Job Skills Related to the Visual Communications Field
The visual communications field diversifies every time new technology gets introduced to the field. Each technology is more advanced than the last. As a result, people working in the visual communications field should be technology savvy, to keep up with the ever-changing technology. Apart from being technology savvy, one needs a set of skills to work effectively in the visual communications field.
Graphic design is an important skill required in visual communications. Graphic design combines art, texts and pictures to communicate. Graphic design is essential in designing magazines, newspapers and adverts. As technology continues to advance, people working in graphic design get a chance to upgrade their skills. At present, there are graphic design softwares that can be used in a mobile phone to enable designers to work from their personal computers as well as their phones.
Videography and video editing is a pair of skills that complement each other. Videography means to capture moving images on a video camera. The captured content can be edited and released later or streamed for a live event. Video editing, on the other hand, is arranging video shots and structuring them present an appealing story. During editing, one crops the unwanted parts and adds music and sound effects to create a high quality video. Videography and video editing are required in visual communications when recording events and editing the videos to pass necessary information.
Photography is a broad field that lies at the core of visual communications. Without photography, visual communications would not exist. In visual communications, photography requires one to possess the skills of taking still pictures as well as editing them. As a famous saying goes, “photography is a universal language”. Therefore, clear and well-edited images are essential in visual communications because they perform a significant role in passing information.
Multimedia specialists also carry many responsibilities in their field of work. Multimedia specialists work with other people in visual communications to create IT-based multimedia products. Ideally, multimedia specialists are tasked with creating websites with sounds, pictures, graphics as well as digital animation. Therefore, multimedia specialists can also double up as web designers since they combine many skills to develop websites. Just like the name suggests, multimedia specialists are equipped with skills to handle many visual communications tasks.
Other skills required in visual communications include printing and bindery operation as well as digital printing. Printing and bindery operators oversee the printing and binding of publications. After graphic designers and other specialists design publications such as books, magazines and newspaper, printing and bindery operators ensure that the final output is neat and appealing. Digital printing entails printing digital images directly on a variety of media. At present, digital printing is popular in visual communication because it produces high quality images in a short period.
After a careful analysis of the fields in visual communications, I think I can specialize in photography. My main career goal is to become a photojournalist. Although all the fields in visual communication play an essential role, I would like to channel my efforts into photography and use the universal language to tell stories from across the globe.