Design

Brief Overview

Graphic Design

At its most basic level, graphic design is a creative process that combines the visual arts and technology to communicate ideas. It begins with a message that, in the hands of a talented graphic designer, is transformed into visual communication that transcends mere words and pictures. By controlling color, type, movement, symbols, and images, the graphic designer creates and manages the production of visuals designed to inform and persuade a specific audience.

Taken from the University of Notre Dame’s Art, Art History and Design

Industrial Design

Industrial designers give form to virtually all mass-manufactured products in our culture. They seek opportunity and advantage through identifying and solving problems. Their creative contributions impact the utility, appearance, and value of our tools, toys, and environment. Their most innovative solutions lie at an intersection of what is knowable and what is possible. The industrial design profession demands excellent organizational skills, an awareness of visual and tactile aesthetics, human behavior, human proportion, material, process, and the responsible appropriation of resources, during and after use. Designers express conceptual proposals through a combination of well-developed drawing, physical modeling, computer modeling, writing, and verbal skills.

Taken from the University of Notre Dame’s Art, Art History and Design

Helpful Tips

  • Download Get a Design Job! By RitaSue Siegel free from the AIGA or Getting an Industrial Design Job by RitaSue Siegel from the IDSA
  • Begin early researching design firms or companies that hire graphic and/or industrial designers within your desired location. Generate a list of companies using CareerSearch which allows you to search by location (city) and industry
  • Industrial Designers – Study the ID Firms from the IDSA website.
  • Create a “wish list” of desired companies and study their websites, clients, services, and products.
  • Join a professional association as a student (see listings below ).
  • Have your professors review your resume, cover letters, and portfolio for design.
  • Have your resume reviewed at The Career Center for content suggestions and basic spelling and grammatical errors. Use a 15 minute walk-in – offered Monday through Friday from 1:00 – 4:45 p.m.
  • Attend both the Fall Career Expo and the Winter Career and Internship Fairs to meet prospective employers.
  • Continually look in Go IRISH for companies posting advertising positions and apply.
  • If a company grabs your attention but is not recruiting at Notre Dame, look at the company website for interesting positions and apply accordingly.
  • If a company grabs your attention but is not recruiting at Notre Dame and does not have a position currently available, try and set-up a time for someone to review your portfolio. This can be done throughout your senior year (take advantage of your October, Christmas and spring breaks).
  • When writing a cover letter for a particular position within a firm or company, it is key to direct the cover letter to someone. Try and locate a hiring manager or someone within your area of interest by using their website, CareerSearch, and CareerShift. Read more about cover letter writing.
  • Be patient – hiring for graphic and industrial designers is on an as needed basis. In other words, they hire when they have an opening.

Networking

Although design jobs hire on an “as needed” basis, it is never too early to begin networking. Find people in the industry and conduct informational interviews and portfolio reviews. Meet with alumni working in the design industry. Often jobs never need to be posted because companies might have someone in mind from a previous informational interview, internship, meeting, or portfolio review.

  • Attend the University of Notre Dame’s Annual Alumni Design Conference generally held the first Friday of April.
  • Irish Online – the Notre Dame Alumni Association’s online network of alums. Using the Directory Search allows you to search for alums in a variety of ways including by name, company, major, geographical location, and alumni club.
  • Linked In – online network of experienced professionals from around the world. The Notre Dame Alumni Network is rapidly growing. Within the ND Alumni Network group, search by Industry in the Advanced Search portion of the Members section.
  • Go IRISH – Employers who post positions on Go IRISH include contact information of their recruiter. Even if a job posting has expired, the contact at the company is listed in the “Employer” link.
  • CareerShift – a national job-hunting website that allows you to search job listings from multitudes of job boards and company postings and obtain up-to-date contact information with email addresses.
  • CareerSearch – a powerful networking database that gives fast accurate up-to date information on potential employers and contacts in a wide range of industries and fields nationally.
  • Graphic Designers – Informational interview with designers from the AIGA Designer Directory.
  • Industrial Designers – Use the Student-Mentor Directory offered through the IDSA.

Job Databases

Graphic Design

Industrial Design

Graphic & Industrial Design

Professional & Student Associations