TIPS TO IMPROVE AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

TIPS  TO  IMPROVE  AS  A  GRAPHIC  DESIGNER

Graphic design is a field that is quickly changing, both creatively and technically, and while it is easy to get caught up in learning new technical skills, it is just as important to focus improving and pushing the limits of our creativity.

While in design school, it was easy to surround myself with inspiration and engage in activities that helped my understanding of effective design. Once I graduated I feared losing it, since I was no longer surrounded by a learning environment. I made it a point to continue educating myself as much as possible and become more active in the field of design. I was determined not to let my designs grow stagnant, but rather transgress and improve with time. Here are a few tips,EXERCISES and practices that have help me continue learning, strengthen creativity and become an all around better designer.

STEPS

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   Become a collector. Each time you see a design that inspires you, collect it, bring it home and file it away. You can stack them in boxes or folders, allowing you access to them. They're a great resource of inspiration when needed. Even Starbucks gives out creative weekly mini-newspapers. ^[1]
   

   • You can also do this online. Download work which you like. Make a new Map on your computer and name it 'Inspiration'. Save everything you like there. Every time you're stuck or have no idea what to add more into your work, you can always look in your 'Inspiration' map.
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   Buy books. Having an extensive book collection is essential to learning. Try to buy a new book at least every few weeks. Look for a range of inspirational, educational, fun, and technical topics.
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   Read design-related blogs. You will learn a lot by reading other designers' blogs.^[2] The web in an invaluable resource of information -- take advantage of it and actually use it.
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   Look out for tutorials. These will teach you new techniques, and will expose you to new methods and useful tricks. Work through them and then apply the learned techniques to your own designs. There are a lot of great tutorial sites out there. You can also find some on personal blogs. Constantly improve your skills by looking for tutorials and completing them.
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   Start a design blog. Starting a blog will make you more aware of the design community and make you more analytical toward your own work. If you blog well enough, you may also attract attention in the community.
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   Join and be active in the design community. As a freelance designer, joining an online design community is a must. Not only does it keep you up-to-date in the design world, but is also great for feedback and critique. Being your own boss is great, but not having anyone to answer to as a freelancer also has its down sides. If you work alone, there is no one to criticize your work and help you improve. A site you might like to become a part of is DeviantArt. There you can.
   

   • Collaborate with other designers.
     
   • Enter competitions and contests, that will motivate you to become better.
   • Seek comments and advice from other designers to see where you can improve, your own assessment may not be the best.
   • Seek out designs that pique your interest and find tutorials that explain the techniques involved; you can also contact artists and ask about their techniques.
   • Critiques. It’s so helpful to artists when someone critiques their work. Even reading critiques of other designs is helpful.
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   Take lots of photos. Photos solve the problem of not being able to take home designs you like. Camera phones are great for this. Just snap a photo and file it away for later. You can use Evernote for this type of thing; pictures of building designs, textures, shapes of shadows on walls, etc. Take photos of anything that interests you from a design standpoint.
   

   • Photography is also good forEXERCISE in composition, lighting, and color, and your photographs can fuel your artistic designs.
   • Remember to respect copyrights when taking photos. In particular, do not reuse or republish others' copyrighted content without permission.
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   Create sample projects whenever you find free time. Create a fake brand for a company. Design logos, stationery, brochures, websites, the whole nine yards. It’s good to do this once in a while because it keeps design fun and lets your creativity run wild without limitations. It’s often easy to get caught in a rut when clients start dictating and your work no longer remains "yours".
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   Or create a 'real' project for 'free' rather than a fictional project. Get as much information about them as you can and re-brand them. Logo, business cards, letterhead, mock website. It keeps you on your toes. Plus, you might even end up using it in your portfolio. Or, donate free design work to local community organizations, school groups, whoever. they’ll appreciate it, and designing an effective community meeting flier or something gives you great experience and feedback on effective, moving work.
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    Redo other people's designs. Don't want to create a fake brand to design? Try redesigning other people’s projects. This helps you evaluate what "they" did wrong and what you could do better.
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    Redo your old designs. It is important to keep your old work. It will help you see if you’re moving forward and improving your skills. Instead of throwing away or deleting old projects, try reworking them.
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    Attend lectures and workshops. Every few months, make it a point to attend lectures of other designers speaking at local schools and universities to learn new things.
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    Visit exhibitions of visual arts and graphic design.
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    Network with other designers. Attending lectures and events is a great way to meet other designers. You should always try to search out the designers that have more experience and talent than you do. It’s hard to admit someone else is better than you, but networking with people of higher skill levels will push you to work harder and learn more.
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    Take classes. Many local colleges allow you to register for classes without enrolling full-time. It will not only teach you some new things technically, but also put you back in a classroom of your peers.
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    Interview other designers and studios. You can learn a lot from asking questions to experienced designers and design studios. You can also get answers to questions your design school could never answer.
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    Travel. Experiencing new cultures and seeing their artwork opens your mind to a whole new world. It is good for inspiration.
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    Sketch, sketch, and sketch some more. Sketching helps you work through ideas quickly and without limitations of design software. Sketching is a most excellent way to quickly explore ideas and concepts. You can sketch for multiple hours and work out lots of possible variations to the design at hand. This is an essential step in the design process. It will save you time to work through concepts on paper before going to the computer. The process of sketching then moves into digital drafts. Remember,draw first, click later.

12 Traits of a Seriously Creative Graphic Designer

1. Highly Motivated

Creative graphic designers are motivated by the task at hand rather than by material rewards. They find motivation in the challenge that a task presents rather than allowing the material benefits to dictate what they do.

2. Very Imaginative

They stand out from the crowd. While others follow the latest trends and find inspiration in other people’s work, the creative graphic designers find inspiration in everyday things and themselves.

3. Brutally Honest

Self criticism is a quality many people fail to find a balance in. They either end up being too critical of themselves or become over confident about being the best. Being brutally honest with oneself requires asking the right questions throughout thecreative design process. This is one of the leading traits of successful designers.

4. Truly Passionate

Passion tends to be the main driving force behind creativity. You have to love what you do in order to do it well. Unless you are passionate about what you do, you will not be able to completely focus on the task at hand and soon get tired of it.

5. Adore Challenges

Creative graphic designers do not shy away from challenges. They let their curiosity get the best of them, allowing them to ask questions and discover things most of us overlook. This curiosity gets them intrigued by challenges and they are able to tackle them head on.

6. Manage Time

Time management can become a challenge for many graphic designers who take on multiple projects and fail to deliver on time, leading to a lack in creativity. A good graphic designer would assess his/her current workload and is realistic in his approach towards work so every project s/he takes can be given its due time.

7. Find a Balance

Creative designers know how to strike a balance between being play and organized. They know how to be fun enough to experiment with various concepts and serious enough to implement them professionally. They combine the carefree fantasy with the right amount of realty based perspective.

8. Good Communicator

Being a good communicator plays a major role in the success of any designer. Prompt interaction with the client and keeping them in the loop regarding the developments and new ideas is critical to a project’s success. Doing so will help strengthen your designer-client relationship.

9. Professional Attitude

Good graphic designers know that there is a fine line between being confident and being arrogant. They don’t let their confidence get the best of them and are open to suggestions and ideas given by the client.

10. Can Take Criticism

Criticism is just another person’s opinion. Learn to take it positively as it will help you grow and understand things better. Successful graphic designers know how to accept criticism and understand that it is part of the learning process, not to be taken personally.

11. Keep Learning

Designing is a lifelong process. It is not something you can learn in a few months or a couple of years. As the graphic design industry continues to evolve, only the ones who keep up with the developments can stay ahead in the game. The minute you stop learning is the minute you sign yourself up for failure.

12. Push their Limits

Pushing your boundaries, thinking outside the box and allowing yourself to experiment is all part of the learning experience as a creative graphic designer.

All these traits are part of a successful graphic designer’s personality and play an imperative role in transforming an individual into a designer extraordinaire. Can you think of any other trait a winning graphic designer might have? Be sure to drop in a line. We love to know your opinion!