Graphic design is one of the most varied jobs in the world. Learning the right combination of tools and techniques could take you from designing for film to creating the next hit social app. This industry is an incredible one to be apart of.
What is Graphic Design anyway?
Graphic Design is the term to describe a combination of techniques and rules which when applied together can create clear, concise imagery that often solves a problem and communicates a message. Even though art and graphic design are similar in that they are both visual mediums, graphic design is focused on creating compelling imagery and designs that communicate a clear message to the end user.
What kind of graphic design jobs are there?
The field of Graphic Design is incredibly diverse. You could be a graphic designer for film like the designer Annie Atkins who created incredible design work for the film Grand Budapest Hotel.
Or how about a UX/UI designer and create the next social media app. Print design is another massive field, creating books, magazines, leaflets, posters and much more. One of the most common and well paid design jobs in the world is marketing design. This is where you create assets for marketing teams within companies or by joining a design studio to work with many clients and briefs. Motion Graphics is taking the whole of design and getting it moving, to create vibrant, engaging content.
How do you learn Graphic Design?
The best place to start learning Graphic Design is Photoshop and illustrator. Photoshop is used for digital design and photo editing. It’s an incredible toolkit that can be used to create eye catching graphics, photo montages and even digital paintings.
Illustrator on the other hand is mainly for print design. This is because it is vector based which means you can create for example a logo and have that the size of a small penny or scale it up to the size of a billboard and it will never loose quality. But you can still use illustrator to create incredible digital designs and it’s tool-sets complement Photoshops brilliantly.
How many design jobs are there?
If you think of how many companies there are in the world and that every single one of them is trying to sell something – that means they all are trying to communicate to potential customers. That’s where we as designers come in. We are the ones that take complex problems and messages and turn them into ease to digest designs. We give beauty and clarity to the world… and you will get paid for it!
Do you have to know how to draw?
You don’t have to know how to draw to be a Graphic Designer but it definitely helps. Learning to quickly sketch out ideas is the one the best techniques you could learn early on as a graphic designer. Another skill which might not be as obvious is Photography. With Photography you can quickly learn the rules of composition, negative space, balance, colour and light. All are concepts that are invaluable to a designer. If I were just starting out as a designer today I would get myself Adobe Photoshop and use the camera of my mobile phone and see what designs I could come up with.
How much can I earn as a Graphic Designer?
The salary of a Graphic Designer can vary greatly. As a junior you could expect £70-£100 a day as a freelancer or around £19-25k fulltime as a junior graphic designer. Mid level designers can get between £150-250 a day freelance and £25-45k a year full time. Senior designers can get £250-450 a day as freelance or as fulltime, £45-75k a year. But there are many ways to earn money as a designer, you could be fulltime, freelance and have a passive income all at the same time. So it is possible to maximize your income with the same skillsets.
How do I get started?
If you want to get started on your Graphic Design journey then you can take a look at the Design School’s mini course. It takes you through the process of creating a professional Instagram post using Photoshop. In this course you will get a pro design brief from a client. Learn how to read the brief so that you designs hit the mark with minimal feedback from your client. You will create a seamless four image carousel post for Instagram that includes mobile phone mockups. I will show you my Pro work flow to create non-destructive images which can be changed and updated very fast depending on feedback.
Do you have a full design course?
Coming later this year in 2021 The Design School will launch it’s full design course. Each lesson will start with a professional design brief that you would receive from clients in the real world. At the end of this full course you will have a portfolio that is ready to get you a job anywhere in the world.
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