VisCom Example

Let's say you are working on a Bachelor/Diploma in Visual Communication (BSc VisCom in short). While every college has its own unique flavor, a standard VisCom degree mixes a little bit of theory with a whole lot of practical, project-based work. Here is a quick look at what usually makes up the curriculum:

• Art and Design Basics: This is where you learn the rules of visual literacy. Think drawing, color theory, and typography. You figure out how humans actually perceive images and text.

• Digital and Graphic Design: You get deep into industry-standard software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to create digital art, logos, layouts, and advertising materials.

• Photography and Cinematography: You get hands-on with camera mechanics, lighting setups, and framing to tell stories through still photos and motion pictures.

• Audio and Video Production: This covers the whole filmmaking process. You learn scriptwriting, storyboarding, directing, sound design, and video editing using tools like Premiere Pro.

• Media, Advertising, and PR: This is the business side of things. You dive into mass media ethics, consumer psychology, brand strategy, and how to actually run big multimedia ad campaigns.

• Animation and New Media: You get an intro to 2D and 3D animation, motion graphics, and even the basics of UI/UX design for apps and websites.

Now let's look at what kind of roles you can opt for.

Researching the Roles in the Industry

As mentioned in the Getting Started section, start looking at different roles within the industry and the expectations for each role to identify the one that fits you the best. It's ok if you do not feel pulled towards one role or another right away. The internship is an opportunity for you to try out different roles and responsibilities before you step into your career. Here are a few to get started:

Note that the approx entry level salary and take-home may vary depending on the city and type of company. Use these as guidelines to help you with the decision and not as the final numbers.

• Role: Photographer

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹1.5 – ₹3.0

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹11,500 – ₹23,000

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Assisting lead photographers, setting up lighting and equipment, product cataloging, and basic post-production editing.

• Path of Growth: Assistant Photographer ➔ Lead Photographer ➔ Studio Owner / Director of Photography

• Specific Software Skills: Lightroom, Capture One, Photoshop

• Hard Skills: Lighting setups, camera mechanics (aperture, ISO, shutter speed), color grading.

• Soft Skills: Making subjects comfortable, on-the-fly problem-solving, stamina, time management.

• Role: Animator

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹1.5 – ₹3.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹11,500 – ₹27,000

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Creating basic 2D/3D models, storyboarding, assisting senior animators with keyframing, and handling minor visual effects.

• Path of Growth: Junior Animator ➔ Senior Animator ➔ Lead Animator ➔ Animation Director / VFX Supervisor

• Specific Software Skills: Maya, Blender, After Effects, ToonBoom

• Hard Skills: 2D/3D modeling, keyframing, rigging, understanding of body mechanics and timing.

• Soft Skills: Attention to detail, patience, accepting creative critique, teamwork.

• Role: Graphic Designer

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.0 – ₹3.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹15,000 – ₹27,000

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Designing social media assets, marketing collateral, basic photo retouching, and ensuring visual brand consistency.

• Path of Growth: Junior Designer ➔ Senior Graphic Designer ➔ Art Director ➔ Creative Director

• Specific Software Skills: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Canva

• Hard Skills: Color theory, typography, layout design, branding, print and digital formatting.

• Soft Skills: Time management, adaptability, visual problem-solving, client communication.

• Role: Textile Designer

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.0 – ₹3.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹15,000 – ₹27,000

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Developing fabric prints, color-matching, creating CAD patterns, and assisting senior designers with fabric selection.

• Path of Growth: Trainee Designer ➔ Senior Textile Designer ➔ Lead Merchandiser / Creative Head

• Specific Software Skills: Illustrator, Photoshop, NedGraphics (CAD)

• Hard Skills: Fabric knowledge, pattern creation, color matching, weave structures, print design.

• Soft Skills: Trend awareness, tactile sensitivity, patience, vendor collaboration.

• Role: Illustrator / Storyboard Artist

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.0 – ₹4.0

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹15,000 – ₹30,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Creating custom illustrations, simplifying complex ideas visually, and drawing sequential storyboards for video production.

• Path of Growth: Junior Illustrator ➔ Senior Illustrator ➔ Lead Storyboard Artist ➔ Art Director

• Specific Software Skills: Procreate, Illustrator

• Hard Skills: Sequential storytelling, freehand drawing, character design, translating scripts to visuals.

• Soft Skills: Imagination, consistency, emotional expression, interpreting direction accurately.

• Role: Video Editor & Motion Graphics

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.0 – ₹4.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹15,000 – ₹34,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Assembling sequences, syncing voiceovers with visuals, and animating digital elements over live-action footage.

• Path of Growth: Junior Editor ➔ Senior Video Editor ➔ Motion Graphics Lead ➔ Creative Director

• Specific Software Skills: Premiere Pro, After Effects

• Hard Skills: Timeline management, audio/visual syncing, layering digital text/assets.

• Soft Skills: Sense of rhythm and pacing, extreme attention to detail, storytelling, stamina.

• Role: Visual Communication

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.5 – ₹4.0

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹19,000 – ₹30,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Combining design with strategic messaging; assisting in ad campaigns, multimedia presentations, and brand storytelling.

• Path of Growth: Visual Comm Executive ➔ Communications Manager ➔ Creative Head / Brand Director

• Specific Software Skills: Adobe Creative Suite, Keynote, basic CMS

• Hard Skills: Brand storytelling, multimedia campaign strategy, copywriting, visual hierarchy.

• Soft Skills: Strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, active listening, public speaking.

• Role: Character Designer

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.5 – ₹4.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹19,000 – ₹34,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Conceptualizing the visual look, anatomy, and personality of characters. Creating model sheets, expressions, and turnarounds for 2D/3D projects.

• Path of Growth: Junior Character Designer ➔ Senior Character Artist ➔ Lead Character Designer ➔ Art Director

• Specific Software Skills: Photoshop, Procreate, ZBrush, Blender, Maya

• Hard Skills: Human/animal anatomy, proportion scaling, character turnarounds, 2D drafting / 3D sculpting.

• Soft Skills: Imagination, adapting to specific art styles, receiving feedback, empathy (for expressions).

• Role: Marketing

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹2.5 – ₹4.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹19,000 – ₹34,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Assisting with market research, managing social media schedules, executing email campaigns, and tracking basic analytics/SEO.

• Path of Growth: Marketing Executive/Associate ➔ Marketing Manager ➔ Head of Marketing ➔ Chief Marketing Officer

• Specific Software Skills: Google Analytics, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Excel

• Hard Skills: SEO/SEM fundamentals, market research, campaign tracking, data analysis.

• Soft Skills: Empathy for the audience, analytical thinking, negotiation, adaptability.

• Role: Visual Design

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹3.0 – ₹5.0

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹23,000 – ₹38,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Focusing on digital product aesthetics; creating UI components, wireframes, digital mockups, and interactive prototypes.

• Path of Growth: Associate Visual Designer ➔ Senior Visual Designer ➔ Product Design Lead ➔ Head of Design

• Specific Software Skills: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Photoshop

• Hard Skills: UI components, digital mockups, interactive prototyping, responsive design.

• Soft Skills: User-centric thinking, receiving feedback, structural organization, clear communication.

• Role: Instructional Designer (Visual)

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹3.0 – ₹5.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹23,000 – ₹42,500

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Structuring informational content by combining scripts, voiceovers, and visual aids into engaging learning modules.

• Path of Growth: ID Associate ➔ Senior Instructional Designer ➔ Learning Experience (LX) Design Lead

• Specific Software Skills: Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Camtasia

• Hard Skills: ADDIE model, structuring educational content logically, rapid prototyping.

• Soft Skills: Empathy for the learner, critical thinking, organization, clear written communication.

• Role: UI/UX Designer

• Entry-Level Salary (LPA): ₹3.5 – ₹6.5

• Approx. Monthly Take-Home: ₹27,000 – ₹50,000

• What the Role Involves (Entry Level): Mapping out user journeys, creating wireframes, and designing visual layouts for apps and websites to ensure usability.

• Path of Growth: Junior UI/UX Designer ➔ Senior Product Designer ➔ UX Lead ➔ VP of Design

• Specific Software Skills: Figma, Miro, InVision, Axure

• Hard Skills: Wireframing, user journey mapping, usability testing, information architecture.

• Soft Skills: Empathy, analytical thinking, cross-team collaboration, giving and receiving feedback.

These roles are just a jumping-off point to help you focus your early research. Visual communication is an incredibly broad and dynamic field, which means your career path can easily expand and evolve as you discover new creative passions.