The direction of graphic design is now in demand more than ever. Still, it is important to understand what a designer’s work is, to spend only a significant amount of time and money and then be disappointed.
In addition to the idea of work, you need to keep in mind the necessary skills, which are not only related to the technical side. In our article, we will tell you what a graphic designer does, what he should know and be able to do, and how to train in this profession.
Functions and tasks of a graphic designer
The development of styles, visual design of advertising, design of groups and pages on social networks, and product packaging – rests on the shoulders of a graphic designer. As a result of his work, he creates the following:
- Brochure with instructions on the use of the company logo, font, and colors of the company.
- Advertising design.
- The layout of books, magazines, and catalogs is electronic and intended for printing.
- Templates for posts and newsletters on the Internet.
Many people think that a designer is only creative, but it is worth remembering that he does a lot of routine work. Of course, he remembers creativity, but most of his time is spent on technical work. Even though many programs and services now facilitate a designer’s work from the technical side, he still has to perform a large number of actions manually.
The presence of monotony in a designer’s work is more of a plus than a minus. After all, if you constantly create for a long time, you can tire and burn out. It is easier for a designer because he constantly changes activities: he either comes up with an idea or draws a layout. That is why the key to success in this profession is creativity and such qualities as perseverance, attentiveness, and patience.
An important point is the contact of the graphic designer directly with the customer. Do not forget that there are no comrades for taste and color, as they say. Therefore, it is very often difficult for the parties to come to a consensus or compromise, or the designer will be forced to constantly redo his work, adjusting to the customer’s opinion.
After all, the latter, resorting to the services of a specialist, does not quite understand what result he wants to see. Thus, a graphic designer must be able to reasonably convince the customer of the effectiveness of his ideas and sell his work.
Therefore, you should pay attention to the following points:
- Initial knowledge in human psychology, which will allow the designer to understand the goals of the customer better, taking into account his desires and doubts;
- The ability to consider the situation from the point of view of different people, which will allow you to better study the project and plunge deeper into it;
- Comprehensive development in various fields, which contributes to the emergence of unusual ideas and the development of a creative approach;
- Communication, which in itself speaks of the importance of communicating with the customer and potential customers, and partners, the ability to come to a consensus, to perceive criticism reasonably;
- Involvement in the trend and knowledge of products helps the designer to navigate the situation easily and offer modern optimal solutions;
- Creation and development of useful acquaintances, the so-called networking. To improve in your field, exchanging experience with other specialists is necessary to obtain new knowledge from them.
The initial stage of training a graphic designer
Suppose you have a developed creative potential and are interested in implementing your ideas and mental developments. In that case, we offer you to understand as best as possible what the field of graphic design offers.
- Get to the bottom of the profession. The work involves various directions; study them all. To do this, you can search for information on thematic sites or forums, use educational materials, including videos, and participate in webinars or free marathons. Determine your greatest interest in which area of graphic design you want to work and develop.
- Be observant. Take note of good ideas that are successful and vice versa; mark unsuccessful ones. Study advertising of famous brands, get acquainted with their sites and take on board the most interesting.
- Focus on examples of successful designers. Check out the story of April Greiman, a leading authority in this field for many years. Try to understand from the experience of others what traits and skills you should develop in yourself.
- Get to know the profession from the inside and look at it through the eyes of those who have worked in the field of graphic design for some time. Visit the pages and websites of professional graphic designers, and if they arrange themed events online or offline, be sure to take part if possible.
- Join communities or register on sites that bring people together in this profession, such as Infogra. There is a lot of useful information and news on the specialty.
Graphic Designer Training Options
You can now become a graphic designer by choosing online or standard full-time training.
- universities
The university offers to master a specialty in 4-6 years, which is much more time than studying at an online school. In addition, for admission to the course, it will be necessary to pass a selection process and pass exams at the end. If you are interested in such an opportunity to study, you can find detailed information on the university’s website and learn more about the specialization. Today, there are also online courses, which in a certain sense, are more convenient and accessible to most people.
- Online schools
Compared to offline training, such a course will allow you to acquire the desired skills of the profession in a shorter time. And also suitable for those people who, for some reason, can not attend the university.
Now on the Internet, you can find a lot of offers for training the profession of a graphic designer from scratch. However, one should responsibly approach the choice of a school based on the presented program and the cost of the course.
The cost of online education depends on the following factors:
- schools;
- popularity and expert image of the presenter;
- course content;
- tariff;
- Chances for an internship or employment after graduation.
What points are very important to consider when choosing a school for training:
- sympathy for the speaker;
- reasonableness and consistency of the training program;
- availability of information for understanding;
- whether the program is of interest.
Nuances of self-education as a graphic designer
In addition to studying specialized courses that offer a ready-made education program, you can learn a profession on your own.
Many available thematic materials on the Internet, training videos and sites contain information about working in various design services and graphic editors.
Check out YouTube. This platform has brought together many bloggers ready to share their experience and knowledge of working with programs. For example:
- CG Speak.
- Art and Shock school CG & Design.
- Nobu design.
- Made by Mighty.
- Photoshop Tutorials – PSt.
The Importance of a Portfolio in Finding a Job as a Graphic Designer
It’s no secret that completed training does not guarantee an immediate start to work and high earnings.
In order to find a customer and sell your services, you must first declare yourself. The first step is to create a portfolio. This is the main tool that works for you.
Any customer would like to see examples of your work. Therefore, you will have to make enough effort to present yourself in the market with high quality. So, how to fill out a portfolio?
Show your imagination:
- Give the first task to yourself.
- Rebrand a well-known company.
- Design your website or business card.
Remember to update your portfolio and send resumes to well-known services, such as HeadHunter and SuperJob. Among your real friends or contacts from social networks, there is someone who can help with employment.
Don’t give up if something doesn’t work right away. Each profession would be given slowly and easily. And the specialization of a graphic designer involves perseverance, perseverance, constant self-development, and hard work.
But this is just the beginning. As soon as you go through your first steps and prove yourself an excellent specialist who knows how to communicate with clients and understand their desires, all roads to the world of design will open before you.
