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dents are also expected to create an entire marketing cam-
paign for a fictitious business, such as a coffee shop, a cloth-
ing boutique, or a nightclub, described in detail in a document
called a “client brief.”

Certification

Graphic designers do not require certification, but those who
are accredited by software vendors can expect to move to
the head of the pack when applying for jobs or promotions.
Most graphic designers work with Adobe Creative Suite, which
includes Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Premiere, and After Effects.
A graphic designer who wishes to demonstrate expertise in
Creative Suite can become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE).
The certification program is offered online and provides virtual
instructor-led courses and videos on demand. Candidates
work at their own pace on numerous courses that take from
several hours to several days to complete. After finishing the
work, candidates take online proctored exams and receive
certification after passing the test.

Volunteer Work and Internships
Most college students participate between their junior and senior
years in what is commonly known as “intern summer.” While it is
not mandatory, intern summer provides valuable hands-on ex-
perience, and employers are much more likely to hire applicants
who have taken an internship.
Graphic design student Kaylin Ingram interned at Farmore
Marketing in Tampa, Florida. As she explained on the company’s
website: “As I’m about to enter my Senior year in a Graphic De-
sign education, I can honestly say that I’ve learned more from
three months in this office than I could from three years in a class-
room.” Ingram took what she learned in the classroom about cre-
ating projects for fictional companies and applied it to the real
world. She worked in a professional setting with colleagues, met

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