How to get started in graphics design?

[Blue Velvet]

...Sometimes people make it sound like such... such a dull and uninspired sandal wearing profession.

Glances down and checks feet...

But lets be honest, not all work is a license to be that massively creative. Right at this very minute, I'm laying out a report on the Freedom of Information Act... it has an annoying number of tables and charts.

But it has two-colour text and a CMYK cover... w00t.

 

[ATD]

Likewise, and I agree with you to a point.

But in order to arrive at your destination, you have to be aware of the technical processes, timescales, budgetary limitations and the client's desires o that you are working within defined parameters.

You know as well as I do that there is no such thing as a metaphorical 'blank canvas' to start from...

Of course. I spend most of my day in Photoshop and Maya. Photoshop can get somewhat technical, Maya on the other hand requires one to shallow a mountain of technical data before you can even get started. But I always start the design process by visualizing in my head what I'm after before I start working on a computer. Don't you? Sure, the road map changes as you work, design is not a linear process, some of my best design work has been by pure accident. Computers on the other hand are quite linear.

We are talking about the same thing, just slightly different POVs.

 

[ATD]

Just to clarify, I NEVER said that is was PURELY a technical skill.

But to put my original statement in it's original context, I think it is both valid and correct, you are obviously free to differ.

I considered CanadaRAM's original comment that graphic design is an art form and not a technical skill as not only an incorrect statement, but also one that I felt was dismissive of the amount of technical knowledge that is required to be a designer, and offered a different opinion. (credit to CanadaRAM he spent the time to further clarify his initial comments ).

The very foundation of design as a discipline, is that of a technical one (think about it ). It's governed by a set of rules. And a knowledge of those rules is (usually) required to create effective or what some call good design (a saying I don't particularly like myself). Design itself and as a discipline, encompasses so much more than the ability to sit down and draw something, even then... that physical process is a technical one.

As Blue has said, you cannot separate the conceptual from the execution, without one, it is incredulous to consider oneself as a designer.

I think of design as an art form first and a technical skill second. You can have a complete understanding of every graphics program on the market and still not have a first clue to what design is about. My design process starts with visualizing it in my head without the aid of any technology. Yes, it's a discipline but not a technical one. To my POV that's the center of design. Everything else is execution. But in the end all that matters is what you come with, not how you got there, agreed?

 

[vixapphire]

maybe just maybe a few years down the road I can have my own comic or portfolio of stuff that I like. Even if I don't make a cent out of it, even if I have to use my future hard earned money to buy the tools required for it, if I can produce things that make me happy I think it is well worth it.

I hope that you can understand that all this is really out of interest, whether I make money out of it doesn't matter, I can always get a job in what I am doing right now and just do this in my free time. I hope one day i get good enough to set up my own site as suggested by FlamDrag.
.

That sounds like a good plan. Personally, after playing in bands for years and having a little career as a freelance recording engineer/producer, I was hating life as a lawyer -- dullsville incorporated! So I used the income from that gig to buy some choice gear, a computer, etc. and spent all my spare time learning how to use it, and made some great productions along the way. It's great to create when it's not about the money; the thing is to enforce self-discipline with time deadlines etc. so that you don't become one of those hobbyists who's got all the tools but never finishes anything! It's tempting, once you start working the day gig, to come home and vegetate out of exhaustion. In my experience, when I force myself to put 5-8 hours a day on the studio rig after a full workday, I end up more energized and overall happier than if I had sat back and watched TV or read a book.

Besides, having a side-pursuit as involved as graphic design will make you a far more interesting person

 

[vixapphire]

I think of design as an art form first and a technical skill second. You can have a complete understanding of every graphics program on the market and still not have a first clue to what design is about. My design process starts with visualizing it in my head without the aid of any technology. Yes, it's a discipline but not a technical one. To my POV that's the center of design. Everything else is execution. But in the end all that matters is what you come with, not how you got there, agreed?

I think about it in terms of 1980's hair-band guitarists. Lots of dudes had the technical chops to play circles around Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Clapton combined. Couldn't write songs, arrangements, and/or solo's like theirs, though. Just as one can be a musician without being much of an "artist", one can be a "designer" without having much of a natural knack in the "art" side of the art/techique side of the equation. But you are right about the result being all that matters in the final analysis. Barbra Streisand doesn't write her own material, but that doesn't make her any less of a great singer, does it?

 

[ATD]

Even if I don't make a cent out of it, even if I have to use my future hard earned money to buy the tools required for it, if I can produce things that make me happy I think it is well worth it.

That's the most important thing.

 

[ATD]

Barbra Streisand doesn't write her own material, but that doesn't make her any less of a great singer, does it?

Just as a side note I designed one of her album covers years ago.

 

[MontyZ]

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[iGav]

I'm not quite sure, but, it appears this thread is debating whether Design requires more artistic talent or technical ability. Is that right?

I think some are, I'm not.

If so, it requires both to be a good Designer: talent and technical ability.

Bing! exactly... you cannot separate the two, without one, you're not a designer. Simple really.

 

[ATD]

I think some are, I'm not.



Bing! exactly... you cannot separate the two, without one, you're not a designer. Simple really.

Years ago I used to freelance for a man named Saul Bass, ever hear of him? I would put his technical ability at about 0, he could draw, that's about it. He did not touch a computer, even until his dying day. No one in his company used computers. Are you saying he was not a designer? There are many top designers today that are NOT technical people. They are idea people, ones who visualize and design in their heads. Ones with little to no tech ability. It is the idea people that end up on the top of the game, not tech people. Simple really.

 

[Dane D.]

Just do it

To coin a popular phrase, buy yourself Adobe CS Suite and jump right in. The beauty of the software permits endless creations. I learn something new everyday, in all the Adobe software. Find what you like and bring it together your own way. I assuming you are using a Mac, that's a step in the right direction. The Mac lets you put your ideas into motion effortlessly. Adobe user since 1992. Also avoid MS Word for your files; pre-press people hate them, they don't RIP or take too long to RIP. Use a Pro level program such as QuarkXPress or InDesign, no PageMaker please. Learn to respect the end-user and you should be O.K.

 

[iGav]

Years ago I used to freelance for a man named Saul Bass, ever hear of him? I would put his technical ability at about 0, he could draw, that's about it. He did not touch a computer, even until his dying day. No one in his company used computers. Are you saying he was not a designer?

I also never suggested that technical skills start and end with a mouse.

 

[MontyZ]

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[ATD]

Yes, I know who Saul Bass is. However, I would not consider his technical ability to be Zero. Computers are not what we mean by technical ability. Drawing is a technical ability (doing it well is an artistic/creative ability). Setting metal type, creating artboards and mockups, producing blueprints -- this is what we mean by technical ability before the age of computers in design. These technologies might be old, but they require someone with a certain level of technical knowledge to turn an idea into a physical, printed piece, whether you use a computer or an Xacto knife and a pasteboard.

I have seen writers elevated to Design Director/Creative Director positions many times. Most of them are hands off as far as design but I worked with a few that will layout ads with a few chicken scratches on a piece of paper. We may not call them designers but don't tell them that. Yes, designers should technical skills and a vast majority do. Do all of them? No. Some make up for it with creative skills and often could care less how an ad is produced. As much as both of us believe a designer SHOULD have good technical skills, some succeed without them.

I do believe Saul was a highly skilled man. You are right, I should not say that. After all, he talked many Fortune 500 companies into trusting his vision and got paid millions to create a their logos. If that's a technical skill, he was a zen master. I don't believe I ever saw him with a can of Spray Mount or Hot Type in his hand though.

I was CD at one time (like I see you are) but give it up. I didn't like that most of my time spend in meetings, phone calls, memos, managing people, press proofs, photo shoots with almost no time left to create. I felt like a Designer who did everything but design. I love the technical/execution/hands-on/creation to much to let it go. Less money but I'm happy.

 

[MontyZ]

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[steveedge]

Another point

First, newer software like PS2 is almost always "better" (meaning you can do more with it because it has more features) than older software.
I was technically better with PS4 than I am with newer versions because these days new versions come out very quickly and we/I have to re learn the interface, learn the new features, etc..and do it quickly while still getting my work done.
This is true with all applications and computing in general.

A lot of very good points have been made in the above post. The only thing I can add of benefit is my "personal experience" in the design business.
I am self taught and I freelance fulltime. I worked my way from designing a pathetic band web site about 8 years ago, up to a point where I sometimes make a decent living and woohooo... one of my graphics was featured in the September issue of Layers magazine (a magazine for graphic designers), which doesn't mean much except that the other "designers" featured there were doing work for companies like Apple, and Nike....at least it's something
If you asked what I do for a living, I would tell you I am a graphic designer for web and print & an artist & musician.
However, I spend about 5% of my time "designing" graphics, print ad's audio, and the rest of the time I spend on task like updating text on websites, converting huge files to small ones, renaming files, begging for files, troubleshooting server problems, explaining to clients why it is not a good idea to put full length videos on the front page of their website, etc....

I enjoy what I do and am not complaining. My point is, as a designer, I am working for people who sometimes have a vision of what they want and sometimes rely on my vision. It is my job to make them happy in either case, and hopefully end up with a "good design". Can it be a bad design if the client is happy ? Well, yes, but sometimes there is not much one can do about that.
If they are happy, I get paid, and hopefully they give me more work to do, or tell someone they know that I made them happy, which also leads to more work.
I may think that the final product I produce for a client is not my best work, often, my "design" ends up being not my design at all.
If a client tells me to use a really ugly unreadable font on a print ad. I can try to change their mind by pointing out that it is hard to read, but in the end, if they want the ugly font, if they LOVE that font, and I can not change their mind, then that is what they get.

Several post above this one mention how much competition there is for work. This is true. There may be designers out there in situations where all they have to worry about is if the design is "good" or not, but since designers work FOR someone generally, I am thinking those jobs are few and far between.

I generally get a call from a client who wants a print ad. yesterday. " I ask, how much time do I have ?" he/she laughs...."well, I need it NOW"....

Anyway, You can certainly start off by just playing with graphics and it may lead to some work, or possibly full time work..eventually, that's the way I did it.

good luck,

 

[Seasought]

Tips regarding work

This might be delving too much into 'tricks of the trade' that most would be more inclined to keep secret but, do any of you have any suggestions concerning finding work?

This isn't necessarily just for design work either, could relate to writing or something else that is on a contract-basis. Websites, directories, etc?

 

[Rhobes]

Very good thread, enjoyed it.....

 

[ATD]

This might be delving too much into 'tricks of the trade' that most would be more inclined to keep secret but, do any of you have any suggestions concerning finding work?

This isn't necessarily just for design work either, could relate to writing or something else that is on a contract-basis. Websites, directories, etc?

I would say that there are no real secrets to this. Just a never ending refinement of your artistic and technical skills following by promoting/networking yourself as often and in as many ways as you can. If you love what you do this will not feel like a job.

I once asked a Account Exec how he picked up so much work from a large company. He said it was simple, if client asked him to come over and talk about a job, he would show up hours early and hang around. He would often run into people from other divisions of the company who would start asking him if he could help them on other projects. Many times he would walk away with five projects instead of one. Just a simple matter of networking.

 

[Seasought]

I would say that there are no real secrets to this. Just a never ending refinement of your artistic and technical skills following by promoting/networking yourself as often and in as many ways as you can. If you love what you do this will not feel like a job.

I once asked a Account Exec how he picked up so much work from a large company. He said it was simple, if client asked him to come over and talk about a job, he would show up hours early and hang around. He would often run into people from other divisions of the company who would start asking him if he could help them on other projects. Many times he would walk away with five projects instead of one. Just a simple matter of networking.

Thanks.

 

[eclipse]

Hi Whiteangel,
If I was starting from the beginning, I'd just buy CS2 outright and stay in this forum and the Adobe forums. CS2 has everything you need for starters... all design covered. Just do it!

Manuals verses Video tutorials
Also, I love learning by www.vtc.com - CD-Rom tutorials might cost a bit, but hey... that's how I learn. If you are a programmer you are probably going to deal with manuals... I find them infuriating!

"Click on the x button to do y" ... but what's the x button? Where is it! Show me!!!?

Wheras the video tutorials it's like having the pro sit next to you and walk you through it. But hey, if you are good with manuals, go for it! Also, they tend to come with the software (or at least the online help does anyway).

Design as a career
My wife started drawing as a kid and didn’t stop. She can sketch a face, and it actually looks something like that person! She HAD to do art, or go insane. Nothing else worked for her. She is left handed… many designers seem to be.

Graphic design at first sounded boring to her… all graphs and stuff. Now, she knows she has hit the right market.

Even though she was so gifted, at University she still worked 24 hours occasionally! It hasn’t stopped.

Even though she was so good, she did 12 to 18 hours a day “paid work experience” basically having only the train fare and lunches covered by her “salary”. This was just to get her foot in the door!

She has done a 40 hour shift! Most people are tired after a 40 hour week! My wife went to work one day and did not come home until the 2nd morning. A job for Telstra Australia HAD to get out, and that’s what they demand. This career is one of the most cut-throat, time consuming, soul consuming things there is. Look out!

But hey, after a while it might click with you. Become a mac monkey, then read about design everywhere you can, buy the latest Graphis books, and voila!

 

[eclipse]

PS: Design "language"

I've just raved about my wife being very visual, yeah?

She's not very language based. is there somewhere I can learn the actual terminology for design styles? I know some basics... like Agit Prop...

Does it matter? My wife Joy makes a good living doing design, we are not loaded at all and are probably going to lose the house after peak oil hits and the mortgage interest rates go through the roof but hey? I'll just do a George Castanza and move back in with my parents ... only this time with Joy and my 2 kids!

But back on topic... design language... Joy says stuff to clients like "This is the corporate look" or "I made this one appealing to the youth market" ... generally the client supplies it to us in the brief, right? "We want this design to say how fabulously hip we are" and they are selling dental floss, right? Maybe the language doesn't matter... but then again, clients love it when you can "bluff" them into loving the design you have done for them.

We tend to do work with fairly regular catalogue clients....

www.lanksheardesign.com (I'm still learning web design OK?)

... so we don't have to do much in the way of "selling" to our existing clients. But what if we did? What if we were going for a new client, and they were the verbal pitch deal? What if they said, "Now what's the philosophy behind this piece?"

 

[skirklan]

Encouragement is important

You would be a perfect fit for a small inhouse graphics department--at a medical products manufacturer. Work on learning the ins and outs of design before you strike out for a full time job, though. Aside from developing an aesthetic sense, knowledge of typefaces and the basic elements of design; your design work must communicate the message.

When I was in art school, some cretin teacher pulled me aside and said, "I'm going to save you some time. You just don't have what it takes to make a living in art." He is currently shoveling horse dung at the local race track and I am having a wonderful career as a designer. This taught me an important lesson: Never judge a person's potential by their current skill set. There are books out there that say, "The world has enough bad designers, so if you don't have what it takes, get out." It made me so mad, I wrote my own book to encourage people and remind them, "if you want it bad, then get it. You can do it." The quickest way to put down creativity is stand by the sidelines saying it can't be done.

Good luck.
SDK

 

[eclipse]

Cool Susan.
That gives me some encouragement as a newbie to design.
However, I'm also a House-Dad / Business Manager... and currently am trying to save western civilization from peak oil .
Anyway, kids are home for our longest period of school holidays, the summer Christmas break... and so Quark CD-Rom tutorials and flipping through Graphis may take a back seat.....

 

[cgmpowers]

I absolutely agree!! I took wanted to change my career. I studied networking and tech support and that's what I did for a while. I hated it as I hated fixing Windows/NT problems and the likes.

That was ages ago. I then a handful of things until I started dabbling in Web Design. I soon found that any idiot can make a web page but only an artist could make it look great. I decided to go back to school and "take an art class or two."...

Three and a half years later, I found myself totally completing the associates program for Graphic Design. I really liked it and found out I was good. It took me longer because I didn't start out with a gameplan and just muddled through with it until half way through I discovered I was not too bad at this.

I took computer classes like Quark/InDesign, Photoshop (I, II & III), Illustrator, and Web Classes (again). However the MOST useful classes were the Design, Graphic Design, Graphic Production, Drawing for Graphics, Drawing & Figure Drawing classes. Those made me a designer, they took my natural ability and honed it to make me better.

Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark are just tools. I can do without them!! If you don't have the concepts and fundamentails of design & typography done, it doesn't matter what applications are on your hard drive--you wont be successful or profitable.

There is a difference between those who CAN design and those who just have a desire to toy around with Illustrator because they own the application and think they can crap out art.

That's solid advice from me, and others...

Don't do it half-assed, it not only hurts you as a designer (by not having some formal training or education) but it also causes OUR industry to suffer because ammatures are out there doing it cheaper but putting out crap.

Christopher Powers

OK, this is a really brutal opinion that is completely uninformed about youand your personal situation.

If you don't have a natural aptitude for drawing, if you don't 'intuitively' know that certain arrangement of objects are more pleasing to the eye (do you spontaneously rearrange place settings at tables, furniture, pictures on walls?), if your childhood wasn't filled with a compulsive need to draw or paint or sculpt, if you have no background in art, if you have never cut a magazine apart in order to rearange the advertisements so that they 'work' better... give it up.

Graphic design is an art form, not a technical skill. Yes, you can take a 2 year course in design, and learn the rules. But the courses cannot teach the "eye" for design. It's NOT like programming, where the logical process leads to a 'best' solution. Many of my clients are graphic designers, and teachers in design schools. They will tell me privately that 1/4 to 1/2 of their students will never have a career in design because although they passed all of the course requirements, they just don't have 'it' - the visual sensibility and creativity to make a compelling communication concept out of their imagination. Schools are cranking out 'designers' by the 1000's. Many of them will starve - because the choices are freelancing (which you don't eat until you pound the pavement and sell your services to clients) or working as a worker bee in an agency or newspaper for $12 - 16 an hour. A minority of them will be good enough to eventually make a name for themselves as a senior graphic designer.

I know, I have had the computer skills for 17 years, I can make Photoshop sing and dance, I teach the programs, and I would never, never describe myself as a designer. I am a technician, not an artist.

If you have the visual flair, the aptitude and a burning desire to create, if you are willing to get the education, build a portfolio of work, and promote your services to potential clients and employers relentlessly to get work, work well under high responsibility and short deadlines, with often unreasonable customers, have an ego that's big enough to know you can do it, and humble enough to accept that 80% of your best ideas are going to get rejected, can survive 18 hour days then weeks at a time with no income, then graphic design can be very rewarding.