Graphic
Designers
are
valuable
players
in
todays
media-centric
society.
Advertising
and
promotion
via
print
and
the
Internet
are
linchpins
in
many
a
successful
company's
business
plan.
It's
a
challenging
road
from
the
mind's
eye
to
the
page,
and
successful
graphic
design
requires
passion,
vision,
creativity,
and
execution.
Graphic
designers
should
be
able
to
communicate
a
business'
message
visually
and
assemble
it
for
the
physical
or
digital
page,
using
the
latest
industry-standard
computer
programs,
including
but
not
limited
to
Adobe's
Photoshop,
Illustrator,
InDesign;
Macromedia
Freehand,
Fireworks,
and
Flash;
and
Quark
Express.
With
these
tools,
the
professional
graphic
designer
produces
print
advertising,
Web
page
advertising,
promotional
videos
for
live
presentations
and
the
Internet,
marketing
brochures,
and
traditional
media
including
newspapers,
billboards,
promotional
flyers,
logos
and
signage.
The
boom
in
the
so-called
new
media
fostered
by
the
digital/Internet
revolution
has
made
the
demand
for
qualified
graphic
design
professionals
greater
than
ever
before.
The
Bureau
of
Labor
estimates
that
there
were
more
than
228,000
graphic
design
jobs
in
the
U.S.
economy
as
of
May
2004,
with
3
of
10
designers
self-employed,
and
7
of
10
employed
in
various
wage
and
salaried
graphic
design
positions,
either
for
graphic
design
firms
or
in
marketing
and
advertising
departments
of
non-design-related
companies.
The
forecast
is
for
continued
demand
for
graphic
design
professionals
through
2014,
especially
those
with
animation
and
Web
design
experience.
The
median
annual
income
for
a
graphic
designer
in
2004
was
$38,030,
with
the
upper
10
percent
earning
more
than
$65,000
per
year.
This
Month's
Featured
Animation
Programs
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(Programs
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