Job market in phoenix - graphic design (Tempe: broker, schools)

[monkeywork99]

Hi! We will be relocating to phoenix next year sometime and plan to move there and then look for a job. How is the graphic design market there? I have over 11 years experience with a 4 year degree. I'm a little nervous about moving without employment - but I hear phoenix is has a strong job market. Also- has anyone have any luck through Aquent Partners?

thanks!

[micrguy]

I used to be a print broker in Phoenix and graphic designers are a dime a dozen. Between the Art Institute of Phoenix, Al Collins and other schools there seemed to be a ton of graphic designers fresh out of school willing to work cheap. If you know how to design for print and understand how to lay things out for a press you might have a little easier time.

Whenever I hired a graphic designer to do stuff for me I would pay $25-$35 per hour and expect the work to be turned around in 24 hours or less. If not, I would find another under-employed graphic designer to crank out my work in a timely fashion.

Phoenix is a pretty easy town to broker printing and I knew a few graphic designers that would broker their projects after they were finished designing them.

[Marshmello]

Yes there seems to be a lot of design jobs here, but they pay basically min. wage. If you're a strong print and web designer you'll find a good company with better pay.

[AZ Tracy]

Originally Posted by micrguy

If you know how to design for print and understand how to lay things out for a press you might have a little easier time.

Just curious, where does a graphic designer go to learn this?

[monkeywork99]

I do know how to design for print - and I know pre-press very well too. I'm good at what i do, and am a hard worker, but am worried about taking a huge pay cut. This is a big frusteration i've seen on various job posting forums...but I'm sure there are companies out there that pay decent wages...right?? I didn't go to college for 4 years to make $10 an hour!

[micrguy]

Even graphic design has become an outsourced commodity to places like China and India. I know quite a few print and promo brokers that will send logos overseas for $25 if all they need is a clean logo for business cards or other simple print jobs. You can even get logos digitized for embroidery overseas for around $20. These used to be jobs that we would send to a local graphic designer all of the time.

I look at graphic design from the production side of printing as a job cost and I want to keep that cost low, as do most other printers. You may want to look at ad agencies and marketing companies who look at graphic design as a creative service and charge accordingly.

[AZ Tracy]

Originally Posted by monkeywork99

I do know how to design for print - and I know pre-press very well too. I'm good at what i do, and am a hard worker, but am worried about taking a huge pay cut. This is a big frusteration i've seen on various job posting forums...but I'm sure there are companies out there that pay decent wages...right?? I didn't go to college for 4 years to make $10 an hour!

The reason I was inquiring about designing for print - pre-press, is that my son has not been able to find employment in graphics design. He's not real strong in these areas, and he's not willing to accept a job at $10 an hour....yet. He's made the same comments as Micrguy about Al Collins, etc. there are lots of artists in the valley. He (my son) is also very talented...and not just because he's my son!

[monkeywork99]

Formal training is necessary (unless you get a company that is ok with entry level college grad). I think companies definately like to see good job history and training. I know how to do this because i've learned on the job and in college as well. I understand there's a lot of outsourcing, but I also know that there are still jobs out there that pay decently. Aquent Partners is a creative temp agencie that pays real well...I've had good luck with them here in Portland. I've been at my current job for almost 7 years now and am a bit nervous about relocating and searching for a new job!

[AZ Tracy]

Originally Posted by monkeywork99

Formal training is necessary (unless you get a company that is ok with entry level college grad). I think companies definately like to see good job history and training. I know how to do this because i've learned on the job and in college as well. I understand there's a lot of outsourcing, but I also know that there are still jobs out there that pay decently. Aquent Partners is a creative temp agencie that pays real well...I've had good luck with them here in Portland. I've been at my current job for almost 7 years now and am a bit nervous about relocating and searching for a new job!

With your job history, and good attitude, I'm sure you'll do fine. I sent my son the link to Aquent...I hadn't heard of that before.

[dbean]

I currently have an agent at aquent (in Tempe) looking for a geography/GIS job for me. She seems like a nice person, we finally got to meet a few weeks ago. She said that it usually takes her 2 months or so to find you work.