Wednesday, April 6, 2011

A Multimedia Design Degree

Multimedia design
is when we communicate a concept or information in an interactive way, such as through a website, CD-ROM or a kiosk. Multimedia can also be used in a non-interactive way for mediums like television. There are many different types of media and techniques that can be used in production, and as a multimedia professional you will need to know and understand how to use each of these techniques. You will need to know how to manipulate images and information from a variety of sources including audio, video, still images, animation, physical objects, text, soundtracks and digital data using computer applications and related visual and sound techniques.

An interactive multimedia designer will create work for kiosks, interactive CDs or DVDs, and websites. The overall design output can include things like audio, video, animation and photos, while projects for any type of website will include custom web design. What sets interactive designers apart from non-interactive is that there needs to be a graphical user interface that gives the user the choice of which content they want to access. It is your job to make sure all the media gets tied in together effectively, and to make sure the user is able to navigate through the application and find the information they need.


Non-interactive designers will create work for non-interactive applications such as television and the Internet. Movies, commercials, and websites using Flash intros are all good examples.

As a multimedia designer you will be expected to know how to use a variety of different programs such Adobe Premiere, Macromedia Director, Adobe Photoshop, and sometimes Microsoft PowerPoint for business presentations. On the Internet, it has become popular to use Macromedia Flash to present a multimedia experience in a quick downloading format.

There are a number of jobs available for the graduate of a multimedia program, such as scriptwriter for multimedia, web designer, multimedia producer, computer-based training designer, web script language developer, and more. The types of companies that hire multimedia professionals include corporations, organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, entertainment, and advertising industries. More industries are looking to hire multimedia professionals because multimedia software and hardware is falling in price, and multimedia communications using the web are becoming mainstream.


No matter what specific field you choose, multimedia professionals are expected to be incredibly accurate in their work, leaving little room for error. Being able to see the big picture when working on a project, and being able to get a feel for how a finished piece of work will appear and be used, it a huge asset to most companies. Multimedia professionals are creative and able to communicate with a team, expressing ideas both verbally and visually. Working in teams is not uncommon, but you should also be prepared to work on your own. The multimedia industry is based on deadlines, so you may be expected to work late hours or weekends to finish a project on time.

In order to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the Arts, you might also want to think about getting a degree in an art or graphic design program as well. As mentioned above, there are a number of programs that you will be expected to know. The more programs you know how to use, the more marketable you will be. If your focus is in graphic and web design, you should be able to custom design all of your websites. Using custom web design in your portfolio will also make your more marketable and impress potential employers.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1746794_4.html

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