- Time to design your future.

On "The Career Center," we explore the creative world of design careers.

See how others turned their creativity into fulfilling careers.

Hear insights and tips from successful designers and learn about the skills and education you need to break into this exciting field.

Stay tuned.

- [Announcer] "The Career Center" is made possible by General Motors, (retro video game music) and by these supporters, (upbeat techno music) and by viewers like you.

(upbeat techno music) Thank you.

(upbeat techno music) (birds chirping) (indistinct crowd chattering) (birds chirping) (indistinct crowd chattering) (school bell ringing) (indistinct crowd chattering) - Design careers can be a really good fit for people who have a passion for creativity and problem solving, and it's also really good to have strong visual and communication skills and the ability to think outside the box and be innovative.

Can you think of any careers that are in design?

- Mm, like a graphic designer?

- Yeah, that's kind of what I was gonna say too.

- So, that's definitely a career in design, but there are so many other options.

So, it could be that you're a graphic designer, you could be a web designer, maybe a fashion designer, or even an industrial designer.

You know, I found a video that shows some cool pathways for folks who are interested in design.

Let's take a look.

(upbeat techno music) (computer mouse clicking) (upbeat techno music) (upbeat techno music) - [Narrator 1] Graphic designers create visual concepts to inspire, inform, and captivate consumers.

They develop the overall layout and production design for advertisements, websites, magazines, and other print and online material.

These designers use both text and images to communicate ideas.

They design the lettering and color of text, as well as arranging images and copy on a print or webpage.

When using copy and layouts, graphic designers collaborate closely with writers.

Many use their creativity to transform statistical data into visuals to make complex ideas more accessible.

Graphic designers generally work in studios with drafting tables, computers, and design software.

Although many graphic designers work independently, those who work for specialized graphic design firms often work in teams.

Work schedules typically revolve around deadlines, whether to deliver a finished product to client's printing companies, or to publish on the internet.

Self-employed designers tailor their workday around meeting with clients, including evenings and weekends.

They often spend time looking for new projects and must compete with other designers for contracts.

At firms, graphic designers are likely to work more standard hours.

Most positions require a bachelor's degree in graphic design or a related field.

A professional portfolio of their work is a must for graphic designers to show potential employers their skill, creativity, and originality.

(upbeat techno music) (lively music) (lively rock music) - My name is Elle Simone Scott, and I'm an executive editor and food stylist at "America's Test Kitchen."

(lively rock music) The problem that I solve as a food stylist is that I help people who sell food, either visually, like magazines, or on television, to sell the idea of food to viewers, why they should eat it, why they should buy it, and how they should use it.

(lively rock music) The coolest part about my job is that I get to show people how to make food look beautiful, not only on their plates, but also in an artistic way, and I get to do that all over the world.

(lively rock music) The way I became interested in working with food is that I grew up in a family that actually cooks a lot, and they cook very well, and when I had an opportunity to choose a career, it was something that I already knew how to do and I really enjoyed.

(lively rock music) One of the things that I learned in school that is very helpful with my job now is to listen.

Always listen before you make a move.

Also, reading instructions, always reading your instructions before starting the task.

(lively rock music) If you're interested in food, I think it's important for you to learn every stage of food service prep.

That can be from washing dishes to maintaining the kitchen to prep work and prepping foods and vegetables, to actually cooking food.

Learn it from the very beginning to the very top so that you can know every stage and you can be successful all the way through.

(lively rock music) I think that the culinary industry is really moving to a more visual digital space, and I think that it will only continue to do so over time, and in order to prepare for that, it's best to learn how to use maybe your mobile devices, learning how to use lighting at home, so that you can do more production work in home.

People are needing to leave their house less to do their work, right, and so teaching yourself, watching YouTube videos at home per chance, watching even your public television station, to see how camera movements are working.

All of these things are very important even in food television and culinary media, so just being observant, teaching, learning, always reading, that's gonna make you successful.

- [Narrator 2] Multimedia artists and animators turn ideas and sketches into heroes, villains, and monsters.

They create visual wonders for your favorite television shows, movies, and video games.

Multimedia artists and animators conduct research to design characters and settings for story and then develop storyboards that map out major scenes.

They bring creativity and artistic skill to the drawing board, painting or sketching designs, or they may use computer-generated images to develop digital models of their ideas.

Teamwork is essential as each animator works on part of a project that must fit seamlessly with others' work.

Feedback is shared frequently between animators, game designers, directors, and clients.

Working together under deadlines can create stress, but often brings the team's vision together.

These artists usually specialize.

They may animate video games, develop visual effects for movies, or create computer-generated images for television.

About half of multimedia artists and animators are self-employed, while others work for the motion picture and video industries, or in scientific and technical settings.

Most work regular hours, but may work nights and weekends when deadline's demanded.

A bachelor's degree in art or computer graphics is crucial for building both the skills and the portfolio necessary to enter the field.

Multimedia artists and animators bring the fantastic and dreamlike alive and make them unforgettable.

(graphics whooshing) (upbeat techno music) (upbeat techno music) - [Caleb] Sometimes, when you peel away the layers of a career, you find a job you never considered.

Case and point, wallpaper designer.

Could this job be wall-to-wall fun?

I'm at the Detroit Wallpaper Company in Ferndale, Michigan to find out.

(smooth hip-hop music) - Hi, Caleb.

Welcome to the Detroit Wallpaper Company.

- Hi.

Thank you for having me.

I'm very excited.

So, what are we gonna be doing today?

- Well, we're gonna have you work with Max.

You guys are gonna create an original wallpaper design, and at the end of the day, you'll actually be printing some out.

- That sounds cool.

Should we get started?

- Yeah, let's go have some fun.

So, the first step in our process is to come up with a design, and today, we'll be trying a whole painting.

- Okay.

That's what all this is?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

So, we'll use canvas paper and a squeegee to try to come up with something colorful, to create an interesting wallpaper design.

- Okay, cool.

Let's get into it.

- Right on.

(upbeat music) - [Caleb] Oh, what, so what type of this thing are you going for right now?

- Right now, I'm playing with yellow and purple.

They're opposites on the color wheel, so I figured they will neutralize a little bit.

- Oh, yeah.

- Neutrals are pretty common in interior design palettes.

(upbeat music) I try to hold the squeegee soft and just enjoy the process.

(upbeat music) - So, does that look like how you imagined it would when you put the dodge down?

- Not at all, but I like the result.

It's really colorful.

You wanna give it a go?

- Oh yeah, totally.

I think I'm ready.

(upbeat music) Can I go over it again?

- [Max] You could.

- I don't know if it'll help.

- There's no rules in art.

(upbeat music) Very funky.

(upbeat music) Do you have a little extra on the squeegee?

- [Caleb] I hope so.

- [Max] Ah, yeah.

(upbeat music) - [Caleb] Okay.

What do you think?

- It looks magnificent.

I love the results.

- Okay.

- You wanna scan them in and move on to the next step?

- Oh, yes.

That would be great.

(energetic music) So, can you tell me about what type of positions there are here?

- Well, because we do all aspects of the business under one roof, we have all sorts of different types of employees, from people doing sales and customer service to people working in the production department to the design team, like you worked with today.

- [Caleb] Can you tell me a little bit about your designers?

What type of background do they have?

- A lot of our designers don't necessarily have a background in creating wallpaper, however, they oftentimes have a background in graphic design, but a lot of them too have just more sort of artistic endeavors anyway, musicians, fine artists, 2D artists, 3D artists.

A lot of the folks that we work with in design do have experience though with Photoshop, Illustrator, you know, typical design suite programs that you would typically learn.

- So, the next step is to zoom in and find a region that we liken the design and digitally manipulate it to put it into a repeat.

(upbeat music) - Okay, so how are we gonna pick which spot we like the best?

- Well, since we scanned it in at a large resolution, 1200 DPI, we have a lot of detail to work with.

So, we can zoom in and move around and see if anything jumps out at us.

- Oh, I see.

So, you can pick, like, that whole block right there and that could be a whole wall or- - It could be an entire wall.

Yep.

(upbeat music) I really like these stripes in here.

These are really, really pretty.

- They're like waves.

(upbeat music) - [Max] So, this will be our print, which is gorgeous.

- I really like this design.

- Me too.

Me too.

Let's send it to print.

- Nice.

That sounds good.

(upbeat techno music) So, what skills do you look for in a designer?

- Just, like, a real sense of creativity, a spirit of fun and exploration.

A lot of what we do is kind of exploratory.

There's no kind of rule book or, you know, stringent guide saying, like, this is how we're gonna do it.

We kind of, like, experiment and improvise on the fly a lot.

- When we were designing earlier, Max let me kind of just, like, experiment with it, figure it out that way.

- [Josh] Yeah, I mean, we've always felt that if we're being creative and having fun, we'll end up being successful, and for designers that are interested in working with us, that again, have those essential skills on the computer, but then also, again, that sort of personality trait of wonder and excitement, it's a a great meld.

- What advice would you have for a young person who's interested in this type of career?

(upbeat techno music) - To just always stay active and keep practicing your craft.

Again, there's so many different avenues you can take in that, but stay busy, keep active, keep working, and there's never any one set road to get to that point, but if you can always keep that sense of experimentation and excitement about art, it'll pay off.

- Ah, here we go.

(upbeat techno music) Ah, it's awesome to finally see it, like, all laid out like this.

- It looks beautiful at size.

I like it a lot.

It's pretty cool to see, like, something small turn into something so big.

- Yeah, yeah.

Really.

- It's more of an experience of this size, you know?

You get more of a punch.

It feels like an album cover.

- Hey, guys.

How did it turn out?

- Hi.

I think it turned out well.

What do you think?

- I think it looks really great.

Yeah, I like it.

How'd you enjoy being a designer for the day?

- Oh, that was a great experience.

Thank you for letting me come here and work with you guys.

- [Josh] Yeah, absolutely.

Our pleasure.

Thanks so much for coming in and joining us.

- [Narrator 3] Have you ever wanted to redesign your dashboard?

With a blend of skills in art, business, and engineering, commercial and industrial designers develop and improve concepts for everyday products from cars and appliances to toys and sneakers.

These designers take into account the function, appearance, production costs, and usability of products when developing new ideas.

Some designers specialize in a type of product, such as bicycles or furniture, but they all make their designs with the client's project requirements in mind.

Their workspaces often have drawing tables to sketch designs, meeting rooms with whiteboards to brainstorm with colleagues, and computers and office equipment to prepare designs and communicate with clients.

Engineers and other experts help industrial designers ensure their designs can actually be made.

They may travel to testing facilities and to client's and user's locations to ensure their designs are on track and visit manufacturing facilities to observe production.

Commercial and industrial designers may need to meet with clients on weekends or evenings.

Those who are self-employed or work in consulting firms also spend time looking for projects and competing for contracts.

A bachelor's degree in industrial design, architecture, or engineering is usually required for entry level positions.

An electronic portfolio of design projects is needed to apply for jobs.

(upbeat techno music) (computer mouse clicking) (upbeat techno music) - [Narrator 3] Welcome to the interior design program at Michigan State University.

Our program is one of the four academic programs housed in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction.

The Human Ecology Building is our home, along with Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Regional Planning.

The interior design program mainly uses the second floor of the Human Ecology Building.

(smooth music) We have four flexible studio spaces which are 24/7 securely accessible.

Our studios offer theoretical and technical knowledge and hands-on skills to solve the design problems, including Design Theory Studio, Interior Design Drafting, Human Dimensions, Presentation and Media, Programming, Lighting Design, and all levels of Interior Design Synthesis courses.

Our studios allow students to engage in both individual and collaborative design work amongst our peers.

Studios focus on a wide range of projects from residential to retail, healthcare, hospitality, workplace, and exhibit designs.

The workroom is a resource for the interior design students, which is located just across the design studios.

It offers a variety of product information, building materials, and interior finishes to help students familiarize themselves with up-to-date materials.

Material samples and catalogs are updated every year with the donations from the local design firms and the Michigan Design Center.

The gallery space is also available for exhibition of student works, student events, and interdisciplinary meeting places.

(smooth music) Our corridor on the second floor provides a display space for student works throughout the semester.

The wall boards are displayed with work samples from freshman, sophomores, and junior students.

Additional floor standing display panels feature posters of the senior thesis projects.

Our computer labs are also 24/7 working spaces.

The computer labs are equipped with dual monitors, laser printers, plotters, and scanners.

The interior design students utilize a variety of software and technology to create 3D modeling, 3D visualization, photorealistic renderings, and VR.

(smooth music) With exceptional facilities and the latest in technology, the interior design program at Michigan State University provides fun, exciting, and respectful learning environments that encourages professionalism, engagement, and collaboration amongst students, faculty, clients, and professionals.

(upbeat techno music) - Miss Pisani, I didn't realize there were so many opportunities in design.

- There really are, and in order for a design student to be able to showcase their skills, they need some way to do that.

So, how do you think they could do something like that?

- My friend draws comic characters and posts her stuff on Instagram.

Does that count?

- So, it is, and that's one way that you can showcase your skills.

It would be a good idea for your friend to separate her personal information and her professional information on social media, because folks who are looking to see what your friend can do and see her drawings don't necessarily need to, or should, see her personal content, so it's important to make that distinction.

Another way to do that is, on your professional outward-facing social media, to present a portfolio.

- What's a portfolio?

- So, a portfolio is just a collection of maybe images or videos or other things that can help document your skills in whatever it is that you're designing.

- I don't think I wanna pursue a career path in design.

Do I still need a portfolio?

- So, a portfolio isn't the only way to showcase your skills.

You could also just write up a resume.

- I always hear people talking about resumes.

What are they?

- So, a resume is just a written document that you can use to list your skills and experiences that you've had.

So, it might include some jobs that you've had, or, as a student, you can include extracurricular activities or any honors or awards that you've received.

You know, you mentioned Instagram before, so how much time do both of you spend online?

- I spend a lot of time online, especially since my school resources are on there.

- I use social media to find references, so.

- Well, how do you know what you're finding is real or not?

- It's really hard to tell, especially with more developed AI coming out, like, deep-faking and, like, those ChatGPT, and anybody can also publish an article, so it's hard to tell what's real facts and what's not.

- Yeah, technology is getting more and more advanced.

- It's true, and you're making me think of my latest "21st Century Skills" video.

I address the importance of media literacy and I think it can help us with this very issue.

(upbeat techno music) (computer mouse clicking) (upbeat techno music) Take a minute to think of the different types of media that you encounter and engage with every day.

If it feels like a long list, you're not alone.

We interact with lots of media.

According to Insider Intelligence, in 2022, adults spent an average of 13 hours and 11 minutes with media per day.

13 hours and 11 minutes per day!

Our lives are filled with new technology, new ways to communicate, and new messages from the media.

The ability to learn how these tools and messages work and why they work is an essential skill for the 21st century.

Hi, I'm Andrea Pisani.

I work with students every day to help them explore their passions and make great futures for themselves.

The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.

It involves developing and understanding of how different types of media influence our own thoughts, opinions, and beliefs.

It also involves being able to interpret media messages accurately and make informed judgments about the content we consume.

Media literacy is a crucial skill to have in the digital age and can help us better understand how media affects us and more fully engage with it.

Developing strong media literacy skills in high school and college can help you navigate the media landscape, whether you're doing academic research or scrolling your timeline.

(upbeat rock music) So, how should you analyze content?

NAMLE and media literacy experts, Cindy Shibe and Faith Rogal, created a framework for analyzing media.

There are three big categories to consider when analyzing media messages: authors and audiences, messages and meanings, representations and reality.

Let's take a look at each category and some of the questions you should ask yourself when consuming a piece of media.

(upbeat rock music) Every source has its own agenda.

Whenever consuming news, it's important that you consider: who made this piece of content, why was this made, who's the target audience, who paid for this, how does this make me feel, and how do my emotions influence my interpretation of this?

Headlines have become increasingly sensationalized over time in order to get clicks and views.

Things like, "You'll never believe," or, "This one trick may save you thousands," or, "This one food in your refrigerator is killing you."

It's important for you to not be influenced by these headlines.

Instead, begin asking questions like, what does this content want me to think or think about?

What is left out that might be important to know?

How might different people understand this message differently?

(upbeat rock music) It's important that when reading an article or watching a news segment, to determine if the information that's being shared is truth or fiction.

Ask yourself, when was this made, is this fact or opinion, how credible is the source of this information, and how do you know?

(upbeat rock music) Can I trust this source to tell me the truth about this topic?

(upbeat rock music) Whether you're scrolling through your phone while waiting for the bus or watching the news for the latest headlines, remember to think critically about all of the media you are consuming.

(upbeat techno music) So, what do you think about a career in design?

- I'd be open to exploring more options.

- I think that it's a really creative career path, but I'm not sure if it's for me.

- So, it's great to be open-minded and consider it as a possibility, and even if you think that right now, it isn't the career path for you, you'd be surprised to see that design is in many different fields.

It's involved in engineering, in IT, so it may turn up in something else that you are interested in, and if you are interested in learning more about careers in design, visit our website at mifutureofwork.org/Design.

There, you'll find videos, resources, and more, and this week, take some time to put together a portfolio or resume.

See you next time.

- [Announcer] "The Career Center" is made possible by General Motors, (retro video game music) and by these supporters, (upbeat techno music) and by viewers like you.

(upbeat techno music) - Thank you.

(upbeat techno music) (retro video game music) (bright piano music)