Tristen Gonzalez

Prof. Trofimova

COMD 3503

Wed. 6-8:30pm

Advertising vs Graphic Design

Two of the biggest agencies in the graphic design world are advertising agencies and graphic design agencies. Even though both are design related they differ from each other in many ways. Some of these differences include different pay, hours you will be working and positions. Along with the many differences the advertising world has a completely different environment to it than the regular graphic design world. Advertising is a very high risk high reward type of field, whereas graphic design is more stable and is less cutthroat, but more about that will be discussed below.

One thing to note about the differences between the two agencies are the purpose of each agency. An ad agency’s purpose is to sell a product and a graphic design agency’s  purpose is to create the product. Ad agencies also work a bit differently with their clients. The client that comes to them usually talks to other ad agencies in the process. Whichever brief the client likes they usually work with that agency for a year. Essentially the agency would come up with the brief, strategy,marketing concepts and a full fledged campaign by the end of the deadlines.

In a graphic design agency the client would choose the firm they want to work with head on and the agency will create a proposal for them. The agency tackles more smaller projects for their client such as banners, posters, branding etc. A graphic design agency also deals with the broader scope when it comes to design rather than an ad agency that only focuses on advertising and selling.

Another difference between both agencies is the rate and amount of hours you work as well as the benefits. In an ad agency you sometimes work extra and on weekends with no extra pay for overtime since you already have a set pay. But however, if your campaign is good and the client loves the work you will receive a big bonus from the agency. Even though the advertising world is a bit cutthroat at times it comes with a lot of perks. If you work really hard they will give you free food, free alcohol, rides and big bonuses. Now for graphic design agencies you have a set pay as well, but you don’t get the huge bonuses that you would get in a advertising agency. It’s less harsh in a graphic design agency but the rewards aren’t as high.

Overall when choosing what agency you would like to work for it all depends on personal preference. Deciding between a high risk high reward agency vs a safer option is something you will have to look into as a designer and what best suits your interests, skills and financial situation.