So, you want to learn how to become a graphic designer? That realisation is a great first step. Now, we want to teach you how to become a graphic designer and make your way into a career in design. There are several ways of doing this and there's lots of different things to learn along the way.
You may be starting from scratch, fresh out of a graphic design course or you may be a few years' deep into another career. If you follow these steps then you'll be well on your way to achieving your dream and becoming a graphic designer.
What does a graphic designer do?
First off, who. You may have a picture in your head of who a graphic designer is and what they look like. Though, forget the stereotypes and the clichés, a graphic designer can be anyone and anyone can be a graphic designer. The design industry is full of people from all walks of life.
Okay, that's all good. But what is a graphic designer? That's what you really need to know to become one. We define graphic design as effective visual communication of an idea or concept.
This means that, first and foremost, graphic designers are visual communicators.
In other words, in order to become a graphic designer you should be able to take information and turn it into something visual or graphic. To break this down further, the information usually comes in the form of a brief from a client and the something visual or graphic can be many things—we'll break some of these down further now.
As we said before, all graphic designers are visual communicators but graphic designers can also be a huge number of different things! Designers are responsible for creating so many things you see and use on a daily basis: branding, adverts, apps, magazines, packaging, logos, books, maps and websites
Be creative
The first step is an easy one and, if you've already got this far, chances are you've already achieved it! This first step to becoming a graphic designer is simply to be creative. Graphic design is a creative career so you'll need to have creativity by the bucket loads to be a graphic designer.
Some people are born with a creative streak. Others are developed as they get older. Some don't even find theirs until they've been a career for years! Though, it doesn't matter when you found your creativity, if you've got it then you can be a graphic designer.
Become a problem-solver
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.
Of course, graphic design isn’t the only career where you need to solve problems so you may already be used to it. It may also just come naturally to you! No one is expecting to walk into your job the first day as a graphic designer and be able to answer all the questions but it’s definitely worth knowing how to tackle a problem head on.
To become someone who doesn’t panic when faced with a problem all you need to do is practice, practice and more practice! This can be in your day-to-day life. For example, open your fridge and see what’s in there. Rather than going to the shop to buy something else, solve the problem by cooking something that uses the ingredients you already have. Keep doing things like this every day and being a problem solver will become second nature to you.
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.
Learn graphic design tools
Like any other profession, to become a graphic designer you need the right tools to get the job done. So before embarking on your journey to becoming a designer, it's essential that you get a hold of the tools you need. These tools are both actual tools and apps and programs on your computer.
The actual tools? Well a designer's best friend will be their computer. The industry standard is an Apple Mac, either an iMac or MacBook Pro, so picking up one of these is your best bet. Though, if Windows is your go-to then you should be able to work with that too.
Not as essential, but a tablet, a good digital camera (even on a phone) and a drawing tablet such as a Wacom will also go a long way if you want to become a graphic designer. Of course, a notebook or sketchbook and your favourite pen or pencil will also come in very handy. Especially for quick tasks such as thumbnailing or brainstorming.
And the apps and programs?
Well as soon as you get your computer, then you should immediately install the Adobe Creative Cloud, namely InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.
These are three programs that you will get to know like the back of your hand as you manoeuvre your way through the design world. They're not the only programs within the Adobe Creative Cloud but they are the ones you will need to master if you are going to become a graphic designer.
When recruitment ads demand proficiency in a long list of design tools, it can be difficult to read between the lines. After all, there probably isn’t a designer alive who’s mastered every single aspect of Photoshop. What if you’re not so hot on Illustrator but you’re a whizz at Figma? What qualifies as an ‘intermediate’ skill level anyway?
In this spirit, Shillington teaches full-time students and part-time students the industry-standard design software—Adobe Suite InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop—as well as the digital prototyping app Figma. You’ll start from square one with software demonstrations, sharing best practices, tips and shortcuts, and teachers are available for one-on-one technical guidance.
But more importantly, by moving quickly into real-world briefs, you’ll learn how to get the software to do what you need it to do; just like working designers do in the real world.
A big part of your new career is also likely to be digital design so you'll need to get yourself a digital design app too. At Shillington, we teach and recommend Figma. Figma allows you to create, prototype, collaborate and bring your all digital ideas to life!
On top of these programs you'll actually be working on, there's also some other apps and programs that will help you work as a graphic designer. Over the past few months, a lot of workplaces have transitioned to using Slack and Zoom to keep connected and work productively. Both of these are definitely worth downloading on to your computer before you become a graphic designer so they're ready for you when you need them.
Enrol in a graphic design course
It's all good having all the tools and programs you need to become a graphic designer but you don't want to fall into the trap of "all the gear and no idea". You actually have to learn how to use these tools if you are truly interested in becoming a graphic designer. We're sure you're already proficient in using a pen and a sketchbook so we will skip past that one.
There are self taught designers out there who have learnt all the skills for becoming a graphic designer through online forums, YouTube and just practicing.
Though, we personally think the best way of becoming a graphic designer is to take a course.
There are several different options for courses you should take, but Shillington's innovative graphic designer course will teach you how to become a graphic designer in just three months full-time or nine months part-time.
At Shillington, you'll not only learn the programs we mentioned above, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch, but also all the knowledge, theory and skills that you'll need to become a graphic designer. Our graduates leave Shillington as graphic designers with a wealth of knowledge ready to embark on a new career.
Learn the fundamentals
One thing we do teach on the Shillington course is the fundamentals of design. Most importantly, the graphic design principles.
No matter where or how you choose to become a graphic designer, you won't get far without these. These principles are alignment, repetition, contrast, hierarchy and balance—they're crucial in creating any successful design. Therefore, they're a crucial part of becoming a graphic designer.
For a little bit of a leg up on your journey to becoming a graphic designer, let us quickly break down what each one means or how it affects a design:
Alignment: creates a sharper, more unified design.
Repetition: strengthens a design by tying together otherwise separate parts and, as a result, creates associations.
Contrast: is the most effective way to create emphasis and impact with your design.
Hierarchy: creates organisation.
Balance: provides stability and structure to a design, either through symmetry or tension of elements.
Think of this as a quick little guide to help you on your way to becoming a graphic designer. Though, actually understanding the fundamentals takes a lot more than just knowing what each one means.
Any graphic designer worth their salt should be able to put these into practice in each and every design they create. The Design Principles work together to create a design that is both visually appealing and properly structured. We can't stress how important they are to master if you want to be a graphic designer.
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