And so employers will also want to see something of how you approached the problem, and how your design solved it. Now apply that to a graphic design scenario—and practice some more. Make up your own client briefs or use a dedicated service such as Briefbox and just start brainstorming some potential solutions. You don’t even have to design anything—just jot some ideas down on paper and you’ll begin to understand how to solve problems and become a problem solving graphic designer. As well as being creative, graphic designers need to be problem solvers. A large part of being a graphic designer is thinking of creative, graphic solutions to “problems” given to you by clients.
Having a niche will help you set yourself apart from other graphic designers and convince companies or clients why they should hire you instead of others specialized in the same area. It’ll also help you target and reach the right potential customers, such as those looking for a logo, an ad, a website, etc.
We’ll take the starting salaries in Shillington’s campus cities as an example. Don’t make this feel like you can’t work as just a graphic designer though—obviously a majority of graphic designers do just stick to their job title!
What is Graphic Design?
You may choose to design a specific type of work, or dabble in many different subfields. Whatever you choose to do, equipping yourself with the right technology and understanding some basic artistic principles will set you on the path to becoming a graphic artist. As with any project that you initiate on your own, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, allow yourself to experiment freely and make this a time for play.
Step 6: Be a Bookworm
When a client needs a logo or an illustration, you will likely use Illustrator to complete the project. Illustrator works with vector graphics, which means that each line and curve is a mathematically precise point. Vector images can be scaled to any size, unlike raster images, which you can only scale up. Illustrator is a good fit for website design and for any graphic work that requires clean lines and shapes. Graphic design is not simply slapping a fun font and a few images into a design.
Creative Boom celebrates, inspires and supports the creative community. Launched in 2009, we explore the best in creativity and deliver news, inspiration, insight and advice to help you succeed. To find out more about studying design on Shillington’s intensive courses, visit the Shillington website. It’s designed like a notebook, with all the authors’ tips and knowledge contained inside, along with blank pages that allow you to add your own personal notes and thoughts. Our NEW designer mini-course series delivered by email with a brand new topic every 2nd week. The right tools can make all the difference to a recent grad beginning their job search. This course focuses on delivering production-ready graphics as well as files for print and mobile devices.
While the career opportunities are vast in the graphic design industry, it’s important to decide which direction you’ll want to go in at the onset of your college education. Choosing the appropriate coursework and receiving the right qualifications to further your graphic design skills will make all the difference once you’re in the workforce carving your own career path.
Come up with a name for your business, which could simply be your name. Create a web presence for yourself and build a portfolio that highlights your best work.
Most of these tips are helpful for beginners and freelance graphic designers, agency graphic designers, and in-house graphic designers because every graphic designer needs the same attitude and skill set. Shillington’s graphic design courses are spread across three months full-time or nine months part-time. And because these courses are designed by working graphic designers who know what the industry needs, they’re very well-respected throughout the industry and have a great record of getting graduates into jobs. Traditionally, becoming a graphic designer took much longer than a year. And that usually didn’t include much in the way of practical experience, so you’d probably have to intern for a few months after that to fill in the gaps. Only then could you start applying for your first graphic design jobs. At this point in your journey to becoming a graphic designer, it’s time to get some real-world experience under your belt.
On top of getting primed on the basics, it’s also good practice to start developing your visual eye for design. Taking time to browse through Dribbble each day is a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest design trends—as well as explore the various design styles that keep you fired up. Plus, you’ll also gather plenty of visual inspiration and ideas for your own open projects while you’re at it. Putting together a graphic design portfolio that shows off your creative prowess and vision may be the most important thing you can do to get work as a professional graphic designer. Employers want to see what you can do, and a portfolio is the industry standard providing a window into your skills and your approach to visual storytelling. Graphic designers, sometimes called communication designers or graphic artists, tell stories and communicate information visually using their knowledge of images, text, color and layout. These skilled professionals work by hand and use various computer software and hardware to create the layout and look of reports, advertisements and logos.
