A graphic designer is a professional who designs and creates various types of graphics to be published via printing or electronic media. A prospective graphic style artist must have an eye for art and creativity in first place. In addition to the talent, a graphic style artist should possess acceptable educational qualifications and training certificates in the area to be competitive.
The main pathways to become a graphic designer are through a training course or by self study and practice. Almost all the computing schools and universities offer degrees, diplomas and certificates on graphic outlining. There are programs in multimedia, graphic design, advertising, animation, web development, 3D animation, Interface outline and so on. Nowadays, most graphic artists have a bachelor’s degree, commonly in graphic draft or fine arts. A degree cannot exhibit a designer’s artistic skills but it is considered essential to have some paper qualifications to gain competitive advantage in the job market.
Or else an interesting person can follow short-term training courses which are available in training institutes. A student can specialize in various graphic outlining software packages by following these short-term courses. As well as the knowledge of creating concepts, a graphic creator should show some proficiency in one or more graphic design software tools to fit the industry demand. The most widely used software in the graphic design industry is Adobe Creative Suite. It includes the well-known designers’ tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver etc. It is very much important for a graphic drafter to be conversant with those software tools either by taking a course or by just playing around with them. For a web graphic designer, it is further beneficial to learn at least the basics of some programming languages like HTML, CSS and Jscript. Except for these widely known technologies, it is important for graphic creators to be observant about the new software tools and latest trends arise in the field.
If you are considering to enter the world of design and are thinking to take up a job as a graphic designer, it is important to remember a few of these points, which will help you decide.
1. Are you creative?
A graphic designer needs plenty of creativity to conjure up new and interesting ideas that will be lapped up by millions of users worldwide. The job involves creating unique website designs so that the website stays has an edge over the others.
Inherent ability to choose colors and color schemes with a natural ability to draw well are added advantages that will definitely come in useful when designing a website.
2. Join a degree or a course:
There are plenty of courses that are on offer to guide people. It is not imperative to join BlueSkyGraphics design courses or to gain a degree but some employers insist on formal education when hiring.
It is possible to become a creative graphic designer without attending a formal course and by working at it using the vast ocean of information available. There are many tutorials available online with useful videos that can train an aspiring designer.
3. A good computer and a tablet will aid designing:
In order to be able to design websites, investing in a good computer is a must as this will now be the easel for a website designer. A tablet too will come in handy as designs that pop up when on the go can be easily be recorded in the tablet.
Software like Photoshop should be installed in the computer as these will aid in designing a website. These softwares are easy to use and their uses can easily be identified by browsing their options.
4. Choose the medium that best interests you:
There are many different mediums into which a graphic designer can specialize in. There is print, online, multimedia etc. An individual should select an area based on interest and an innate ability to excel in the selected stream.
5. Store plenty of images and fonts:
Designing a website or a print ad would require the use of scores of images and the use of interesting fonts. Storing a large number of photos and fonts will come in handy when designing.
Starting up as a graphic designer is a daunting task if you look at it initially but it can be fun and interesting when the right ideas and the right focus is encouraged. There are many graphic designers with great portfolios who will be willing to take up an apprentice and whose experience will benefit a fledgling. Enrolling for a short course in a good graphic design company will also provide the required understanding of the field.
There’s a set of soft skills usually seek by the graphic model recruiters.
Those are:
• Good design sense
• Fresh and unique ideas
Good communication skills and interactions
• Client-service oriented
Stress handling and meeting deadlines
• Attention to details
• Good vocabulary
• Good at catching errors
All together with these talents, skills and education, a graphic creator must gain some good experience to go a long way. Similar to many other careers, establishing a strong career as a graphic stylist cannot be achieved overnight. Once the stylist is in the track, he should gradually build up a portfolio. A portfolio is an initial way to demonstrate his talents and capabilities to the clients or employers.
The other important practice for a good graphic stylist is to develop his own style. A professional graphic stylist should gain enough knowledge and experience to come up with his own exclusivity. A graphic designer should always follow a certain unique style to become an outstanding professional. If the others can identify the creator just by seeing his designs, it’s going to get him so much of reputation.
In conclusion, an eye for art, a good educational background, familiarity with design tools, soft skills and uniqueness together make a competitive graphic creator.
