Where to Start?

School is definitely the best place to begin training for your new design career. Hopefully, the school you choose is up on all the latest technology and software. The universal standard is the Adobe software, namely, Photoshop and Dreamweaver for graphic and web design, Photoshop, InDesign, & Illustrator for graphics, and Flash for animation. So learning which software you will be using most is key. Without those skills, you’re not very “hire-able” in the marketplace. Adobe also offers many regional seminars and training courses that can be a compliment (or even an alternate in some cases) for traditional schooling. But never discount the fact that an actual degree goes a long way on a resume.

An Eye for Design …

Another important thing is actually an aptitude for design. Some folks have a natural sense of placement, what colors go good together, etc. and some need to do a little further research into the matter. And don’t forget the typography is also a part of design. Using type effectively is often the crux of many pieces.

A great book I would recommend on type is “Thinking with Type, a Critical Guide” by Ellen Lupton. The How Design Books has a great series that includes, “Color Index” and “Design Basics Index” (both by Krause). A few other great titles are: “Layout Workbook” by Cullen,
“Design Matters – Logos” by Capsule, “The Big Book of Color in Design” by David Carter

What’s Hot, What’s Not

Keeping up on what’s current is very important as well. Design sometimes changes like fashion, but there are some tried and true standards that won’t fail you if you learn them. Think of them as the “blue suits” or “little black dresses” of design. Most designers consider these standards as, composition, components, and concept. Composition includes things like: placement, harmony, emphasis, alignment and flow. Components includes: shapes, icons, supporting elements, images, color, and typography. Lastly, the concept includes learning the creative process, being able to convey your message, and learning about themes. There are many other design standards, most borrowed from other forms of designs, but the “three c’s” above sum everything up nicely.

Here are some additional resources worth checking out:

How – design magazine

Layers – everything Photoshop

ID Magazine

Create Magazine

The Real World

I’d recommend you try to find a local company that could “take you under their wing” as an intern while you work your way through school. Even a few hours a week is helpful (our intern only comes in a few hours a week). The reason for this is to be able to deal with real world design and projects (and even clients). Hands-on use of software can often yield new and quick ways to accomplish tasks that books or teachers don’t often focus on. You can also be learning how to effectively deal with clients, manage projects, and get a feel for what your skills are worth (salary or hourly rates). Many new designers strike out on their own if employment isn’t readily available, so having skills like this can help you become a successful freelancer as well. You can also be building a portfolio of real work – also important when seeking employment.

In Closing …

Being a designer takes skill, aptitude, training, creativity, organizational skills and more. It’s also a field that you will never stop learning and striving to reach new levels in. It’s impossible to cover the whole field in such a short article, but hopefully it enough of a resource to get you going in the right direction.

Modern business is about being visible. The more “seen” a business is, the more income it generates. For businesses – be they large or small – to survive, it is vitally important that they reach out to every segment of society. This is possible only by being seen at the most happening and visible arena available – the Internet. Businesses have understood the potential of advertising themselves on the Internet and this has created a niche for people who know to make such advertising possible. Advertising on the World Wide Web is greatly different from traditional advertising. It demands an ability to fuse a business sense with artistic flair and style and when the two combine seamlessly, a great website is born.

Conceiving a Website
Creating a website to advertise a business is not a job to be taken lightly. How the site looks and interacts with the end user is very important and this is where professionals who excel at graphic design and web design enter the scene. Looking good is something all of us want. It is no different for websites. The visual impact of a website is a matter of great concern for web developers. Surfers of the Internet go through the net at a very fast clip and to capture their attention is a challenge. This challenge can be easily met if the website is professionally created and is clear, imaginative in concept and provides all information in an easy and non-fussy manner. This will help in generating greater viewer ship which will directly increase value for the website.

Designing a Website
The look of a website almost always decides it success. For a website to achieve optimum viewer ship, it has to be constructed and designed keeping the end user in mind. It is important that a design incorporates the basic principles of shape, texture, lines, direction and colour with excellent graphics to be attractive and impact-full. For this the quality of the graphic design of the website would have to be totally eye catching and innovative. People are attracted to the way graphics are used to entice them and the newer the concept, the more followers one finds for them.

Along with the visual quality it is primary that the content of the site also be of high quality. If graphics are excellent but the language used in the site is substandard, the entire vision of the website is lost. If graphic design is the body of a website then content is its very soul. To ensure that both aspects of the site are paid proper attention and to maximise the effect that both can have together, great attention needs to be paid to the chosen web design.

Choosing the best possible options of these two elements and finding providers of the same is surely a formidable task. It necessitates that the people doing the developing of the site are able to integrate the vision of the business with a design that will sell the business in the most favourable manner.

You’ve already completed your bachelor’s degree, perhaps years ago. Maybe you majored in computer programming, or maybe you majored in anthropology. Once out of school, you began at the entry level and worked your way up. But now, you want something different. You want to begin a career in graphic design. How do you make a 180-degree career change?

Seek a certificate

Many technical schools, community colleges, and even traditional four-year universities offer certifications in Web design or graphic arts. These programs, when combined with previous professional experience, such as a bachelor’s degree and several post-college years in the workforce, can be powerful tools with which to break into graphic design.

The advantages of pursuing a certification over a degree are time- and cost-savings. First, aspiring graphic designers are saved the hassle of having to take college general education requirements all over again. Some college classes, especially basic English, math, and science courses, might seem like they’d be a breeze to re-take, but the hours of work they require can be trying for adults with full-time careers. Just as important, graphic and Web design certifications are less expensive. The fewer credits you take to complete an educational program, the less money you will spend, overall. By focusing just on design skills, certificate programs allow adult students to forgo unrelated academic material.

To find the right program for your career needs, consider the major factors: cost, time until certificate completion, and breadth of skills taught. If you want to break into Web design, you will need to know how to work with text and images – and will likely need to understand how to use photo and graphic editing programs; Web design programs; file transfer protocol (FTP) clients; and probably, some Web scripting languages, as well. Graphic designers might need to know most or all of these skills, as well – and, more likely than not, will also need to understand typography and vector graphic creation.

Sell your design skill sets

Once you’ve learned skills directly applicable to graphics fields, you need to sell yourself, and your talents, to prospective employers. You will probably have a collection of projects you completed during your certification program that demonstrate some of your skills. Or, you might have lucked out by getting to take a portfolio preparation class as part of the certification process. In either case, carefully scrutinize your portfolio before you begin applying for jobs. Make sure that each piece you decide to include is a piece of your very best work, and that it showcases your talents to the fullest. If you feel that your design portfolio is lacking pieces that show off certain skills, you can always add onto it after you’ve finished the design program.

Keep practicing. You might not land a graphic or Web design job immediately out of school. In that case, you need to work hard to make sure your skills stay sharp. Keep doing projects in your spare time, and read design how-to books and industry periodicals. Or, consider taking on freelance or contract projects to continue developing your skills and your portfolio.

A great way to begin freelancing is to start as a photo re-toucher. Many people do not know how to fix or edit photos, or do not have the time. They rely on skilled re-touchers to help make their family, wedding, or professional portraits look great. Other ways to break into freelance design include logo and branding development, or Web page building for start-up companies. Start-ups typically have tight budgets, and many new companies cannot spend money on a design professional with years of experience. If your portfolio is good, and you can sell your skills, you can work your way up to a significant freelance client load.

If at first you have difficulty landing interviews, or land them, but can’t land the job, don’t despair. It takes many people – some of whom wind up being quite successful – a while to break into a career they really love. Perhaps your resume or cover letter is not attracting a would-be interviewer’s attention. If you suspect this is the case, seek a professional to critique these items. Or, maybe you’re not a confident interviewer. Grab a friend or relative and practice your presentation. Finally, it might be possible that the positions for which you’ve applied are not good fits: you’re over-qualified, under-qualified, or are competing against too many applicants. Keep trying, and in the meantime, keep your graphic and Web design skills sharp. Soon, you’ll land the position of your dreams.