What it’s Like to be a Graphic Designer–With a Successful Career

If you’ve ever considered a career in graphic design, it is vital to your professional development to speak with an expert in the field. I had the chance to speak with my co-worker, Vilma Alvarez, whose career as a graphic designer spans over 35 years.

“Since kindergarten, believe it or not, I’ve loved art,” Alvarez said. “When I was in the sixth grade, I had a science project for which I decided to create a lot of paintings. My assistant principal called me into her office. I was scared, and thought that I did something wrong, but she loved my paintings and offered to recommend me for the High School of Art and Design in New York City.” Once she completed junior high studies, Alvarez applied to the school and was accepted—and is now an active member of the school’s alumni association.

After graduating at age 17, Alvarez took her portfolio to a company and spoke to the art director. “We’re talking the 1980s—you used to be able to do that then,” she said. “They would either call you back, or they wouldn’t. That’s how I got my first job at a company called Andover Togs—a children’s apparel company. I had to paint infant wear samples for salesmen to take to department stores. It was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.”

Following the birth of her second child in 1986, Alvarez took on a position at CMP Publications, which was later purchased by UBM Tech, LLC. “My main job was to create info graphics—which are charts combined with illustrations,” she recalled. “Before computers, info graphics would take me three to four days to complete, by hand. In 1988, the company bought one of the first Mac computers that could create graphic designs—a Mac Plus, which was a black-and-white computer with a one-megabyte drive. My first computer-generated info graphic took one day—and cut my production time in half.”

In her current role at the National Association of Professional Women, where she has been employed since 2013, Alvarez is responsible for designing sales materials, corporate communications, business cards and fliers. Over the course of a workday, she updates e-blast communications that are sent to association members, designs event invitations and makes tweaks to multitudes of additional external communications. Alvarez sings the praises of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop—and utilizes both on a daily basis to create her designs.

While skills—both analog and digitized alike—are essential to honing a career as a graphic designer, “there is not a computer, paint, color or technique that can replace the creative mind,” Alvarez said. “For inspiration, I go to museums, book stores and plant nurseries—and look at nature. Nature is the best place to look at combo colors to see if they can work together.”

When asked about her most difficult assignment as a graphic designer, Alvarez cites a freelance project created for a drug company. “I was asked to make a very simple design for an invitation to a networking event, with a matching envelope,” she said. “Because of the company’s ultra-strict branding guidelines, this simple invite went through 15 rounds of revisions! I was told that the logo was one point off from the edge of the paper. I had to remind the person in charge that paper is not cut exactly the same size—and it is not fed through a copier. You have to allocate for that.”

However, Alvarez’s proudest accomplishment was not subject to as many revisions—rather, it won a prestigious award. A logo she created for the Black Lotus Poetry Group earned the 1995 DESI Award for Best Logo of the Year. Out of 10,000 entries, only 1,000 were chosen as winners.

To stay ahead of the curve on the latest technology available for graphic designers, Alvarez primarily subscribes to TechCrunch and Wired. “In anything when we need to touch the computer, everyone in the field—even someone my age—needs to learn how to use it,” she said.

In offering career advancement guidance to budding, millennial-age graphic designers, Alvarez advises to “network, network, network!” “Always have a business card handy and keep a website, featuring your 15 best pieces, up to date. Look at job boards, but volunteer and barter your services. Always value your work.”