads for potential clients for a freelance graphic design business. Open to all graphic design freelancers, this web site is much like Creative Freelancers, but much less restrictive on what Austin graphic design freelancers can take advantage of the web site.
As you will undoubtedly find, there are many resources, both free and inexpensive, for graphic design freelancers. The best way to find these resources and take advantage of them is to simply research on the internet by searching for Austin graphic design freelance resource. You can also check with your local Chamber of Commerce for information about Austin area graphic design professional associations.
Creating a Perfect Graphic Design Resume
In addition to your graphic design portfolio, you will need to create a graphic design resume to outline your skills, experience, and education for prospective employers and clients. The most important thing to remember when creating your graphic design resume is that your portfolio is a separate item. Don’t try to showcase your skills as a graphic designer within your resume by using fancy fonts, graphics you have created, page borders, or graphic page dividers. Keep your graphic design resume simple, professional, and organized.
Your graphic design resume should be tailored to showcase the skills requested for the opportunity or job offer that you are seeking. It is okay, and actually a good idea, to keep a stock graphic design resume on hand, updating it whenever you change positions or complete a significant freelance assignment. However, be prepared to make changes to the organization of your graphic design resume if it seems warranted by the opportunity you are seeking.
There are many things you should be sure to include in your graphic design resume. Make sure you list all of the computer software, technologies, and skills you have acquired, your level of expertise, and how long you have been familiar with the skill, software, or technology. You should also list any certifications or degrees you have received. If you do not have a college degree but do have professional certifications or awards, you do not need to list your high school education on your graphic design resume.
Your graphic design resume should also include information about your previous employers or projects. This may sound obvious, but many graphic designers are not aware of what information should be included in their experience. Any significant freelance assignments and any industry related work experience should be included in your graphic design resume. Do not list jobs like fast food or retail in your graphic design resume. It should be geared to showcase your talents in the graphic design field, and other jobs you have held on your way to your chosen career as a graphic designer are unimportant.
Your experience section of your graphic design resume should show the month and year of employment or the freelance assignment, and the month and year that the employment ended. Your graphic design resume should also highlight specific achievements at each position, or ways that the work you did or the freelance assignment you completed benefited the company you were working for.
Make sure that in addition to any educational references and mentions that you list all of your academic and professional achievements, significant projects, awards, and certifications on your graphic design resume. Many graphic designers neglect to include specific information in this section of their graphic design resume.
Finally, the best thing you can do to make sure that your graphic design resume is perfect is to proofread your graphic design resume. If you’re not sure that you have caught everything, have someone else proofread it as well. If you submit a graphic design resume with errors of any kind, you will be labeled as not being detail oriented, and you will not get the job or project that you are applying for, regardless of your skills or talent.




