| By Ashley Chen |
First off, what is graphic design and how do you know if you’re interested in it?
Graphic design is simply arranging visual elements of a project to make it look aesthetically appealing. Of course, this is an extremely simplistic definition of graphic design. There are so many types of graphic design like brand design (the arrangement of a company’s brand and how it is visually shown), marketing design (infographics, fliers and promotions regarding a company/organization), web design (website design), slide design (creation of google slides or Powerpoint presentations).
If you’re a person who is unsure if they fit the path of graphic design, just ask yourself a few questions. Am I a generally creative person? Do I love making things look aesthetically pleasing and perfect? Do I have an interest in visual arts?
If all of those answers, or most, are yes, graphic design is a great career path and major for you!
But you may be asking, my school doesn’t offer many courses dedicated to graphic design, and I don’t know where to start. Here are some pointers for your journey into graphic design.
Find your branch of graphic design.
As previously said, there are many branches of graphic design. Take some time to design which branch you want to work off of. Of course, this isn’t a definite decision, and you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, but focusing on one subject in particular can be helpful when first starting out.
Once you find your branch, I would recommend Canva for infographics, icon design, marketing design, and many other design branches. Canva can be an extremely valuable website when working with digital design.
I recommend Wix and Buildspace for website design, as these are quite beginner websites for creating websites.
Learn the basics of graphic design.
This includes typography, color theory, and layout. There are many online resources and courses that can teach you these basics.
If you will be working with other platforms like Wix, Buildspace, Canva, or even 3D rendering with Blender, I would recommend watching various Youtube videos on the basics of these platforms, so when you jump in, you already know what you’re doing.
Practice, practice, practice!
The best way to improve your graphic design skills is to practice as much as possible. Try designing different types of projects, such as logos, websites, and marketing materials. Seek out opportunities to create for other people, at free at first, and eventually when you gain more skill, you will gain opportunities for compensation, but you have to start from somewhere.
Build a portfolio.
A portfolio is a collection of your best work. It's important to have a portfolio to show potential employers or clients. This comes later in your graphic design path, but for web designers, I would highly recommend building a personalized website for your portfolio. Incorporate as much personality and skill in your portfolio as possible.
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