To become a graphic designer, it is useful to first understand what is means to be a graphic designer and what discipline entails? The term ‘graphic design’ is essentially the result of visual concepts to create great communication with an agenda in mind. Graphic designers are essentially storytellers that can take complex data and present it in a pure, digestible way. Graphic design can be used by companies to promote and sell products through advertising or by businesses to develop an identity through branding, among other things. For a more detailed explanation of graphic design have a look at What is Graphic Design?
Choose a way to learn how to design
Graphic design will vary from school to school and will range from catering to offering mere introductions to graphic design to the more .advance comprehensive style courses that cover basic foundations to in-depth rules, principles, and applications.
A successful online environment should complement an online graphic design course and use a virtual classroom to allow live lectures for tutor and student interaction, and videoconferencing as well as quick turnaround emails.
By the end of a good course, you should have a solid understanding of various elements of graphic design and you will be able to produce logos, layouts, and other graphic applications on a basic level.
There are certain things to look out for in what is generally deemed to be a good graphic design course and it is worth noting that a comprehensive course should typically last between 7 months to 12 months.
The school should cover a thorough syllabus that addresses graphic design processes including theory. This could something like this:
What a good graphic design course might cover
- Logo design (When you’re starting out as a graphic designer, a common mistake that’s made is focusing too much on perfecting the logo which, does of course, portrays your brand to prospective clients, but what about the typography on your website or profile?
- Exploring the notion of the ‘graphic idea’
- Colour theory (each colour has an undertone and meaning to it)
- Publicity and Publishing
- Branding or Branding identity
- Composition
- Scale, spacing, and placing (exploring spaces between letters, lines, and blocks of text and manipulations to enhance appearance)
- Using grids to enhance your work
- Decoding and constituting typefaces and designing typography
- Packaging
- Typography (used correctly, typography can convey a certain mood or feeling)
- Computer imaging
- Illustrations and Image-making
- Visual Communication and theory
- 3-dimensional and 2-D
- Communicating words and feelings through connotative images
- Found objects: creating an overlay
- Visual hierarchies, integrating each element and the role of white space
- Pastiche, appropriation and creating visual puns
- Computer Graphic Applications
- Web Designs (including UX-UI)
- Layout designs and vectors
- Kerning, tracking, and leading
- The visual relationship between words and images
- Exploring lines of symmetry and consistency
With over 10 years’ experience teaching graphic design the syllabus at Blue Sky Graphics can be found and downloaded at https://blueskygraphics.co.uk/course-syllabus/
What is the quickest route to becoming a graphic designer?
Here is how to become a graphic designer. Learn the software. Become passionate for design. Build a portfolio. Start taking gigs and bookings. That was the short summary, but what is the most common way to become a graphic designer?
Pathways to becoming a graphic designer vary from traditional school routes to gaining an internship and training in house. E-learning is an online education system that uses technology to transfer expert abilities and knowledge. It is possible to learn graphic design through being self-taught but you will need lots of discipline. The easier routes and popular ways of becoming a graphic designer is to study graphic design through online schools.
The courses found on Udemy often serve the purpose of providing a useful introduction to graphic design in a non-tailored and generic way solely designed for mass participants. You will need to build strong self-motivation and disciplinary abilities due to the lack of face to face or any interaction. Think of watching a movie, but one that teaches you things.
However real-time online modern e-learning schools have enabled students to study graphic design from the comfort of their own home in a more effective way. Studying on a one to one basis so that tutors can focus their attention fully on a student and their individual learning is a great way for learners to learn at their own pace. This is a huge advantage compared to normal classes of twenty to thirty students which is hardly surprising as it is particularly effective in improving not only a student’s graphic design level, but also their practical understanding of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign when creating their commercial portfolio.
With less distractions, the teacher is better able to appreciate and work on a student’s areas of weaknesses, making the whole learning process more effective. At Blue Sky Graphics students will respond better to a teacher that is suited to them, in terms of both temperament and learning style.
To become a graphic designer, you should do the following 7 things:
1) Understand the core principles of graphic design and then apply these under expert supervision. This is essentially practising what has been taught to you (preferably through enroling onto a good course).
2) Familiarise yourself with a brief history of graphic design processes and solving problems creatively while establishing a the vocabulary of successful design and to find inspiration for our own projects (an essential ability that prepares you for the real world).
3) Do your homework that teachers set as this will prepare you for advanced learning development by professional graphic designers.
4) Develop your proficiency, instinct, and workflow which will usually come from constructive teacher feedback on each piece of your work or portfolio. Be fluent in visual design tricks such as contrast, repetition, sublimation, tension.
5) Put together a commercial portfolio and ensure it has a clear purpose and organised. The portfolio is the most important showcase of your work whether you are a student at Blue Sky Graphics, studying alone, or a freelancer looking out for clients – your graphic design portfolio. Remember that the most important thing to potential next employer or clients is the portfolio where hard truth is that you will be categorically 100% judged.
According to Caroline Forsey of Hub Spot Marketing, a graphic design portfolio is typically the only element a client needs to see when choosing a graphic designer — which means a portfolio is vital for proving your ability as a designer.
6) Have an online presence with a website containing your professional portfolio and make at least three freelance profiles. Participate in graphic design communities. Remember to choose the right platform to showcase your work. Lindsay Burke, a HubSpot Product Designer, emphasizes “investing in a quality website with a custom domain URL will pay-off in the long run by demonstrating your professionalism to potential clients. Include ‘Projects’, ‘About Me’, and ‘Contact Me’ sections, so visitors can peruse your content and then contact you without ever leaving the site”.
7) Find work as a freelance graphic designer, marketing role, creative positions or work in-house.