How to be a Graphic Designer | Career | Skills | Scope — Hamstech
People understand better when they are shown things visually. No matter how much we read about something, we won’t be able to grasp the exact idea until we look at it! Let it be an image, item, directions, signs or illustrations. Everybody has a different imagination, so having a visual representation will make it easier for people to relate and connect to it better. Graphic designing is the field which bridges the gap between verbal communication and understanding with visual representation. It is a form of communication design. You’ll find graphic designers are a part of different sectors in the industry, ranging from fashion, advertising to marketing and design. You name it and you’ll find a graphic designer there!
What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is an art medium through which messages are communicated using visual means like illustrations, symbols, logos and so on. As a graphic designer, you’ll be creating layouts, using typography and incorporating colours in order to develop visually interactive designs which will reach the user. Graphic designing is all about making things more accessible and easily understandable through visual designs. Graphic design in itself is a part of communication design and there are various categories and types in graphic design. These vary based on the area of graphic design you are interested in and the kind of visuals that you like to work on. We will be looking at different types of graphic design along with the skills required to become a graphic designer.
Skills Required for Graphic Designing
- Creativity is an unspoken rule in any field of design. So being a graphic designer also means coming up with innovative ideas from time to time. As there are many types of graphic design, you’ll have to hone your creative skills to make designs that will work for your specialisation. So explore more and keep learning through graphic design courses and workshops. Take part in graphic designing competitions to challenge yourself and think outside the box.
- As a graphic designer, you will be working with various kinds of software simultaneously. So it’s really important to know your way through these design softwares. The most commonly used design software is Adobe. You will be introduced to these as a part of your graphic designing course. There are also a lot of videos online that have been created by other experienced graphic designers to help out the beginners in understanding a design software. There are many options offered by different brands, try out a few and decide for yourself which works the best. All design software comes with a free trial period of 1 month or at least a week. Make the best use of these resources.
- Graphic designers work with fonts on a daily basis. A lot of graphic designing specialisations involve typography. So building and working on your knowledge of typography is very important when you are a graphic designer. This typography skill is the way of arranging letters in a way that clearly delivers the message intended. Typography involves font design, style, appearance, colours and formats that make it visually appealing and approachable. You will be using typography everywhere not just in fonts but in making any visual content accessible to the public.
- Visual design skills are required for a graphic designer. Visual design is the aesthetic of a site and how it looks when others visit this site. So it’s all about including images, texts, icons, fonts, animations and illustration to create a layout that’s appealing. It’s important not to overdo the visuals, as it can take the focus away from content. Everything on that page should work in harmony and bring out a clear message. A good graphic designer should be able to tell what works and what doesn’t visually. Practicing with different layouts, placements, design elements, colours and content from time to time will give you a better idea about visual design.
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Types of Graphic Design
All companies, no matter which sector they belong to, have a brand that they build. There is a story, purpose and values on which a brand stands. As a Graphic designer who specializes in Branding Design, it’s your responsibility to know and understand what the brand has to offer. That’s how you can build a brand identity and presence visually, that people will connect with. Branding of any company has a lot of impact in the ways prospective clients identify and relate to it. Graphic designers specializing in this field will work on putting up visual representations that will connect with the target audience. Creating a visual identity for a brand is the way to get a brand’s message through to the public. As a part of branding design, you’ll be working on brand banners, logos, brand portfolio layouts, company letterhead, brand business cards and things that contribute to building the brand’s image.
Art illustration design is a specialization in Graphic design where you will be communicating through innovative and attractive artwork. Graphic designers will be working on creating original works of art and digital illustrations to get the message out. A lot of work goes into conceptualizing and creating a piece of art, that’s based on the message. Fashion illustration is a type of art illustration design where upcoming collections are represented in the form of stylised illustrations. These fashion illustrations are featured on magazines, brand portfolios, websites, the brand’s social media handles and so on. Other than this, we have t-shirt designs, comic books, album art, book covers and concept art. These are some among the many categories that fall under Art illustration Design. Graphic designers who are also very good artists and love working on creating new storylines could opt for Art illustration Design. As there are multiple categories under this type of graphic design. An artist will have a lot of options to explore. Depending on what you enjoy sketching, you could select one of these specialisations.
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Advertising and Marketing is one the most important factors that are involved in building a brand image. This is the way through which companies reach their target audience and learn what they are looking for! Graphic designers will be coming up with creatives that are engaging based on what people require. Advertising and Marketing are the means through which you can educate people about your products and services. Now that digital marketing has taken the center stage, all kinds of advertising and brand promotions happen through online platforms. Making them as visually accessible as possible is the way to go about marketing and advertising design. Graphic designers who work for this specialization work on creating content that includes banners, postcards, flyers, images for websites and social media ads among other things. Graphic designers discuss with the digital marketing team, directors and marketing professionals to create ads and visuals that align with the marketing strategies of the company.
Environmental design involves working with architecture and landscape design which can aid people when out navigating in the world. It’s a part of graphic design that deals with creating signage, exhibit banners, art murals, wayfinding designs, art installations and other designs like sculptures and fountains. They contribute by connecting places and people with their work that makes it easier for them to experience and navigate through the environment. All the direction signs you see in airports and malls, the boards that list where items are placed in a supermarket, these are a part of wayfinding design. This will help people know their environment better and help them navigate through it.
Print Media involves creating layouts and designs for content that will be printed physically on paper. Even though we have moved on to the digital age of design, there are still some areas that involve print design. This graphic design specialisation is best for people who love seeing their work circulating on paper. These print media designs include posters, cloth or paper banners, magazines, books, stickers, business cards, flyers and so on. Like other graphic design specialisations, designers of print media are also needed in different kinds of industries. Now that wedding and event cards have become popular in the market, there is a lot more demand for print media designers. Graphic designers from print media can be a part of different industries like hospitality, fashion, event planning and so on.
Graphic designers who work in product design create and develop designs for creative and innovative new designs. Their work will change depending on the company that they work for! They work on the lines of products that are usually offered by their respective brands. As they are introducing new product designs into the market, there is a lot of research and background work that’s involved. They have to do market surveys, research on the performance of the products made by the company, the needs of their target audience, the brand’s vision and create designs accordingly. Initially after gathering all the required information, graphic designers come up with proposed design sketches or prototype samples. Which once approved, are sent for production. Product designers are further split into more categories like Visual Designers, Prototype designers, Data analysts, Interaction designers and so on!
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Motion Graphic designers work in creating motion visuals. This may include many things like videos, typography, animation, audio and everything else that’s a part of online media. We see a lot of video content online these days and it has the most number of online views. It’s a great way to make your content engaging and keep your target audience connected to everything that you have to offer. Earlier, Motion graphic design required a lot of expensive equipment but technological advances have made it possible for us to create quality content that’s also affordable. Applications and new software enable graphic designers to work on their projects from anywhere, making this one of the most sought after professions. Motion graphic design includes animation design, video advertisements, video games, apps, trailers, animated videos and so much more!
Join Hamstech’s graphic design course and discover your area of specialisation!
Originally published at https://www.hamstech.com on June 10, 2021.
