Graphic designing is a perennial job. It's never going to fade away. This post is going to cover graphic designing by answering questions like what is graphic design and what a graphic designer does. What would school and school work look like if you opt for graphic designing? What are the future prospects?
With the improvement in the all-around demand for design services, the Indian design enterprise is also evolving to the next level. The Indian graphics business is expected to grow up to a whopping INR 188.32 billion by 2020. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (United States) report, approximately 5% growth can be expected in graphic services by 2026.
What Is Graphic Designing?
Is Graphic Designing A Great Job?
The Education Needed To Become A Graphic Designer
How Much Experience Is Needed?
What Is Graphic Designing?
Graphic Designing involves finding a creative solution for someone else's need. There are several examples of graphic design in the real world: packaging, movie poster design, restaurant menus, and graphics on the web are some. Anything and everything that has pictorial creativity and is pleasing to the eye was made by a graphic designer.
Is Graphic Designing A Great Job?
Honestly, the answer is totally up to you. If you are creative, think of art as your passion, and you feel like you have an eye for design, then graphic designing is a good choice.
Do not take up graphic design if you want to start your t-shirt company. However, graphic designing is not a bed of roses. Nagging customers who don't hesitate to criticize accompany a graphic designer's job description. Moreover, you need to stay in touch with the latest developments in fonts, types, templates, and what not. Tools meant for graphic designing undergo continual updates. So you need to stay abreast of those developments as well. Join classes or look up graphic design work online to learn more about the trade. Practice is necessary to reach close to perfection.
Like any other career path, being a graphic designer has its pros and cons. But one who knows his work well will succeed big in the field of graphic designing.
Also read : The 10 Best Tools for Graphic Designers
The Education Needed To Become A Graphic Designer
- If I want to be a graphic designer do I need to learn to code?
- Does one need to take graphic design classes in college?
- I don't know how to draw but should I still apply for a graphic design major?
These questions will strike you. You cannot ignore them. Well, formal education in any domain strengthens an individual's knowledge and concepts in that field. However, going to college for gaining expertise in graphic designing isn't a necessity. It will take more discipline and structured approach to become a graphic designer if you opt to skip graphic designing related education.
A graphic designer uses amazing tools (Adobe Photoshop, Gimp, etc.) and software to create mind-blowing creative solutions. So coding for a graphic designer equates to having in-depth knowledge about such tools. Drawing on paper can only fetch you limited clients. Hence, you need to think beyond drawing and designing on paper.
Anyone genuinely interested in graphic designing knows the basics of drawing. So if you don't know how to draw, it's going to take really long to reach an amateur level as a graphic designer. And long here refers to several years.
Also read : Sahil Dev: How I Designed My Own World
Schoolwork
Different art schools teach different things with the same fundamentals. You start with basic classes. Classes get more involved and engaging as you move forward. You will be taking reds in layouts, typography, package design, and branding through logos, corporate identity, and advanced illustration.
It's not going to be easy. For example, math is very difficult but at the end of the day, everything is solvable and has a solution. Same applies to graphic designing coursework. The projects will be challenging and time consuming. A big part of learning graphic design is learning to take pictures. If you are going to graphic design, you need to learn what and how to improvise through creativity.
Schoolwork will involve extensive re-work and redesign. Don't ever take critiques and comments personally; they are meant to improve your work. Listen to the teachers, they will tell them you should change this and that. Be prepared to grow a thick skin. Your lines and colors may be condemned, the layout may be discarded on first glance. It all comes down to grasping the limitations and then improving them.
Skills and motivation
Seek inspiration from websites like Behance. The works of others will give rise to new ideas and perspective. Find out what inspires you and then find the resources to give it shape.
Also read : How to Hire A Freelance Graphic Designer
Internships
The best time to get an internship is when you are midway while pursuing your college or at the end. The probability of securing internship increases manifolds based on your portfolio. To get an internship, you need a good portfolio. Don't stress about this too much while you are in school. The fundamental problems that you do are not going to end up as your portfolio pieces, but value your portfolio and keep refining it. It's a reflection of your work quality and capabilities.
You need a resume in addition to a portfolio. It doesn't have to be over-the-top but needs to attest to your history. A resume is your background check.
If your internship advisors get impressed by your work, they may offer you a full-time job opportunity. If you are not able to secure the job offer post the internship, don't fret. The experience gained as an intern is invaluable.
Also read : 10 Best Video Editing Tools for Your Business
Life After College
Freelancing versus working for a big company, you choose the career trajectory after college. As a freelancer, you aren't restricted to an office setup and remain your own boss. Unlike working at an office, there's no concept of fixed income as a freelancer. It's also hard to find clients at times in the absence of a strong network. You can start your own freelancing career as a graphic designer after thoroughly weighing the pros and cons.
If you are a tad apprehensive about freelancing, start with a full-time job. There are several openings for graphic designing on websites like LinkedIn. It's all about finding the right match.
How Much Experience Is Needed?
To be honest, experience helps. In case you have received formal education in graphic designing, any kind of internship and projects help from an experience perspective helps. It really helps if you have a degree.
In case you don't have a degree in graphic designing nor any kind of part-time or internship experience, having a solid portfolio is the only way to get that first client. Improvise on the designs made by others, come up with out-of-the-box illustrations, and most importantly, be ready for rejections. After all, failure is the stepping stone to success.
Link : https://startuptalky.com/become-graphic-designer/
Author :- Devashish Shrivastava
June 17, 2020 at 12:00PM
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