It's not just technical skills that matter in multimedia, says Matthew
Cramer, a multimedia developer. Artistic skills are important, too.
"The thing you run into in this field is you have your graphic designers
[who] pretty much can just create something and draw it up without any programming
experience. Then you have programmers that just really program but don't really
do any of the graphic design work," says Cramer. "So, if you can do both of
those, or at least a little bit of one and you're really good at the other
one, you're going to go far."
Cramer is a senior web developer for a design company in Nashville, Tennessee.
He has been working as a professional multimedia developer for nearly six
years. Before that he was earning an associate's degree in multimedia technologies
from Pittsburgh Technical Institute.
"The bulk of my work right now is in web development," says Cramer. "I
enjoy that a lot."
Cramer works on two main types of projects. One type is small business
websites, which can often be completed in a single day.
"And then we have other sites that you get to baby a bit more and put a
bit more TLC into, and I really enjoy those a lot, just because you get to
grow something," says Cramer. "It might take a month to develop [the initial
site], but then if you have the client for a few years you can really build
the site up and develop it. Especially with technology, it changes almost
every day. So, it's nice to give them the newest and greatest and just make
the site come to life."
Allen Ellis also enjoys seeing his projects come to life. He's a multimedia
specialist working for an event productions company in Orlando, Florida. The
company organizes large shows, such as award shows, for various organizations.
This includes video and print promotional materials.
"The thing about multimedia [is that] most projects are pretty different,
so that keeps it interesting," he says. "I like the diversity of it."
Ellis is currently working on a promotional video for a nonprofit student
organization. The video will go out to high schools across the country.
"It's about a five-minute video and it's high energy and a lot of fun,
so I enjoy just getting to make a high-energy video that's exciting," says
Ellis. "It's exciting to have that much exposure and to be able to affect
that many people. That's why it's an exciting field for me because I feel
like the kinds of projects that we do... affect lots of people."
Ellis especially likes working with motion graphics, using software such
as Adobe After Effects.
"I really enjoy not just editing together videos, but building the integrated
graphics that go along with it and that make it shine, and that take a logo
and make it much more than it was when it's just designed and it's flat,"
says Ellis. "Motion graphics is really what I continually find myself enjoying....
I was encouraged to embrace that, and I think that really helped, because
[my employer]... needed a motion graphics person, and that's what I offered
myself as.
"So, I think that it's important to try to decide on a niche area and market
yourself there," says Ellis.
Multimedia designer Jess Petrella has a diploma in interactive multimedia
development. She works from a home office as a freelance designer and developer.
"I've worked on projects anywhere from the design and development of corporate
websites, to graphics for videos, to posters and tickets for events," says
Petrella.
Creating all those different types of projects requires a lot of creativity,
she says.
"This doesn't mean you have to be an artist, but a person who is willing
to think outside the box or bring new ideas to the table will do well in the
multimedia field," says Petrella. "Other great qualities of a multimedia designer
and developer are someone who works well both independently and in groups
of people, as well as someone who is dependable, motivated and pays close
attention to detail."
How does Petrella suggest you prepare for a career in this field?
"My advice to a young person interested in multimedia is first to soak
in all the inspiration you can," says Petrella. "Look at the websites you
use and the magazines you read and think about why you like them and who's
behind them. This sort of critical thinking will prepare your mind for the
kind of world you'll be entering. Also, let yourself be inspired by all kinds
of design. The best designer will always be the one who loves design!"
Petrella's multimedia career grew out of her interest in technology. By
following that interest she now has an exciting career with diverse clients
and projects.
"Growing up, I was always interested in new technology, and I found myself
curious about [the design of] the websites I was using," says Petrella. "I
began to teach myself how to make websites and design newsletters, etc. I
continued doing this all throughout high school just for fun because it was
something I knew I could be good at and I liked doing it.
"I took all of the computer-related electives I could in high
school, and when it came time to choose my career path, I knew I wanted to
go to college for multimedia development," Petrella says. "I simply followed
my interests and instinct and found myself on the path to a career that, years
later, I still enjoy doing and is more exciting than ever."