To become a graphic designer, you’ll need to have imagination capability along with some IT and Drawing skills. You have to develop your mindset in a way so that you can easily find out a practical solution to the problems. And yes, in the graphic designing industry good communication skills are preferred.
Working knowledge of some desktop design software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, QuarkXpress and Other image editing packages is required. You can do courses to master them. There are various colleges, private institutes, workshops, graphic design agency and in other big cities of India providing courses to master graphic designing skills. You can also master these skills with self-study as there are free video lectures available on platforms like YouTube etc.
Before covering some more discussion, Let us understand the Job of a Graphic Designer.
Table of Contents
What Does a Graphic Designer Do?
It is necessary to understand the profile of a Graphics Designer before anyone takes his/her first step into this industry.
1.Active Discussions
You have to take part in the discussions in order to understand the design requirements. Good communication is always preferred whenever you are discussing the project requirements with your clients or colleagues.
2. Planning and Selection of Tools
You have to properly choose the materials or tools and style to fulfil the requirements of the respective clients.
3. Production of Temporary sketches
Before moving for any final design, you have to prepare a rough sketch of the designs to show them to your clients. So that client can suggest any changes in the temporary sketches he wants. It saves time.
4. Production of Design with Softwares
For the production of finalized designs, you need to have the proper knowledge of software to prepare designs.
5. Finalizing the Designs
A graphic designer has to finalise the designs from options or the choices available. This selection is wisely made by the designers.
6. Understanding the Deadlines
This is the most important factor when it comes to Graphic Designing. Understanding the deadline is important so that you can judge what kind of output you have to endow to your clients and at what time.
Steps to Become a Graphic Designer?
1.Getting Started – Build Your Foundation
Learn the Basics of Drawing
Before you go to the Professional Arts you should have the ability to illustrate your ideas on paper. The graphic designer begins every project with some temporary sketches. They show these sketches to their seniors in the team or to the clients. So, it is important to have a skill which helps you to put your point of view in front of your clients. There are numerous graphic designing tips for non designers & beginners available on the internet. You can follow these tips to learn more about graphic designing.
Learn Theory of Graphic Designing – Typography, Grid Theory and Grid Systems
Graphic designing is not like playing with fonts and putting imaginary objects wherever you want. You have to learn the scientific approach of putting the things creatively in order. A good graphic designer has an understanding of the layouts, margins, spacing, padding, Fonts and colours. There are numerous graphic designing tips available for non-designer on the internet today, you can also follow those tips to learn more.
2. Master the software
Digital designs play a key role in the production of professional designs. To become a Pro, the designer needs a high command over the Designing Software Programs. There are a bunch of software in Adobe Family and proficiency in all these software is required to become a Professional Graphic Designer.
Here are the popular three software that one should master to become a Graphic Designer.
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Learn Adobe Photoshop
This is the software of the Adobe Family which used by the Graphic Designers to edit or Adjust and Image. More Technically, Photoshop allows the Manipulation of Individual Pixels. These are the things that one can do with Adobe Photoshop – Editing the Flaws in Photo, Changing the Background of Image and other editings at Pixel Level.
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Learn Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is the software which is used when there is a requirement of Illustration or a Logo from the client. This software is for the Imaginary Illustrations on Digital Screens.
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Learn Adobe InDesign
InDesign allows a Graphic Designer to create Layout Formats and inserting Image Placeholders after that file goes for Professional Printing. Suppose if you are creating a brochure than Adobe InDesign will save your Final Project into a Folder that contains a copy of your images, fonts and Designs.
3. Choose An Area of Specialization
There are three main Niches in Graphic Designing. Having a niche helps a designer to focus on a single area and it ultimately helps in getting more projects of a specific kind. There are the Niches in Graphic Designing –
- Logo Design
- Web Design and Digital Design
- Multi-Media Design
4. Build a Portfolio and Start Your Career
Building a Stand-Out Portfolio is also part of the Graphic Designing where one should focus on. Choose your best work to showcase to your clients. When you start working as a designer then in a few months you have some Projects that you could include in your portfolio to show your clients.
So, These were some steps to become a Graphic Designer. Graphics Designing is more than just a Technical Art. If anyone wants to become the master of Graphic Designing he/she has to explore the basics of the business to understand any company’s background and history when a client approaches with a project.
