What will I be doing?

If you enjoy designing and drawing, maybe you can join the nearly 19,000 professional graphic designers in the U.S. You need skill and experience, but it is a rewarding business that can be operated from your home.

A graphic designer designs and produces brochures, advertisements and other documents used in business. He or she turns ideas into compelling documents using colors, illustrations and other graphics materials.

What will I need to start?

Graphic design is more than just drawing. It requires artistic skills, advanced training in graphic design and, in today's world, familiarity with computers. Most larger community colleges offer courses in graphic design and related topics if you need them. The best way to start is to get some experience in the field working for a graphic design house, an advertising agency or any other professional office where you can build your skills and your reputation.

For many years, graphic design was done with pen and paper. Today's graphic designers frequently use computers. In fact, there are many excellent software programs that will help you design good-looking documents with minimal effort. So you may need a computer to start your graphic design business.

Of course, your best tool in starting your business is samples. Most graphic designers spend lots of time and energy in designing and producing their own business promotion literature.

Who will my customers be?

Most of your graphic design work will be for companies, specifically businesses who are marketing to others. Your job is to help them present their products or services in the best possible light. A secondary market will be designing graphic products for advertising agencies that work for businesses.

How can you find customers? One enterprising graphic designer collects brochures and ads that she feels she could improve, then makes an appointment with the company to offer suggestions at no cost. Of course, she is careful how she presents her ideas so as not to offend. This method has multiplied her graphic design business threefold in the first year.