Graphic design is everywhere. All around us, there are words and pictures. They are the building blocks that make up our interface to both the digital world and to the printed world.
Why study graphic design?
Graphic designers are expanding and innovating. Designers make pictures to show messages. They also decide what the message is, or if there should be a message at all.
As a graphic designer, you create the ideas and objects that people see.
Graphic design is a dialogue with the world. It makes records of the conversations you have. When people see your work, they will remember what you said. Graphic design is important because it creates meaning for people and it makes ideas accessible to others.
You can use this job to do something different every day. The type of design you’ll be doing is different every day. This would give you more chances to do something new and interesting.
People use many graphic design elements in our lives. As this happens, graphic design becomes more important to the culture. And there is an increased need for more graphic designers.
Graphic design is a really broad field, it can take many forms.
You can be a graphic designer and do many things. You can make books, logos, web interfaces, t-shirts, chocolate boxes or even political posters. But all of these different areas of graphic design have one thing in common – they are used to represent a product or an idea or a message to an audience.
Design is about communicating something to other people. It might be through pictures or words, but it is always about getting a message across.
There are many different types of graphic designers.
- Some like to be very formal and stick with what is old, some like to do new things that people don’t ever seen before.
- Some people have something that they are doing. They are doing it based on either research or a concept.
- some are driven purely by style or aesthetics,
- others by the desire to experiment.
Some designers use text, illustrations, and sometimes lots of color. Most of the time they use both together.
We’re going to break the graphic design down into its basic components,
- image,
- type,
- shape
- color.
Why studying software is not graphic design
Software knowledge is not the same as graphic design. As a graphic designer, you’ll need to use practical skills like software knowledge. You will also need to have conceptual skills, historical knowledge, typographic acumen, and more.
Graphic design is a process, not specific software!
Graphic designers are not reliant on any single technique or software. They are deeply rooted in design to keep up with today’s technology.
People can still use old technology such as letterpress printing or calligraphy. But there are also newer technologies like web and mobile applications. Graphic design is not limited to any specific technology, software, or medium.
You have to focus on the key concepts of design work. You can do that with any software.
You can learn what you need to in order to do your job. You don’t need to know every single feature, just the basics are enough.
It is important when looking for a job that you have some practical skills under your belt. That usually means that you’ll be expected to use certain software applications, often industry-standard apps like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.
The best way to learn is by doing! Using software in your work will give you the opportunity to practice in a real-world situation. You can find out what works best for you in different situations.
Graduates often questioned whether they should keep learning new software or create beautiful designs with the skills they already have.
Your skills are transferable because all graphic design is based on the same basic processes and ideas. For example, instead of using Illustrator, you could use another program called Sketch.
Graphic designers don’t need to worry about this stuff anymore! They know that the software isn’t important, it’s what you do with it.
Graphic design is more than just software! You need to know design principles, visual language, and other essential areas of graphic design.
You should work with the tools that you are most comfortable with. It’s still important to be able to use industry-standard programs like Photoshop or Illustrator though.
There are many different types of software that graphic designers can use. But there are other programs you should know about too. Whether it’s Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, or something else entirely.
Some of the most popular software includes:
- Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator…)
- Canva
- Sketch
Illustrator is primarily used for vector artwork. It’s also the most common program for print work,
Sketch focuses more on user interface design. Illustrator is better for 2D illustrations in terms of flexibility
Photoshop is for digital image editing and photo manipulation. But you can use it for other things too, such as web design or print work
This article concludes with an exploration of the benefits and drawbacks to learning graphic design, followed by some practical tips for finding a job in this competitive field. We hope you’ve found it both informative and enjoyable!