Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
True. Design is more than just knowing how to use software.

You MUST know and understand typography, layout, grids, art history, colour theory, prepress, and the truth is that the list goes on and on, and of course talent and passion does not hurt.

If we are just talking about making this just a hobbie, then just learn how to use programs like photoshop, illustrator or freehand, flash, and read a bit about typography and grids.
 
7on said:
I'm going to say memorize an ass ton of fonts then you can be a designer :p

Memorizing fonts doesnt make you a designer. It makes you an idiot thats wasted time memorizing fonts when you could be learning so much more.

Like vectormasked said you need to learn about typography and layout etc. What leading, kerning and tracking is. Learning why they are so called will also help too. Like leading is, in its basic form - line spacing. It is called leading (pronounced ledding) because in the old days when print was created using reversed out letters in blocks of wood then coated in ink and 'pressed' on paper to change the space between lines strips of lead in various widths were used.

Upper and lowercase letters are so called because the 'capital' letters were generally kept in a tray/case above the 'small' letters i.e. upper and lowercase.

Colour theory i never learnt but I think that sort of comes naturally anyway.

Positive and negative space anyone?

Being able to draw (pen & paper) helps in visualising exercises but it is not essential.

Oh and you need to nurture a keen eye for detail.

Hope these snippets help.
 
Blue Velvet said:
Depending on the area of design you're interested in, being good at drawing is not necessarily important, but what drawing does do is to train your mind and eye to see. It's more about stretching your ability to observe and capture than being able to draw like Michelangelo.

You'll notice this when you get involved in projects and you start seeing things in a different, more analytical way. It's like the difference between hearing and listening, if that makes sense.


BV is making an extremely important point here, I'll take a step farther. I have seen a great many portfolios hit my desk over the years and I have to say that the overall quality of design portfolios has started to slip over the last 5 to 10 years. I think I'm starting to see why. Before computers, a designer visualized ideas in their head then put it down on paper. The conceptual design playground was in their head before any other medium was used. The level of drawing skill is not the important point here, the idea behind the drawing is. Design starts with ideas. Now days many start their workflow at the computer, I see lots of young designers who can't start their design process until the programs are open. While there is nothing wrong with using computers, what I'm seeing more and more is a tendency for some people to limit their conceptual thinking to what they can produce in a given computer program. Rather than starting with a concept it becomes play within a program. I'm seeing work that has lots and lots of Photoshop tricks piled on with little or no thought to what is actually being communicated. Just a long list of Photoshop filters, nothing more. The trap I see many young designers falling into is the thinking that the design process begins and ends in front of a computer.

The root of graphic design is communication, that's what we are hired to do. That's why it's so important to go beyond just learning programs and learn design and communication, the programs are only tools to communicate ideas with. If you are not communicating, you are not designing.
 
I didn't read through this entire thread, so sorry if that has already been posted...

Do you have any Apple Stores with a theater near you that give workshops? If so definitely check them out. They're free and very helpful. I just recently did a handful of workshps at the SoHo Store in New York City and learned quite a bit about Final Cut. They have design classes there all the time, Photoshop included.
 
My advice, which I have posted before in similar threads, and which mostly echoes BV and ATD's (among others) advice...

Forget about "Graphic Design" for now. Learn about everything else except design. :) You're in or about to enter high school...take all the art classes you can- general art, history, painting, photography, figure drawing, etc. Also, take communication classes. Like ATD said, graphic design is about communication. Take writing classes. Draw...A LOT.

Don't worry about learning the programs until 3-4 years from now. Right now, concentrate on learning about art and communication, and how to use the former to do the latter. The more well rounded artist you are, the bigger your palette will be when you finally make the move to graphic design.
 
i agree with everyone who says that not all things should be all digital and i should learn about comunications, writing, and other forms of art before design. both of my parents are journalists, and my grandfather was in the advertising industry, so communications and writing kind of run in my blood, and not to try to toot my own horn, but really quite a good writer if I may say so. i also have spent a lot of time at the art institute of chacago. i am a serious 35mm photographer (although I'm currently in the process of going digital). i also have a good understanding of architecture. i truly feel that I'm ready to start basic graphic design. i emphasize that i understand the difference between knowing CS and studio 8 and really being a designer. i want to learn more advanced stuff about principles of color (i already know the basics from various art classes over the years), basic typography, and page layout. after all that, i'd like to learn computer illustration like iVersa's examples. i'll also have to learn PS anyway once i switch from film.
 
iGav said:
Can I ask why?

As an example, not every company can afford a full creative department, but does want a designer on site. I worked for just that sort of company for several years. This means that they either have to hire out for things like copy writing or hand it off to their in house designer. If you have that multifaceted capability you make your self more valuable and more indispensable.

Being a designer doesn't always mean you go to work for an agency, I for one did not. I had been working as a desktop publisher before I went to school, and I returned to freelancing after graduating, which meant among other things that I had to write copy for work I was doing. I have a very quipish sense of humor, so turning a phrase comes easily to me. I was always a good technical designer, but I was never going to be featured in a design annual. My ability to use language as a tool in addition to the art skills I had learned gave me an advantage over other designers.

As others have said a graphic designer is a communication artist. Having a more than basic grasp of language will help.
 
Wow nice post and informative, great links to get started on also. Yeah I just graduate from college a year ago and I got lucky to have a good job that we all are learning about design as we go. Graphic design in my opinion is a 24/7 job because you basically have to be "research" design see how design is applied in my, your, theirs, and everyone life. Plus you cant be always naturally creative the juices can always run dry thats why reading on design is good.

Communications Art had a good student subscription where you get a taste of variety of design,art etc.

Good luck design isnt really how well you know a program is how much you know about Design history.
 
my tip

adobe creative suite is great and essential as is a reliable computer.

but never forget that you can still bring traditional stuff into the digital canvas. drawings, cuttings, clippings, found stuff and your personal photos help your work standout.

my 2 cents
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.