Graphics are a creative matter that affects everything we do today: from websites to application interfaces, to product packaging, the talented hand of the graphic designer is seen everywhere. However, it can be a rewarding and challenging career. Here are some ideas to help you embark on this career.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Learn the Basics
Step 1. Choose an industry
For example, if you are interested in advertising, web programming, media (TV), print or animation, these are all fields of graphic design, so narrow your field of interest.
While the graphics are basically the same, whether in print or online, there are differences in resolution, color, and other variables specific to the medium you want to use. While you can do both, it's best to start by focusing on one technique
Step 2. Purchase the standard tools, which in this industry are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
If you want to buy the full package, Adobe Creative Suite includes Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Premiere, Photoshop, InDesign, and After Effects. While all the applications have been designed to be easy to use right from the start, they are packed with features that require a lot of effort to learn how to use them well.>
These programs aren't cheap, so start using free programs like Gimp, Scribus, Inkscape, and Pixlr, which will teach you the trade as you save up to buy the original software
Step 3. Buy textbooks that teach you the fundamentals of graphics and study as if you were going to university; rather than studying for the grade, strive for the career of your life
Step 4. Take a graphics course
Not to become an expert on programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, but to learn how to use these valuable tools as you develop a design that is marketable.
Step 5. Join a design group
Practicing at home is a safe way to learn the trade, but if you want to get feedback, it's good to talk to others. Although it may be difficult at first, keep your ego at bay, take the advice of others seriously, and you will see that the results will come. Furthermore, it is important to observe the work of others so that you are also exposed to different styles.
As with other businesses it is important to create a network of contacts especially if you want to freelance. Make friends with other people, maintain relationships, and be willing to learn, because that's how you might find work
Step 6. Learn more
If you are really interested in graphics, consider getting a bachelor's degree with this address, as it can help you improve and introduce you to other people in your field. Plus, people don't hire a graphic designer who can't prove they are properly trained. Consider these options:
- If you want a degree that increases your credibility, but you don't have enough time and money, get a university degree, which usually lasts 2 years and is held in public universities or institutes for commerce. The studies will focus more on computer skills than on the history of art, but it is a good way to start.
-
If you want the title to have weight, take a three-year degree at university, where in addition to learning technical skills you will also be trained in art and design.
Not 100% sure design is the right career for you? Get a degree in Art rather than Fine Arts because, although both are valid for this type of work, the former is less specialized and will give you a more general smattering. It will be easier for you to specialize in something else, should you decide to pursue another career in the future
- If you already have such a degree, take a postgraduate degree in graphic design to get a qualification certificate.
- If, on the other hand, you are firmly determined to be a graphic designer, then take a degree in graphics. Think about taking an economics course too if you want to freelance.
Method 2 of 2: Develop your style
Step 1. Do what you like, but if you are forced into a design with ornamental lettering and bright colors, focus on that
If you like this style, then develop it better. If, on the other hand, you like a clean style with balanced lines and strong graphics, make it yours.
Step 2. Read graphic design books that can help you make learning faster
Step 3. Study what the pros do
Devour sections of design within newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and wherever you spot graphics (hint: there will be everywhere you look).
- Don't limit yourself to what is traditionally considered "graphics", but also be interested in other areas such as industrial design. We remember Joey Roth or Makota Makita & Hiroshi Tsuzaki; or architects like Santiago Calatrava or Frank Gehry. Inspire them to fuel your creativity.
- Don't limit yourself to the most discounted places but also look elsewhere; for example part of the graphics are also the labels. Look at fashion sites, bookstores, record labels, even product packaging.
Step 4. Search for characters
Whoever enters the world of typography is made of a whole different kind of pasta, in fact torments himself for a book, for the road signs and subtitles of the films, has a serious opinion of the various types of 'serifs' and laughs at those who use the' Comic Sans '. A good graphic designer understands the importance of fonts, spaces, headings and everything needed to create effective text.
Step 5. Develop your own style if you want people to recognize your work
The more you are known, the better things will go.
Step 6. Collect everything that is interesting from a design point of view, that inspires and excites you:
a t-shirt, flyer, food label, postcard, poster. Study them, notice what you like and what you don't, put them aside to watch when you can't find inspiration.
Step 7. Do not throw away any of the work you do even if you don't like it; put it aside and when you feel like it, observe it with new eyes
What worked and what didn't? How much has your style changed? You may even feel inspired to the point of redesigning an old project and turning it into a masterpiece.
Step 8. Redesign other people's work if you find the design ugly
Take a photo or copy of it and try to do it again for fun. Challenge yourself to add something original that the artist may have missed, and just like aspiring musicians who learn from their masters, study the design of others to understand what works and what doesn't, and why.
Step 9. Create your own portfolio, not only because you actually need to find a job, but because it also allows you to critically judge your work
What are your best pieces and why? Which ones didn't break through? If you want to work online, present your portfolio on a website.
Advice
- Not everyone likes design, so research what your target market is likely to find attractive. Research accounts for three quarters of a graphic designer's work.
- The two main paths to becoming a Graphic Designer are university or self-study.
- Don't be a hermit in your studio all day. Go out, connect with local designers, and dedicate your work to local issues as you develop your style and skills. If you have a favorite band, a cause you support, a politician, ask if they'd like you to do a poster.
- Don't be afraid to be different: visually explore new ideas and reinterpret existing styles (especially if you've studied design principles well).
- Always remember that creativity is the best design tool you have.
