How To Become A Graphic Designer
Another path to independent income and Wifi money
If you’re in need of independent income, graphic design is potentially straightforward and an avenue for remote work. It’s a high-demand versatile skill which applies to every industry. Everyone should know some of the basics.
You don’t need college for it. I have a degree in graphic design and wouldn’t recommend that route. A degree is expensive, takes years to complete, and doesn’t adequately prepare students for design jobs. The real world is the best teacher here. Zero fluff.
Graphic design has a lot of subcategories. This includes:
Print production (printed posters, packaging design, promotional products, etc)
Book/magazine publishing (cover design and interior formatting)
Logo design (branding)
UI/UX and front-end web design
Advertising and marketing (may include illustrated infographics along with ads)
Motion graphics and interactive design (animation and video)
Graphic designers are rarely “just” designers. They have specialties and preferences. As you learn more about the art world, you’ll likely find yourself drawn to one or two these more than other subcategories. Embrace that.
Hardware and software requirements for designers
I first wrote about copywriting because that’s cheaper and easier for getting started with remote work. One of the downsides of design is that it requires equipment. You need a good computer which can handle large Photoshop files. Video editing is also a common request for designers these days, which asks for even more computer power. You can use either a laptop or desktop, whichever gets the job done. Laptop portability is often preferred.
Note that you DO NOT need a Mac. Most people recommend one, and I don’t know why. Apple pulled off a genius marketing move by convincing 18-year-old college students that Macs are for artists (they’re not). The main benefit of a Mac is that they’re simple to use. The problem is that Macs are overpriced and underpowered than similarly-specced Windows PCs. Especially on the high end. A $3000 gaming PC will blow a $8000 Mac out of the water. It’s not even close. Can you buy a Mac anyway? Sure, if that’s what you want. No one is stopping you. Just know that Windows PCs are more versatile and a better bang for your buck.
A gaming laptop is $600-700 when on sale (or buying used). This is a great starting point which covers 90% of people. Minimum specs: i5 or i7 processor, GTX 1650 graphics card, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD. You’ll probably want an external hard drive too.
Once you have a usable computer, you’ll need the Adobe Creative Suite. This is the gold standard of the design world. Everyone expects knowledge of at least 3 programs here. Other software may work for freelancing, but with a 9-5 or contract work, Adobe is required.
Primary:
Photoshop
Illustrator
Acrobat
With minimum viable competency in these 3 programs, you can think about your portfolio, and start looking for jobs/clients.
Secondary:
Dreamweaver
InDesign
Premiere
After Effects
Audition
Animate
Lightroom
XD
These are useful to know, but are heavily job-dependent. Many designers never need to use any of these. It depends on your niche. If anything, pick one that seems fun after you’re done learning the basics of Photoshop/Illustrator.
Creative Cloud is $600 per year (prepaid) if you can’t find a sale. You may find “versions” for “free” on the “high seas.” If you can’t afford Adobe programs, or prefer a try-before-you-buy approach, it’s worth the time and effort to look around. Just be safe and don’t catch a virus. Spending $1500 on a computer and one software suite is a tall order for most people these days.
Other useful programs include Davinci Resolve, Figma, Sketch, and Topaz Gigapixel. And download more fonts from Google.
I have a list of resources and alternatives here:
Practice as much as you can. Learn what all the tools and menu options do. Learn the shortcuts. Remove backgrounds from photos. Create memes. Etc.
I may create a video tutorial series if there’s enough demand for one.
Learning what makes for good design
Once you have the technical knowledge for using Photoshop and Illustrator, it’s time to learn **what makes for good design**. You CANNOT offer your services UNLESS you’re a decent designer. You will make zero money from a poor offer. You can’t just talk the talk. You have to walk the walk. You don’t, of course, have to be the world’s best designer. Aim for minimum viable competency, build a portfolio, and look for entry-level remote work. You’ll get better as time goes on.
I’ll cover principles of design and layout in future articles.
In the meantime, you can learn from what already works. Study existing ads and marketing campaigns. What are they doing? Can you replicate it in Photoshop? Why are those designers using certain design decisions?
For example, an aspiring book designer will study the covers of best-selling books. Check the top 100 on Amazon for each category. There are certain layouts, concepts, and fonts in each category. It isn’t all the same. The differences jump out with experience.
Aspiring logo designers likewise study top logos. What interests you? What are the current trends? (Don’t go along with extreme debranding and you’ll be fine.)
Other places to look at designs and case studies:
Brand New by UnderConsideration (not free, but worth the $2)
In-House In-Focus by UnderConsideration
Large design firms also show off their portfolios. Pentagram, for instance.
For more information, start here
Art School Week 1: Color Theory and Psychology
Once you’re established, and wondering how to get clients and scale up, I already wrote about that too:
It may say “copywriter,” yet applies to all forms of freelancing. The main principles are universal.
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I sell physical artwork at ApolloGallery.org with more to come
You can hire me for graphic design work