Want to leverage or design skills and build a new career? Learn how to become a graphic designer and start this chapter successfully.
Don't know how to become a graphic designer yet?
Join the club. Many people struggle with making a career change, especially one in an industry as competitive as graphic design.
But it doesn't mean you should put off your plans.
In this guide, you can learn the top tips that'll help you transition to graphic design and build a great career out of it!
If you already have an idea of what a graphic designer looks like, forget it. Anyone can be a graphic designer, no matter if they have any formal education in it or not.
Graphic designers are creative people who can take an idea or concept and turn it into visual material.
Some of the tasks a graphic designer can be asked to do include:
It's a creative career path where a piece of paper from a university doesn't matter. What will matter are your visual communication skills, creativity, and technical abilities.
Indeed data shows graphic designers make an average of $20.57 per hour. Junior graphic designers can expect to earn $18.62 per hour.
But this doesn't account for the revenue coming from any personal projects designers can take part in to increase their earnings.
Being a graphic designer is rewarding on many levels:
Before we get into the steps to becoming a successful graphic designer, let's first consider what you need to enter the industry and the costs you can expect:
The cost of becoming a graphic designer can vary a lot, depending on where you're currently at.
The American Graphics Institute estimates that the cost of learning graphic design can range from $500 to several thousand, depending on the learning program.
You'll also have to pay for most graphic design tools. The most popular is Adobe Creative Cloud, which costs $19.99 per month in the first year and $29.99 after that.
This suite includes tools like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, and more.
Lastly, there's the initial cost of a laptop or computer and any other tools you may need. A MacBook Pro's price can start at $1,000, and if you need an iPad for drawing, you can add another $500 on average.
Becoming a professional graphic designer isn't impossible, but it'll require some hard work on your part.
You first have to build your skills and knowledge of the graphic design industry, then create a professional portfolio that'll make potential clients want to work with you.
But the effort may be worth it. Labor statistics show around 24,800 graphic design jobs open every year, and this doesn't account for freelance graphic designer roles.
It depends on the choice of education.
You'll need a few weeks to a few months to study the basics of graphic design through an online or offline course.
However, opting for a university degree will take a longer time (three or four years).
After you've completed your education in the field, you'll start building your portfolio to find gigs online.
Ready to start your graphic design career?
Check out these seven simple steps that can help you land your first graphic design job:
Enrolling in a graphic design program can help you learn the basics and build key skills.
While you don't need a college education, it helps to have a certification that can attest that you have a solid understanding of some things, such as:
With knowledge from school or graphic design courses, you may be more competitive in this field.
Also, you can learn a lot of practical skills to improve your work and build a solid portfolio.
Graphic designers work in various industries and create different types of content.
It helps to specialize in one specific field so you can focus both your education and activities to achieve a higher level of skill.
This can mean targeting a specific industry, such as gaming or the medical field, but also choosing a type of graphic designer:
The design process for these roles is different. Web developers require different skills and knowledge when compared to motion designers.
You'll need to master a tool to create any type of visual design.
Whether you're doing it on your own or following a course, try to identify the essential tools required in your desired niche.
For example, if you want to specialize in web design, you'll need to work with tools like WordPress to create a site theme.
Photoshop will allow you to build website assets, such as buttons or even a logo.
You don't have to learn all these tools perfectly.
Identify the ones most useful for your graphic design niche and familiarize yourself with how they work as much as possible.
Before you can land your first graphic design role, you need to gain hands-on experience.
This won't only help you further develop your design abilities but also show potential employers that you have the right soft skills to be part of a creative team.
Here are some ways you can start building your design experience:
You should also continue to create designs even outside of a program or internship.
A good portfolio can help you land better graphic design positions.
You can create a personal website to host your graphic design portfolio or choose a hosting platform like Behance.
In either case, you should make sure your portfolio is:
Your portfolio may be the reason someone hires you—or keeps looking.
Target your portfolio to the potential clients you want to attract and ensure it reflects your style, experience, and what you have to offer.
Remember to include some lines that outline your experience next to your digital design materials.
Add what graphic design software you use, awards, graphic design degree or certificate, and the like.
Networking isn't mandatory, but it can help.
Meeting with art directors, marketers, and other communication designers helps increase your visibility in the field and could allow you to discover gigs.
It's also beneficial if you're planning to become self-employed.
Here are some ways to form more relationships:
As you build your portfolio and experience, you can start looking for job openings and sending your resume.
Look for positions that match the type of employment you want. Usually, it's one of three options:
Graphic designers need both hard and soft skills to succeed.
They need good design abilities in their chosen field, such as web design principles or photo editing.
But they also need to have good communication skills, pay attention to details, and have a problem-solving mindset.
Absolutely. Many self-paced learning resources can help you learn alone, from online courses to YouTube tutorials.
What's important is to put the knowledge you accumulate into practice. Graphic design is an industry where practical skills matter most.
If graphic design isn't right for you, try these career paths:
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