Gauri Chhabra
Do you like engaging in activities which are aesthetic or creative in nature?Do you like the idea of self-expression or artistic appreciation? Do you like playing with pictures and fonts? Do you just see a piece of art and start making a story out of it? Well, if you’re even close, a course in graphic designing will just be your thing.
Contrary to popular belief, a BFA or a BD doesn’t make you a designer. It’s your creative bent and practice. As it’s the case with any art, graphic designing now days is more about sending out messages through visual content than just being limited to creating appealing images for corporations.
What will you do?
Graphic designers work with images as well as text in order to design and create visually appealing elements, including brochures, logos, advertisements, and websites. In order to create these items, graphic designers will often work with a variety of different types of images, including photographs, paintings, and digital media. Photo and image editing software is often used to manipulate images and create the designs.
A typical day in a graphic designer’s life will involve meeting with clients to understand the scope of the assigned project. He may work on briefs from an art director. He also needs to discuss the various aspects of achieving the desired design with him. He commences the job by choosing color pallet, images, logo design, text type, layout etc. to represent his idea. He might use software like Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop or the Illustrator. Once he finalizes his masterpiece, he runs through the proof with the client or art director. Finally, he will be required to incorporate suggested changes into the final design,oversee and coordinate the printing and publishing process.
Beefing up the skills
First and foremost, an innate artistic ability with good visualization is essential to become a graphic designer. Since the work is done mainly on designing software, computer skills are a prerequisite for this job. The job begins and ends with directly talking to the clients. So, good communication and interpersonal skills will definitely fetch you brownie points. In the whole process of printing and publishing, the design circulates the most. It makes the designer indispensable for the team. So, team spirit and good coordinating abilities help people to climb the ladder quickly. Last but not the least, not only do these artists need to make their creations look great, they also usually need to make their creations speak in a way. Most clients hire graphic designers to create something that sends a message. Sometimes this message is loud and clear, but other times it is meant to be subliminal. It all depends upon the ‘creativity’ of the designer.
Getting Started
Start Drawing
It is very important to sketch, write and layout ideas on paper first. Don’t worry if they look like chicken scratch. Similar to creating a blueprint before building a house, it’s imperative to think through ideas before creating them.
Learn the Basics
It is a prerequisite to know the grid system by heart. While it may seem tedious to look at columns all day, taking the time to understand a grid structure will be invaluable in your career. Also, there are principles of composition – single visual, golden ratio, focal point and the power of three. Play with symmetry and asymmetry, size and emphasis of your elements. The text is as important as pictures. Know your fonts. Understand the difference between serif and sans serif. Play around with different weights and styles. Remember to stay clear of Papyrus and Comic Sans. An indispensable element to learning design is Color Theory. Study your primary and complimentary colors. Play with pairing. Learn how color evokes a mood and has cultural significance.
Prepare Programs
Once you’ve grasped the basics of design, it’s time to get on the computer. Depending on your niche and focus, you will likely lean towards one program over the other.If you are interested in web design, the obvious choice is Adobe Photoshop. Harness its power and the digital world can be your oyster. If your interests are more social media based, you could use Photoshop Express, PicMonkey or Canva.If your focus is branding, focus on Adobe Illustrator. Learn to create vector based artwork. If your focus is print, try Indesign and Illustrator. Moreover,
it is helpful to understand some basic code (HTML and CSS), and definitely to know your limitations with the web.
Job Scope
Graphic designer salaries can vary greatly, depending on a number of factors. Obviously, more talented graphic designers will be able to command more money. Designers with a post-secondary degree and a dynamic portfolio will also usually make more money as well.
In today’s world full of splashy visual elements and subliminal elements, graphic design is a growing industry, and good graphic designers are highly sought after. You can work as a freelance designer. Freelancers are self-employed individuals who work for themselves. Although they do have the option of picking and choosing which types of projects they work on, freelance graphic designers are also responsible for looking for and procuring their own clients. Freelancer and UpWork are good platforms for freelancers.
Institute Watch
Various institutes offer Professional Program in Graphics Design (9 – 12 Months), Diploma in Graphics and Web Designing (9 – 12 Months) and Diploma in Graphic Design & Advertising (9 – 12 Months). Some of them are:
* WLC College India, Delhi (WLCI)
* National Institute of Design (NID Ahmedabad)
* MICA, Ahmedabad
* Pearl Academy, Delhi
* Pearl Academy, Mumbai
* Zee Institute of Creative Arts, Bhubaneswar
* Zee Institute of Creative Arts, Mumbai
Career Scape
After learning graphic designing, the possibilities are endless. You can find work with multinational companies, newspapers, magazines, publishers, websites, soft drink companies, museums, and restaurants. There is a wide array of career pathways like
Advertising art director
Advertising art directors, often known as ‘creatives’, produce innovative ideas for the visual elements of advertising campaigns in all kinds of media. An art director usually works alongside a copywriter to form a ‘creative team’. Traditionally, the copywriter produces the words to go with the visuals created by the art director. These roles are now becoming more blurred and it is likely that both will have an input into the visual and written content of the advertising campaign.
The advertising art director works on the campaign from the outset and manages details about the client, product, target audience and required advertising message, which helps to shape the advertising campaign.
Animator
An animator produces multiple images called frames, which when sequenced together create an illusion of movement known as animation. The images can be made up of digital or hand-drawn pictures, models or puppets. Animators tend to work in 2D animation, 3D model-making animation, stop frame or computer-generated animation.
Computer-generated animation features strongly in motion pictures (to create special effects or an animated film in its own right), as well as in aspects of television, the internet and the computer games industry. The basic skill of animation still relies heavily on artistic ability which a graphic designer has in plenty.
Illustrator
An illustrator uses creative skills in art and design to communicate a story, message or idea. Illustrators work to commercial briefs to inform, persuade or entertain a client’s intended audience, adjusting the mood and style of images accordingly. They usually specialise in a particular design medium, such as drawing, photography or digital illustration.
Printmaker
Creativity, manual dexterity, networking and excellent communication skills are essential if you want to become a successful printmaker. In this role you will design the prints yourself. Printmakers are increasingly using electronic or digital printing processes alongside more traditional craft-based methods owing to which more and more graphic designers are foraying into this field.
Production designer, theatre/television/film
Production designers are responsible for the visual concept of a film, television or theatre production. They identify a design style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes, while working closely with the director and producer.
Once the concept is decided, designers usually appoint and manage an art department, which includes a design and construction team. If you are a graphic designer, this is the part where you rule.
Student Speak
Divya Marwaha, Student, Arena Animation, Sec-17, Chandigarh
“If you have an ability to see objects with a different eye, you can foray into this vast field of designing. The job primarily includes problem solving for the clients via images. It’s not just about a pretty design but also about how efficiently and creatively it solves the problem.
As a designer, you can create your own world by giving wheels to your imagination. Plus, the job market is huge. Everything you see around yourself, be it a normal banner, an advertisement, a news clipping has a design and thus a designer behind it.”
Expert Speak
Mayank , Founder, WhiteSpace Studio
“I started my own business after being tired of working for others who dictated my time, vacation, and pay. I knew I could do better, so with that conviction I set out on my own.To back up, I never went to a design school, so I learned almost everything on the internet; that’s right, I am self- taught! Over time I developed a distinctive style and found client niches. I believe talent is talent, regardless of degree or lack thereof.”
So, break into the field! An impressive portfolio, packed full of stunning graphic design pieces, is all that you need.
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