Career · Visual stories and ads
Graphic designer
Creates logos, posters, packaging and layouts that help people quickly understand what something is about.
Career overview
What a day looks like
A graphic designer finds out what the client needs and who a layout is for. They choose fonts, colours and composition, show options, make changes and prepare files for print or publication.
Try it yourself this week
40 minutes
Make a poster for a school event
- Choose an event: a real school event or a made-up one, for example a board game night.
- Write the key facts on a sheet of paper: what, when and where. Nothing else goes on the poster.
- Draw the poster by hand or in any free editor that's already on your phone and doesn't need registration. Pick two or three colours and one big image.
- Show the poster to your parents or a friend and ask: what did they understand at first glance? Write down the answer.
What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you enjoy coming up with an image and choosing colours, or get more out of thinking through exactly what to tell people.
40 minutes
Sketch three screens of an app for a school problem
- Come up with a small app, for example for a timetable or for sharing class notes.
- Draw three screens as phone frames: the main screen, one more section and the final screen.
- Use arrows to show how a person moves from one screen to another.
- Ask a friend to go through your drawings with their finger and watch where they get confused. Write down those places.
What you'll learn about yourself: What suits you more: coming up with how an app looks, or thinking through how people will use it.
What you can do next
Next 3 months
Make a poster
Design a poster for a school event: headline, picture, date and place. Think about what should catch the eye.
In six months
Invent a sign
Draw a simple logo for an imaginary company and explain why it looks the way it does.
In a year
Show your work and ask
Show your poster or sign to someone who works in design and ask what works and what does not.
What it pays
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Where to study
No verified information is available in this section yet.
How to get into college
College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.
- Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab) - About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab) - There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university
The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.
- The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
Courses and opportunities
Opportunities near this field
- ProgrammefreeAtlas of New Professions (opens in a new tab)
Минтруда РК и Центр развития трудовых ресурсов
Who it's for: everyone.
When: reference guide, always available.
Atlas of New Professions: which jobs will appear, change or disappear in the next 5–10 years. Free to read.
Checked: September 2026
Source: atlasbt.enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Youth centrefreeAstanaages 12–18TUMO Astana (opens in a new tab)
TUMO
Who it's for: teenagers aged 12–18.
When: all year round, opened in February 2026.
A free centre for teenagers with 11 fields, from coding and robotics to film, graphic design and 3D.
Checked: September 2026
Source: astana.tumo.kz (opens in a new tab)
Can you work before you turn 18?
Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.
- Usually you can work from age 16. From 15 — if you are getting basic or general secondary education. From 14 — only in your free time outside school and only light work. If you are under 16, you need a signature from a parent or legal guardian.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - From 14 to 16 you can work no more than 24 hours a week; from 16 to 18, no more than 36 hours a week.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - Under-18s must not be given heavy or hazardous work, jobs with full financial liability, night work, overtime or business trips.
Source: mybuh.kz (opens in a new tab)
History of the career
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Well-known people in this field
No verified information is available in this section yet.