Graphic Design/Desktop Publishing Job in Birmingham?

[The_Rambler]

Two of my last three jobs were "Graphic/Web Design". The large majority of the graphic design that I've done it the past couple of years has been web marketing, banners, e-mail campaigns, integrated graphics, stuff like that. Very little actual print.

I'm not a coder but I can put the pieces together and generally figure out anything that needs to be done within the framework of a given job. Those two web/graphics jobs were awesome but both times I ended up getting downsized out of a full time salaried position (along with a bunch of other people) when things went downhill and sales were slumping. One was in another state a few years ago and the most recent was a small company about an hour from Anniston that I just happened to stumble upon.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by The_Rambler

Two of my last three jobs were "Graphic/Web Design". The large majority of the graphic design that I've done it the past couple of years has been web marketing, banners, e-mail campaigns, integrated graphics, stuff like that. Very little actual print.

I'm not a coder but I can put the pieces together and generally figure out anything that needs to be done within the framework of a given job. Those two web/graphics jobs were awesome but both times I ended up getting downsized out of a full time salaried position (along with a bunch of other people) when things went downhill and sales were slumping. One was in another state a few years ago and the most recent was a small company about an hour from Anniston that I just happened to stumble upon.

Well, you need to go where the jobs are. Anniston is in a tough spot because it's between Birmingham and Atlanta, which are two very strong design markets. I would advise you to really look at those places. I would also take a good long look at Huntsville, which has a relative strong economy and a very, very shallow talent pool in design.

As far as web work is concerned, I would get up to speed as fast as you can. That's what people need now.

[The_Rambler]

I totally agree about going to where the jobs are. The toughest part right now is that I'm so broke that I can't afford to move anywhere, so I need to find a job doing something so I save up some cash. On 2 of the 3 (total) interviews that I've been to this year I've been told afterward that they thought I was a great candidate, but that I was over qualified and they were looking for someone that they thought would stick around for the long term.

[ashpelham]

Good luck to you, Rambler. I'm not in graphic design, but I've been in Birmingham for several years now (7), and lived in Alabama most of my life. It's just a real slow, adjusted-downward market for anyone looking to make what I consider to be a "living wage". What I mean by that is what a median income would be for someone in this area simply won't pay the median expenses. So, you've got to earn a living wage to be able to pay those expenses.

This economic "recovery" feels like a "Recovery for the upper 1%".