first when starting a graphic designing career.
Top 15 Things to Learn First when Starting Out as Graphic Designer
For those that want to know the things to learn first when starting out to become a graphic designer, there are arrays of significant competencies to acquire that goes beyond mastering the ins and outs of computer designing.
Learning graphic designing is devastating for beginners who do not have prior knowledge related to graphics and designs.
Therefore, it is important to gain certain knowledge in the beginning of your starting a graphic designing career to make it easier and faster to gain mastery of the profession and succeed in it.
Below is a top list of useful tips for beginners who want to start a career in graphic design:
15 Things to Learn First when Starting Out as a Graphic Designer
- Learn relevant computer designing Software
With the upgrade in technology, graphic design entails use of various computer design software.
To start out a career in graphics designing, you have to learn CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Xara, PaintShop, and other designing software.
2. Good customer approach
The customer is always right and respecting their choice is an essential factor to learn, it does not have to be your choice, the client’s choice should be superior.
3. Learn how to prioritize your design portfolio
In designing field, your portfolio is a case for carrying papers, drawings, and photographs.
It is essentially the only resume you will need as graphics designer.
You can show it to your potential clients so that they can choose a design you will create for them.
They can see your design skills and gauge whether or not your concept matches their needs.
So, it is advised that you create your portfolio foremost before fully embracing the career.
4. Learn not to work for free
When you are starting out you will be forced to take cheap or free work so as to attract clients and also improve your portfolio.
But it is not advisable to charge fees below your skill set, if you carry out projects on cheap rate, you devalue yourself and your ability, of which potential clients might not be interested in what you can do anymore.
Be aware that some clients prefer designers who charge higher as they believe that the higher the amount charged, the more proficient a designer is.
5. Always ask for deposits before carrying out a project
Make sure to ask for deposit, initial fee, or down payment before starting work. This applies to freelancers that work remotely for clients or customer without any assurance that their clients will pay them when it’s all done. If and when they don’t, the loss is all on you.
6. Know the things that inspire you
This is an essential part in learning graphic designing. All you need to do is observe and appreciate the beautiful things around you that reflect creativity, so as to put it to design.
7. Pay proper attention to alignments when designing
Pay attention to the alignments because the most important lesson to help you learn graphic design is placing single lines, shapes, or enhancement in uniformity to create an appealing image or text.
8. Learn how to use catchy fonts
Always learn to make texts catchy, clear, and readable. Texts might not catch the attention of the reader if the graphic designer does not use appropriate and appealing fonts.
Also, bear in mind to use the appropriate fonts in a given scenario, in a situation whereby you are designing for old people’s consumption always use vivid and bold fonts for better cognition.
9. Pay attention to color cohesion
Some amateur graphic designers try to display all their skill in a single project by making it full of shouty and inappropriate colors, shapes, and fonts.
Under proper investigation by professional designers, It is advised that too much contrast is not good for designs, the principles of coloring should be strictly adhered to.
10. Learn to gather inspirational work
Learn how to build catalog of your successful projects or other designs as a sample. You can save them as bookmarks in your web browser, or save them in a folder on your computer.
11. Create a niche
Choosing a project that you are not enthusiastic about might lead to frustration; you might feel reluctant to devote your effort to completing the project.
Which niche do you perform better in, 2D or 3D design? Whichever it is, embrace it.
12. Learn typography principles
The typography you use on your business card matters a lot. As a starter, when designing your business card or website, you need to mind the typography because it is the main engine that transfers information to the consumer.
Unclear typography can interfere with readability.
13. Learn coding skills
Having a basic understanding of HTML and other web coding programs will make you exceptional in the field.
Having basic knowledge of Java and C++ coding is proficient.
14. Be fluent in communication
Understanding what a client wants from a design is essential in carrying out a successful project. Learn to be attentive to clients so as to get the gist on how to go about performing their project successfully.
15. Time management skills
You might be faced with the challenge of working on multiple projects at once so as to meet up with the deadline, therefore, it is essential to be able to multi task and have strong time management skills.
Conclusion
It is important to learn the basic things first about graphic designing if you are starting the career newly, to make it easier for you to succeed in your career.
This post shares important tips to help start your graphic design career on a solid footing.