Starting career as a graphic designer can be confusing and intimidating. This blog post is an apt solution for those are willing to pursue their careers as designers and somehow they are not sure about what to do. Today we will share some useful tips that most distinguished designers have used to in early stages of their designing career to become successful self taught graphic designers.
Now most among you might be thinking that what is actually graphic designing or what is required to become a graphic designer? A graphic designer basically creates visual designs and graphics to sell or promote product or services. The designs can be anything like banners, logos, posters, magazines or book covers. A design is a mix of text, colors and images and it must look attractive, creative and convey the right message and the designer must have the right knowledge and creative skills to use the required software.
Now let’s talk about what is required to become a successful graphic designer or let’s talk about the things you should know before starting career as a designer!
Craze is important
In order to become good at something, you must possess the passion and craze to do it. If you love do draw things, play with colors, and go through different magazines, experimenting with color patterns then you it is a good sign. This shows that you have a keen interest in creating art and this means that you are a graphic designer by nature. Now all you need to do is to develop skill and practice it to become a successful designer.
Work on design applications (one at a time)
If you are a creative individual then being creative is not enough, you must develop skill set by mastering design softwares in order to produce attractive designs. Work on software and master it before trying another. If you will try to learn two to three different softwares at the same then you will feel frustrated. For a successful career in design industry, we recommend you to learn these important tools:
Photoshop: Photoshop is one of the most advance editing tools used by graphic designers, videographers and photographers from all around the world.
Illustrator: Illustrator is used to create logos, vector assets for print, web and video designs.
InDesign: This is an ideal to design applications, websites, banners, book covers, magazine covers, brochures, posters and flyers.
Look for references
If you are crazy about different designs then this thing will help you to improve your skills and level of creativity. You must surf around the internet and look for creative designs on different web websites to develop a strong reference library. At least spend 15 minutes daily to collect design ideas from different websites. In order to become a good designer, it is essential to read and analyse different designs. Make a collection of all the art work that you love and do a thorough research on their color pattern and layout.
Replicate the designs you love
Do not just copy paste the work you love. You cannot sell the designs to your clients you recreate based on the designs from the collection of other designers. Recreate the designs you love only to practice because the process of recreation will help you improve your skills. Moreover, this will keep you inspired and help you to come up with your own style.
Build your portfolio
Portfolio is important for a designer and most companies often ask for portfolio from the designers they want to hire for their future projects. If you love to design banners or logos then create more logos and banners and showcase them in your portfolio. Furthermore, showcasing your previous projects on your portfolio is also a good idea to display your skill set.
Freelancing websites can help you find real clients from various parts of the world. By working for them, you can improve your skills and work routine. This will also help you to build a strong portfolio based on your actual design tasks.
Accept Negative Feedback
The designs you create for your clients might get negative feedback. It does not mean that your designs are bad but keep in mind that your artwork may not always meet the requirements of your client or appeal them. Try to explain your work in that situation and always expect changes from your clients. This process will help you to learn and grow as a professional.
Final Thoughts!
A good designer is the one who works hard to improve his skills and style. Try to improve your style, try to learn more and do not use the same style and layouts over and over again. The industry is growing and evolving, try to evolve and adapt with the newer changes and requirements of the design industry. Keep experimenting and keep growing.
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