Hello and welcome to this beginner's guide series to graphic design.
From what graphic design is, skills to be a graphic designer, design theory, education you need,
equipment you need to the graphic design portfolio and interview advice.
This series is for anyone at any level.
So if you're interested in graphic design and considering becoming a graphic designer
join me as I discuss a series of graphic design topics.
So your thinking about getting into a creative career.
With all the creative disciplines out there you're wondering if graphic design
is right for you? In this episode I'm going to suggest a couple of key
questions you can ask yourself. I propose these questions because your answers
will give you a good indication if graphic design is something you should consider.
By the end of this video you should be able to decide if graphic
design is right for you. If you can answer yes to all the following
questions then graphic design will be a suitable creative create for you.
However if you answer no to some of them you may want to
reconsider if graphic design is right for you.
So the first question is: Are you good at drawing? To be able to draw and sketch
you will be able to communicate your ideas visually not just to yourself but to others
which can be crucial in the ideas process. Sketching is a great method to
render your imagination fast and bring your initial ideas out of your mind to
rule out anything you feel may or may not work. Every designer should be able
to draw and sketch to some degree.
Can you communicate well verbally? Indeed graphic design is all about
communicating visually but it is essential that you can also talk about
your ideas. Sometimes you will need to sell your ideas at a presentation
to win that pitch, get that job or convince a client your idea is strong.
Can you present your work? Do you have the confidence to present your work to others?
How about a room full of strangers? There will be occasions where you will have to
present your work either to other team members, clients or at an interview.
This is an essential requirement
Do you like to research? A big part of the design process is research and discovery.
To produce interesting and original work a lot of time will need to
be spent researching. Do you like the problem solve?
Graphic design is not just about creating great looking images.
Graphic design can be extremely challenging requiring a lot of research,
understanding, thinking and development. Often you will have to create exciting
visual solutions to challenging design briefs.
Are you good at conceptual thinking?
One of the most attractive qualities any employer will look for is
the ability to think outside of the box. A potential employer will not only be
looking for high quality execution of your work but high quality of ideas
Great ideas will get you far in the industry.
Can you harness your creativity into realistic solutions?
A lot of work you will have to produce as a graphic designer
will need to be practical and functional. You will not always have the
creative freedom to do whatever you want. If you are an extremely passionate
artistically creative person you will need to be able to control it. To have
good judgment and discipline to produce a result that works best for the brief.
Can you work with limitations? There will be lots of occasions where you may not
have all the creative freedom you want
are you happy working under someone else's direction, to rules grids and
guidelines set by other designers. Can you pay close attention to detail?
To achieve high standards you will need to pay closer attention to details. In most
cases you will be responsible for your work. it won't reflect well on you if
there are mistakes or errors that could have been avoided.
Are you happy creating commercial work? Most graphic design work today is commercial.
Depending on the agency or company you work for you will often have to
create work for commercial clients. Are you happy creating work for commercial
application or would you prefer to create work for more
cultural or personal artistic achievement?
Do you have a passion for typography?
Type is one of the fundamental creative elements of graphic design.
There is a lot to be learned about the anatomy of type and how to use type well.
As a graphic designer you will need to have a keen
interest in typography and be able to apply it well.
Do you like working in teams? Are you people person or do you prefer to work
alone in your own space? As a graphic designer
you will have to be able to work with others on many levels be it collaboratively,
taking instructions or giving instruction. Can you take direction from others?
You often get the opportunity to work on your own design but there will be times
especially early on in your career where you will have to take creative direction
from a senior member of staff or client.
Are you happy to work to someone else's ideas or do you prefer to work your own designs.
Can you work under pressure? You will always have to work to some
sort of deadline and often this can be tight.
This will put pressure on you to produce good creative solutions to a particular
deadline. You will have to be comfortable working to a deadline and have good time management.
Are you happy working under pressure or do you prefer to do your own thing in
your own time. Can you work to a specific brief? You will most likely always have
to work to some kind of brie. You may have a certain degree of freedom within
the brief but you will have to create something specific that a brief will require.
Are you happy working to a particular brief or do you prefer
complete and utter freedom on what you create?
Can you take criticism? You will have to be comfortable taking criticism.
It's a big part of being a graphic designer. As you work with clients or
other members of a team you may often get all things about your work you may
not like to hear. Whether it's right or wrong people will have an opinion and
more often than not it will not be personal.
You will need to keep an open mind and be objective.
Are you prepared to work on a computer most of the time?
Graphic design is typically a desk job and you will find yourself
using a computer most of the time.
Can you see yourself being creative for the foreseeable future?
Graphic design can be real fun but it is by no means an
easy job. You will have to be creative on demand to a brief and to deadline.
This can take a lot of energy and determination.
Sometimes you may have to do things you do not like. So those are some key
questions you can ask yourself. If you would like to take a closer look at the
questions discussed in this video you can find out more in the description or
in the PDF document that accompanies this video series.
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Now there are lots of skills and qualities you will need in order to become a designer
and become a good designer. In the next video I'm going to discuss some of the
skills and qualities you will need to become a graphic designer.
So see you in the next video!
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