Annotated Bibliographies

Malvik, Callie. "Rasmussen College." Rasmussen College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

This article written for Rasmussen College, outlines the ten major jobs that can be attained through having a degree in graphic design. First there is a paragraph briefly summarizing what exactly a degree in graphic design contains. Next the article describes how the degree can be used in many different career fields. In this opening paragraph it is brought to attention that most people think individuals with graphic design degrees only become graphic designer, but, “the truth is that the options are much more vast than that” (Malvik) and this is where the main argument for the article comes from. After this brief description, there are a list of ten jobs ranging from the artistic field to more technology based careers. The list of jobs also have a short job description under every bulleted career. After this list of jobs, a conclusion of how you can attain a graphic design degree is outlined for any aspiring viewers.

There were ten potential quotes that I could use from this article and they are the ten jobs referenced to by the author.

“Graphic designers Median annual salary (2015): $46,9002 Projected growth (2014-2024): Little to no change”
“Web developers Median annual salary (2015): $64,9702 Projected growth (2014-2024): Much faster than average”
“Art directors Median annual salary (2015): $89,7602 Projected growth (2014-2024): Slower than average”
“Marketing specialists Median annual salary (2015): $62,1502 Projected growth (2014-2024): Much faster than average”
“Software applications developers Median annual salary (2015): $98,2602 Projected growth (2014-2024): Much faster than average”
“Marketing managers Median annual salary (2015): $128,7502 Projected growth (2014-2024): Faster than average”
“Public relations specialists Median annual salary (2015): $56,7702 Projected growth (2014-2024): Average”
“Multimedia artists/animators Median annual salary (2015): $63,9702 Projected growth (2014-2024): Average”
“Commercial and industrial designers Median annual salary (2015): $67,1302 Projected growth (2014-2024): Slower than average”
“Software quality assurance testers Median annual salary (2015): $85,3402 Projected growth (2014-2024): Slower than average”

This source is credible, because of the author, statistics, and for what organization this article was written for. The author has other published works, and is deemed credible through their university status. Next, the statistics that are used are up to date based on comparing the statistics to other sites as well as the date in which the article was published. This article was written for Rasmussen University, making it a scholarly work and making it credible for my research. Lastly the URL indicates that the source is credible due to its “.edu” website ending. This is a valid website because it is solely educational with a University as the main publisher.

After reading through this article I will use the information found to create my main answer to my essential question. I will pick the top five careers that can be attained through a graphic design degree and use these jobs as examples. My question asks what different fields this degree can be used in, and I would want to chose the most unique careers from the list provided in the article. Alongside using these jobs I will also provide the statistical data presented and how to get a degree in this field for anyone in my audience who may be interested.

Number One

Number Two

"Art Director." U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Throughout this article, the author addresses the main points of becoming and being an art or creative director. The main aspects of the job including salary, flexibility, requirements and what type of attributes a person gains through being a worker in this career position. The median salary of this job is 85,000 dollars, and this is not including the highest possible paid and lowest paid in the industry. Most workers in this field said that they were happy with there job as there was room for promotion as well as bettering yourself through harder than usual tasks. However the flexibility of the job is a problem for some, the salary and environment in which the worker is normally in balances out the inflexibility. This article also points out the requirements of the job which include a bachelor's degree in graphic design, arts, or fine arts as well as five years of work experience. This training is not extremely strenuous however it can get tough when trying to work your way through college and a low paying job for five years to gain experience. Lastly the aspects that a person learns through this job experience is responsibility, time management, leadership skills, and being able to take constructive criticisms. Overall this article was very useful when finding out a permanent job that can become of a degree in graphic design.

The potential quotes that I found within this article that could be used in order to strengthen my claim are below.

"Being a designer or art director doesn't mean what it used to," says Gogel
"You're expected to know about print, web, tablets, social media – it's no longer one-dimensional."
2 percent growth in employment by 2024
Art directors are often in charge of a design team and ensure their creative executions meet a client's objectives and remain true to the brand.
"We represent the brand in everything that we produce, so it has to be of a certain quality,"
learn about time management, team collaboration, professionalism, punctuality, work ethic, leading a team of artists who might have different visions and taking constructive criticism
the median annual wage for art directors was $89,760 in 2015
The highest-paid work is in the metropolitan areas of San Francisco; San Jose, California; and New York City
bachelor of arts or a bachelor of fine arts degree in art or design and at least three to five years of work experience

This article is most definitely a credible source due to two main aspects that can be found in all credible sources which include an unbiased author as well as well documented and well referenced criteria within the article. This article is most definitely unbiased, there are many facts and statistics present as well as a primary source that is being quoted and used throughout the article. The author stays clear to his points without straying off into other aspects of the job. The author specifically focuses on the statistical data and primary accounts of the job more so then how the job affects the author themselves. This shows a great amount of professionalism as well as credibility. The second point includes a well documented and referenced source, which this article embodies. The documentation of this article is well stated, and meets the requirements of anybody interested in the field of being an art director. It is also well referenced by the different people who are quoted as well as statistics and data that is referenced. These statistics have either been taken by the corporation themselves or taken from other credible sources. Due to both of these ideas, it is evident that this article is both reliable and credible.

I will use this article in order to further elaborate on the different career options you can chose if you receive a degree in graphic design. In using this article I will be able to expand of the amount of jobs that are possible because of graphic design. So far this has been one of the highest paying jobs in terms of art, and through this article I can give an example of how art can be used in high end jobs. Art directors are able to take something that they are passionate about and turn it into a successful career with a high paying salary, and this is something that I am very inspired to try an do. Overall the article would help me tremendously in answering my research question about the different types of fields that graphic design can be brought into.

Number Three

Staff, Peterson's. "Tips for Preparing Your Art School Portfolio." Peterson's. N.p., 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.<https://www.petersons.com/college-search/art-school-portfolio-tips.aspx#/sweeps-modal>.

In this article, the author outlines in a brief yet informative way how someone would be able to form the right type of portfolio for the specific type of school they want to attend. Having a portfolio is super important and a necessity when aspiring to be apart of an art based college, and through this article the reader is able to tell you what types of colleges want out of an applicant's portfolio. After this the author uses bullet points to specify tips on how exactly to put a portfolio together, as well as what you should and should not include, and most importantly the main point brought to the attention of the read is quality matters more than quantity.

“Protect your work, but make sure the package you select is easy to handle and does not interfere with the viewing of the artwork”
“Label each piece with your name, address, and high school”
“Always check the requirements at the school or schools to which you are applying, as some will ask for specific types of work”
“The pieces you select should illustrate diversity in technique and variety in subject matter”
“Selections for your portfolio should express your interest and aptitude for a serious education in the arts”
“Specialized art colleges usually request that you submit an average of 10 pieces of art, but quality can be more important than quantity” This article can be deemed as credible for three main reasons, the authors of the article, the type of content found on the website, and when the article was published. First the authors of this article are credible because they are all employed by Peterson's publishing company, and due to the article being written by multiple people, they will be a wider variety of knowledge inserted into the article. Next, the content found on the website of the article was solely based around college related topics such as admissions, scholarships and helpful advice once on campus. Lastly this article was published in 2106, making it recent information about what colleges are expecting from students. Overall this source proved to be credible for my research as it helped me figure out more about building a portfolio. This article, as well as the information that I was able to gather from it will be helpful in my research process because I will be able to share more information about how to build portfolios. As well as use this information in my own life as I figure out if I want to apply to colleges and what types of portfolios I will need to be building in order to be accepted into the college that I prefer. This information will also be useful when I am presenting my community presentation as I can now talk about how important portfolios are in terms of achieving graphic design degrees.