Every day, we encounter graphic design in numerous forms, from logos and posters to magazines, product packaging, and ads. It’s an industry that’s perpetually in demand because brands consistently require designers to create branding assets or design flyers for upcoming events.
Graphic Design: A Creative Symphony
Graphic design is the art of harmonizing visual elements, typography, and images to communicate messages effectively. It’s a creative practice that spans various mediums, such as print, digital, and web, with the aim to captivate and influence audiences.
Becoming a graphic designer isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey, but there are certain tips that can guide you towards enhancing your skills and setting yourself up for success.
Graphic Design Tips for Beginners
Learn Fundamental Design Principles: Graphic design is a visual communication tool that amalgamates graphics, typography, color, and illustration to convey a message. While there are infinite ways to communicate a message, every graphic designer must adhere to fundamental principles like hierarchy, alignment, contrast, space, color, proximity, repetition, and balance. These principles ensure a design is cohesive, impactful, and clear.
Enroll in a Graphic Design Course: Contrary to popular belief, having an eye for design isn’t an innate trait – it’s a learned skill. Courses can enlighten you about the history of graphic design, the various subdivisions within the discipline, the psychology behind design principles, and the tools you’ll need.
Master a Design Program of Your Choosing: Graphic design is almost synonymous with the tools used in the process. Much of the work relies on tools like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Sketch. These powerful software allow you to create everything from logos and illustrations to website designs.
Network with Fellow Designers: In addition to the knowledge you’ll gain from your courses, it’s essential to interact with designers who are currently working in the field. This will provide you with a comprehensive view of what it’s like working as a graphic designer and what it takes to excel in your role.
Practice, Practice, Practice: When learning anything new, practice is key. It’s not enough to absorb the knowledge — you have to apply it and understand how it works in real-time. Look for graphic design exercises online to further hone your skills.
Follow Design Influencers and Industry Leaders: There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from influencers or leaders in the field of graphic design. They’re highly knowledgeable in their niche and often share the secrets to their success in their content.
Build an Inspiration Catalog: Start building a catalog of successful work. This can be as simple as bookmarking images in your web browser, creating a Pinterest board, or saving items to a folder on your computer.
Dissect the Process: Dissect designs you admire to understand the steps and techniques involved. Analyzing the process behind a design will allow you to understand the steps required to produce a piece of work.
Get Specific with Your Online Search Queries: As you begin creating your own designs, you’ll likely hit an obstacle where you think to yourself, “Hmm, how the heck do I do that?” Chances are, others have wondered the same thing.
Replicate Your Favorite Work for Learning Purposes: Let me be clear: Under no circumstances should you infringe on anyone’s copyrighted work. Never reproduce someone else’s work and try to pass it off as your own. That said, re-creating a design you like is helpful to gain a deeper understanding of design techniques.
Embrace Negative Space: Beginner and advanced designers alike often overlook the proper use of negative space. What is negative space, or white space? It’s the space in your design that’s not occupied by any visual or written element.
Seek Constructive Feedback: On some level, everyone is afraid of criticism. Learning to accept constructive criticism is no easy task, but it’s key to becoming a better designer.
Undertake a Passion Project: Engage in design projects that align with your interests and passions. These projects will motivate you to push through challenges and provide direction during the early stages of your learning journey.
Just Start: It’s easy to be intimidated by the sheer amount of learning associated with graphic design, but remember that even the most talented designers were newbies once, too.
Grow Your Career in Graphic Design
As you progress, you’ll develop your own workflow, and one day, that design that took you all day will only take you a mere fraction of time. Trust me, I’m living proof.
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