Career Videos

Video Transcript

When a company hears its website is hard to read… or needs a brochure for a new product… they call on the skills of a desktop publisher to make their content appear easy to read, attractive, and engaging. Desktop publishers use design software to create page layouts for print or electronic publications, including newspapers, books, and reports or studies. They combine text and images to create a coherent design that conveys the intended message and grabs the reader’s attention. Desktop publishers may also edit text… correcting spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They tend to work on teams with other creative workers —such as writers, editors, and graphic designers— collaborating to prepare a cohesive design, often under strict deadlines. Desktop publishers work in a variety of industries, including many related to publishing and printing. Many work full time and may need to work additional hours when publication deadlines require it. For most positions, desktop publishers need an associate’s degree in graphic design or graphic communications, including courses on desktop publishing software that feature electronic page layouts and text and graphics formatting. A brief period of on-the-job training to learn the employer’s desktop publishing software is typical.