How's the market for Graphic Designers? (Kansas City, California: live, vs, shop)

[LittleJon]

Thinking of getting out of southern California & coming back home.
I've searched around for jobs in Graphic Design around KC, but I'm
not sure I'm looking in the right places. Craigslist doesn't seem to
have much.

[xenokc]

This site shows a few dozen jobs...

Graphic Design Jobs in Kansas City, MO on CareerBuilder.com

[northbound74]

It's not the best place for graphic design, but there should be something. I know somebody in that field, and they had a very difficult time finding anything in KC.

[xenokc]

there are 60 GD jobs listed here...

"Graphic Design" Jobs - Kansas City, MO | Simply Hired

[DinsdalePirahna]

I found no market for Graphic Designers in Missouri.

I moved back to Southern California when I was offered a pretty good position (unsolicited). Make sure you do not play up being from California. There seems to be a bias against anything from California and the locals have a great fear of being "Californicated" and being forced to shop at Trader Joes, wear birkenstocks, and vote for liberal and socialist agendas.

Play your local KC/Missouri roots.
Set up a profile on the creative hotlist and linkedIn.
Do a search on indeed.com (use keywords such as Photoshop, indesign, illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash. Do not look for titles)
Sign up with the Creative Group for temp work.
If you have any freelance contacts/accounts in California, maintain a relationship with them, they may be your life blood for a while.

Good luck.

[xenokc]

Sounds like you're talking about Denver or Portland as they have a dislike for Californication. If someone from CA gets into a CA superior mode, then yeah, that will get dissed anywhere, not just MO.

As far as jobs, it would seem to depend if you have a specific specialty in GD. Hallmark alone is a major GD employer in KC. Of course there will be much less than SoCal otherwise as the KC market is 1/10 the size. "No market" is an exaggeration that gives your post less merit.

[LittleJon]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I found no market for Graphic Designers in Missouri.

I moved back to Southern California when I was offered a pretty good position (unsolicited). Make sure you do not play up being from California. There seems to be a bias against anything from California and the locals have a great fear of being "Californicated" and being forced to shop at Trader Joes, wear birkenstocks, and vote for liberal and socialist agendas.

Play your local KC/Missouri roots.
Set up a profile on the creative hotlist and linkedIn.
Do a search on indeed.com (use keywords such as Photoshop, indesign, illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash. Do not look for titles)
Sign up with the Creative Group for temp work.
If you have any freelance contacts/accounts in California, maintain a relationship with them, they may be your life blood for a while.

Good luck.

Thanks for the hotlist & linkedIn info. I would never "play up"
being from California. I know it won't go over well anywhere, really.
I hate telling people out here where I'm from because of the idiotic,
pretentious things they say, "did you live on a farm?" or "what is there to do in Kansas?" I'm really fed-up with the people out here.

[xenokc]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

ITrader Joes, wear birkenstocks, and vote for liberal and socialist agendas.

What's funny about how outlandish that statement is... TJ's is the number one desired retailer in KC and as a result they opening a couple here this year. Socialist agenda? KCMO is about as blue as it gets. Orange County and SD are more red than JoCo. KCMO blue vs suburban red is no different than LA city vs OC/SD. Maybe your issue in the midwest was your apparent tendency to exaggerate - now that doesn't go over too well here while having a fabricated 'image' is important out there.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by xenokc

What's funny about how outlandish that statement is... TJ's is the number one desired retailer in KC and as a result they opening a couple here this year. Socialist agenda? KCMO is about as blue as it gets. Orange County and SD are more red than JoCo. KCMO blue vs suburban red is no different than LA city vs OC/SD. Maybe your issue in the midwest was your apparent tendency to exaggerate - that doesn't go over too well here.

Of course KC wants (and gets) TJ's because they are trying to immitate many aspects of the Sunbelt, but really aren't in the least. However, Omaha beat KC at landing the chain...

[LittleJon]

Originally Posted by xenokc

What's funny about how outlandish that statement is... TJ's is the number one desired retailer in KC and as a result they opening a couple here this year.

Lol. I seem to remember the Birkenstocks being all the
rage during the summer in KC.