Graphic design is all about skills plus a passion for creativity. If you ain’t got no skill then this field isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you also don’t have a passion for creativity and originality, then graphic design isn’t for you as well. It always comes down to who is willing to gain both the skills and the passion for creativity who will win the graphic design arena.
If you’re up for a new challenge, or if you think your graphic design skills have gone dry, these 4 effective techniques are here to help you
1. Get Formal Education
Your skills can get you a long way in life, but having a formal education isn’t just for a shiny, bragging diploma. As a profession, a graphic designer should have not only the skills but also the fundamentals of graphic design.
Your role as a graphic designer is not only to make images that grab attention or provides information. As they say, there’s a science to everything, so learning the basics, the fundamentals, and the theories of graphic design not only makes you an informed graphic designer but these things will be your guide to every design you will do.
If you find going to a university is so expensive, you can get certificates from online universities that offer classes you can afford. If you are a budding graphic designer, there are websites that let you enhance and explore graphic designs through one-on-one coaching from graphic designers all over the world. If you get lucky, you can get trained for just ten bucks per lesson.
2. Keep Trying And Trying
They say that it’s better to take the risk than lose the chance, so why don’t you try to take the risk and see where it leads you?
If you fail, at least you failed fast, so you can succeed faster. Jack Ma believes in the power of trial and error and so should you. He may not be a graphic designer, but as a leader and a keynote speaker, he has shared a lot of inspiring tips to keep aspiring new talents motivated to do their passion.
Just try, and try, and try. If you fail, you still succeed because you will learn something new. Mix the old things you know with the new things you learned and see what happens.
Picasso wouldn’t be the Picasso we know today if he didn’t get out of what’s comfortable during his time. Most of the famous painters we know engraved their own names by being original with their style.
Also, we are living in a digital era where things change very fast. Be a disruptor or be a leader. Don’t take the same dry path, but take the “road less taken.”
On a more practical note, if you are taking care of a single blog that asks you to make coherent, recognizable designs, don’t stick to the same colors, layouts, or fonts all the time. Play with it, imagine new crazy ideas and see how people respond.
Trying new things will not just let you establish your designing skills, it will also free up your mind. Don’t be afraid to try.
3. Learn the Art of Constructive Criticism
Constructive criticism has such a negative bias on people’s mind, but it’s actually not a one-sided action in its most practical sense.
Both parties who are willing to grow should give and take constructive criticism with growth as their end goal. Of course, not everyone is going to be cool with it as they will try to justify what they had done, but a person who takes it professionally is sure to succeed in no time.
Also, in art professions like graphic design, the person who can give the best constructive criticism is considered to be the person with the most knowledge and experience. If you know how to give constructive criticism to a fellow artist, that means you also have learned a lot about graphic design theories and fundamentals that are applicable to the matter at hand.
Meet with other designers often, and explore their special techniques. Be open to valuable insights that can make you better at your craft.
4. Start Something New
You probably already have a mundane 9-5 job that occupies much of your time but starting a new project on the side can be a great way to spice up your profession.
Create a side project that is solely based on your passion and just let your creative juices flow without restriction. Don’t be so particular about anything at first, and just go easy on yourself. You will find the project overwhelmingly rewarding once you see how the project evolved through time.
This new endeavor can also open new doors of opportunity to you as a designer. Who knows?
Takeaway
Graphic design is definitely not an easy job. And we know there’s so much more to the story than the tips we have listed above. But don’t give up! Don’t be afraid to try something new! If you are not sure how to improve your skill set as a graphic designer, you can use this startup guide to help you.
Contributed byhttp://austinsigncompany.com/
