So, it’s been your dream to become a graphic designer. You bought Photoshop and watched a few tutorials on YouTube, and you’re ready to go. Graphic design is a great hobby that you can turn into a career. It’s fun to create something out of nothing, and it’s even more satisfying when people appreciate your work. This article will give you some tips to help you on your way.
Understanding design is the first step to good design. Understanding the basics of layout and color can only help you as a designer. Once you understand the theories behind design, they will come to use in your creative work. It’s best to keep graphics simple with very little going on. If you are having trouble designing a simple graphic, it may be best to start with something smaller such as an icon or a symbol.
Work for free to build up your portfolio
Take on a few clients and tell them that you’ll work for free in exchange for being able to display their design to your potential customers. If you’re curious about how to do that, click here to read more. It only takes a few samples in your portfolio to get noticed by someone willing to hire you. Try to have at least five samples that you feel are the best that you can do, and that should be enough.
Start working on simple projects and work your way up from there
Don’t go looking for massive projects that take years of experience to pull off. You don’t have that experience, and your customers will realize that when they see the final product. Instead, start out on simpler projects that are easier for you to do and as you gain experience and better skills, work your way up to bigger projects. In the beginning, it’s better to work on smaller projects to get a better idea of how you handle different projects.
Always educate yourself to learn how to do new things
Learning is a never-ending process, and it’s something that you must continuously do to become an excellent graphic designer. Every time you see a new tutorial, watch it. Every time you come across a new app, download it and try it out. As long as you keep learning, there will be no limit to what you can do as a designer. Don’t let yourself become stagnant. You should even consider reinvesting some of your earnings into online courses so that you can stay one step ahead of other designers.
Learn to design, not just to use an application
The best designers out there are ones that understood the basics of design. So, make sure that you understand why certain elements are where they are and how they work together with other elements. Learning to design and not just using an application is the key to becoming a good designer. If you use Photoshop, but you don’t know why certain things are done a certain way, you won’t create your own designs in the future.
