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Going into the graphic design field, is it better to be an expert in one design area or be a beginner in all design areas?

Going into the graphic design industry, I want to better understand if I want to be hired if I should focus on one aspect of design to improve my skills or try all areas of design but not further improving past beginner stage. For companies hiring, who would they hire in this situation: the one who's an expert in one area, but not in everything or the one who isn't an expert in one area, but knows beginner expertise in all areas?

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Eric’s Answer

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Hi Adriana,


The design field is filled with both specialists and generalists. There are many people who really dig deep into one area (i.e. web design, app design, web design for health care, advertising design for automotive, etc.) and those who have talent in all those areas but maybe are not deep experts. These people are good at coordinating the specialists into a team to get work done. Specialists and generalists both have their place in the industry.


Different companies have different needs. Agencies will be looking for super talented generalists, while specific companies will need candidates with the expertise to help with their mission. A software startup will need people who can design digital interfaces or web ads while a book publisher will need people who can design book layouts and create physical mockups.


I would say being a generalist with certain specialties is the best way to go to start out. Explore the different areas of design and pick something that really interests you and then become an expert in that area. Maybe you are a digital designer that can do logos and web design but you specialize in motion graphics. Or you love editorial design but are also a great illustrator. Having more skills than less will generally benefit you more.

Eric recommends the following next steps:

Explore the different areas of graphic design to find out what you love
Thank you comment icon Your answer is terrific Eric. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise with Adriana (and the thousand of other students who will read your response!). Keep up the great work!! :) Lindsey Manning-Djabbari
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Simon’s Answer

My son just finished a degree in Graphic Design with a minor in business. What I would suggest is get s solid foundation in all the areas you can. He schooling covered photography, advertising, videos, banners, business stationary, designed containers, TV commercials, app development, teaching aids and digital animations to mention a few. The school helped him put together a portfolio for you interviews. The quality and originality of the work will attact an employer. Have a good foundation will expose an employer to you your many talents. You will find areas that you prefer, and those area might become your specialty. Good luck.
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Bashar’s Answer

Hello Adriana

I believe having a solid ground in all design aspects is a good thing for sure, but my belief is to have one specific topic to be stronger at.
When you work in design agencies you will have the area to grow on the other aspects and impress on the aspect you are strong at! learning at the job is an important thing, it helps you to constantly upskill your skills and polish them.

Remember you can always get better by the day!

good luck
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Gloria’s Answer

The short answer is that it will depend on the company that is hiring. Some companies want specialists and others want you to be able to do a wide variety of things. I am an Instructional designer, which requires me to have graphic design skills. I have some peers who are graphic designers. And most of them have a lot of knowledge about various elements of graphic design. One of my design peers is a peer who is an expert at the use of the tools used by graphic designers. He is very knowledgeable in the Adobe Cloud Suite. In a separate but equal vein, he is also an incredibly talented animator. He creates short videos that reinforce training. He can also create a web page or an ad to support a training effort. It makes him the most in-demand person in our department. He is very valuable because he has such a wide base of knowledge. And his graphic design skills allow him to be valuable in video production as well. I find that a good base in broad graphic design knowledge is the most valuable at my employer.
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Cuong’s Answer

Since you are starting out in the graphic design field, it's better to learn all of the area of design if you can thus this is why we have universities, offer various within each major. That being said, you don't have to be in school to learn graphic design.


As I said before, best approach for you right now is to learn all of the area for designing. This will give you a better understanding which area you want to focus all your strength in one place. Design work could be print work and digital work, both will come hand in hand. You could do only cards, posters, banners, and brochures or you could create a website with HTML and CSS or if you like doing animation, motion graphics could be your thing. By finding which area you want to do more, you can narrow your search down when searching a career. When you get employed, you may have to do more specific design work but if you learn the foundation of the other design aspects, it will greatly benefit you in the long run.

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