Those who are viewing my website are probably on here looking at my work for one of these few reasons (I am guessing):
- You’re one of my family members (hi mom!)
- You’re one of my teachers/peers/potential employers
- You are a graphic designer
or… - You are learning to become a graphic designer
If the fourth option applies to you, welcome to the world of graphic design! I promise you are going to have a lot of fun in this field. In the year that I have been studying graphic design, I have enjoyed it a lot, and I am sure you will too.
I’ve learned a lot of different things in this one year I’ve been graphic designing, and a lot of these things I wish I knew before I started. I am glad I know them now, but I feel like I could’ve learned and used these skills early to make my beginning projects a lot better. So, here is some friendly advice for anyone planning on becoming a professional designer!
1. The first one is probably the most important one. If you take nothing else from this post, at least take this piece advice: get yourself familiar with the “Principles of Design”. Taking the time to learn about these principles will really enhance all of the projects you are doing. You’ll start thinking about applying these principles in your designs, sometimes without even realizing it. Also, you’ll have a head start on other aspiring graphic designers.
2. Another thing you should do before getting too far into designing is purchase a sketchbook. I wish I had done this on the first day of class, because it would have been very useful. I enjoy sketching out my ideas before putting them to work in an Adobe program. Only problem was: I would always do my sketches on loose-leaf paper, and they would always get lost or crumpled up in my bag. Having a sketchbook to work in makes it a lot easier to keep your sketches organized for a portfolio, and it is much more presentable to employers.
3. Get yourself out there! A great way to get experience in the graphic design world is by getting known by more people. This can be done by looking for internships, get in contact with people in the graphic design field, or attending public portfolio shows, to name a few. My school hosts a portfolio show every year so that students may showcase their work. This is also a great time for these students to get in touch with employers and potentially find jobs.
4. Your projects will get better with time. Most of my projects from my first few months of graphic designing were not as good as they could be. I was still learning and did not understand the design principles that well. If you feel like your projects aren’t as good as they could be, or aren’t as good as the projects you see around you, don’t worry! Everyone has to start somewhere. And besides, you can always go back later to make your projects even better. That’s what I am taking this summer to do, anyways!
There is much more advice I could give you, but you would be missing out on more graphic designing… so just get out there and design! Even if it’s your first time designing or your millionth time, you can always improve and learn!!
Have fun!
TC