Hello! let’s discuss, How to become a graphic designer?
I am kailash, I started graphic designing a couple of years ago as a passion or hobby. But gradually I discovered it’s the best career choice or profession in the 21st century.
On average in India, a graphic designer with a minimum of 1 year of experience can earn around 3 lakhs per annum in hand as salary, or if he starts freelancing, then the sky is the limit!
Here I will provide the best of my knowledge and experience that how if you have a passion for working with computers, and adobe creative cloud software like photoshop and illustrator, you can become a great graphic designer.
Introduction
Graphic design is nothing but visual communication. A graphic designer tries to sell a product or tells a story with the help of visual graphics such as banners, pamphlets, brochures, magazines, social media posts, display ads, sometimes motion banners, etc.
Generally, visual design means the right usage of space, size, colors, fonts, content, images, shapes, vectors, icons, etc.
Opportunities
I can see that graphic design can become a stepping stone to many advanced professions such as filmmaking, art design, Animation, Video Editing, Motion Graphics, UI UX design, Web Design, App Design, Photo Editing, and composition, multimedia professional, publication or DTP designer, etc.
Scope
After the boom of the internet or Jio revolution in India, graphic design is the most sought-after skill for many business models, It may be a traditional business or a digital business, That is what attracts more individuals to pursue this career as it is easy to learn and get an opportunity with a decent income source.
How can you become a graphic designer
Learn the fundamentals of design
First, if you want to pursue design as a career option, then any design whether it’s graphic design, UI UX design, or web design you must have a basic fundamental understanding of design. Like how color works, how the fonts are used to show an emotion, what are the sizes fo various design layouts, and What should be the structure of various design concepts.
You should also learn various design software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. Because these software are the industry standard and universal, No matter which industry you will work upon but these tools are going to remain the same.
Enroll in a design course or tutorials
Yes, on your own if you start learning, then it will take you almost around 1 year to learn the fundamentals but if you pursue a course, then you can learn things very fast. I am not saying that you should take admission to a fancy college, or university and do a degree, that’s totally bullshit, not worth it at all, where you can learn things online, as there are various platforms like LinkedIn learning, skillshare, udemy, etc, where you can start learning with just a few hundred of rupees and get certified as well.
Remember that the company where you will join as a graphic designer is not going to look for your graphic design certificate, they are going to judge you on the basis of your skill set and design experience or portfolio, that’s it.
Another thing is that you can learn everything for free on YouTube if you are really desperate about learning graphic design and have no money, there are various channels like gfx mentor, Rajeev Mehta, where you can learn graphic design very easily.
The key thing is how many things you implement after learning like you have to learn a lot, and practice, design a lot as well. Then you can master the field of graphic design.
Because if I tell you my experience and career graph, I started learning on YouTube by watching videos of Rajeev Mehta, and a couple of other foreign YouTubers and started practicing daily.
I have designed literally thousands of designs to date, and still figuring out how to make a difference through my design every single day.
Learn Key graphic design tools
Graphic designers use a range of tools to design. the most common tool is the adobe creative cloud tool, where you can learn, adobe photoshop, adobe illustrator, and adobe InDesign as the majority of your work will require these tools in the future.
Caution: Stay away from tools like Canva and Crello, where readymade templates are available to design things.
Practice and design your own projects
Most importantly, this is the thing that matters a lot!
but how will you do that?
Here comes the role of websites like Behance, Dribbble, and Pinterest, where you can find the design inspiration and practice those designs on your computer with industry-standard tools.
Create mockups, logos, and designs, and look at the freelancers, and companies like how they are working and what are the design trends going on. Because every year design trends change, and you have to also acquire those trends in order to stay in the trends, or else you will be outdated.
Build a portfolio to showcase your work
Here you have to showcase your work to the audience or your potential clients or employers. For that, a portfolio is the most important thing that must have.
A strong portfolio can make or break your career.
Here it doesn’t matter how many projects you have designed to date but how you designed them. Here the quality matters rather than the quantity.
To showcase your work you can use Instagram, you can launch your own portfolio website, can create a brochure that could contain all of your best works to date, or you can simply create your own Behance or Dribbble profile, where the potential buyer can go and watch at your designs.
What are the different type of graphic designers?
There are basically three types of graphic designers.
- Inhouse graphic designers
- Agency graphic designers
- freelance graphic designers
Inhouse graphic designers
They generally work under a particular established or registered brand or business or company and work from them on a salary basis. Generally, they work as a creative team with other creative professionals, They are completely focused on building the brand image for the company in which they are working.
Agency graphic designers
This kind of graphic designer generally work for a PR agency or digital marketing agency and work for various kind of clients on a daily basis, they deal with them, get their work done before the due date, submit the design and take reviews and feedback from them. I am also an agency graphic designer but still working as a freelance graphic designer as well.
Freelance Graphic Designers
They are self-employed. They work from home or corner of the world. They earn more than an employed graphic designer, but sometimes they earn nothing if they don’t have any work.
Here they could have a hectic schedule because they have to find the clients, work, and deliver them all alone.
Does the graphic design require drawing skills?
The answer is sometimes. But if you want to become an illustrator or logo designer, then yes having a drawing skill could be beneficial, but drawing could be basic like drawing wireframes or layouts, that’s it. Because most of your work is going to happen with the tools or software.
Can graphic design be learned at home without going to an institution and taking tests?
The answer is a big yes! I have learned graphic design at my home during the lockdown due to covid 19 pandemic outbreak, where I lost my existing office admin job and become unemployed. You can become a great designer even if you learn at home at your own pace and time, you could refer to watching youtube tutorials or other great online platforms like udemy, LinkedIn learning, skillshare, etc.
If I learn Coreldraw well, do I still have to learn Photoshop and Illustrator to become a graphic designer?
The answer is definitely yes. Photoshop and illustrator are industry-standard software that could never be replaced. Mostly CorelDraw is used in print design, but it is not widely popular in the design industry. it is a vector-based program wherein you can design logos, vectors, and icons but not graphics, whereas Photoshop, is still the king.
Where can I see graphic design in the world every day?
You can see the best graphic design work on the sites like Behance and dribble, where the designers post all of their recent works and you could get inspired by them.
If I have a degree in product design, can I still pursue a graphic design career?
Yes, your product design knowledge could help you learn things faster.
How can I pursue my interest in graphics design if I am still a child?
Let’s assume that you are in school, then first start learning computer, basic design principles, and the common tools like photoshop and illustrator, who knows by the end of completing your 12th you can be the next big graphic designer of your age!
Where can I learn graphic design in my spare time?
I would suggest watching youtube tutorials, reading popular graphic design blogs, and following Behance or dibble is more than enough.
How do I become a graphic designer when I already have an electrical engineering degree?
There is no relation between electrical engineering and graphic design. You have to start learning the fundamentals from the beginning.
Is graphic designing hard?
Yes, it is hard unless or until you learn and practice it properly.
How can you become a freelance graphic designer?
Whatever kind of designer you want to be, the most common thing is that you have to learn a lot.