Questions you might have as a graphic design student
Do I need to be an artist to be a graphic designer?
No you do not need to be an artist to be a graphic designer. Actually there is a distinct difference between artists and designers which we have an entire article about (linked here). In this article we explain that an artist produces work that is much more subjective than graphic design and they have a lot more freedom to tell a story or make people think with their work because they aren’t necessarily trying to market anything. A graphic designer is looking to solve a specific problem with their work in which they might use artwork, but they are trying to deliver an overall message through combining many pieces.
So if you’re worried that you can’t draw but you want to be a graphic designer, don’t worry about it, you can definitely still be a graphic designer. It is more important that you are creative above all else and the rest of the skills you will learn how to do and can improve upon through practice.
What are the main tasks of a graphic designer?
This is dependent on which specific field of graphic design you want to go into and can be different for everyone. For our company one of the main services we provide is branding for companies. This means some of our main tasks include researching that company, gathering inspiration, creating logos, color palettes, patterns, typography and any other assets that the company might need. Another big part of our job is to apply branding once we’ve created it, which includes creating packaging, social media graphics, advertisements, and more. This is just a snapshot of what we do but other graphic designers may work specifically in marketing or for a company that already has an established brand, so the day-to-day would look a lot different.
Is it better to freelance or work for an established company?
This also depends on you as a designer and what type of work you want to do / what type of work environment you want to work in. One is not necessarily better than the other, it’s all up to personal preference. As a freelancer you will have a lot more freedom to set the pace / prices of your work, but this freedom also comes with the responsibility of running your own company and dealing with less fun parts of owning a business like taxes and getting clients. If you work in an established company then you will start working under other people’s directions and will have less freedom with your schedule. But, with working for another company you have more job security and don’t have to worry about the business side of things as much and can just focus on the creative work. Therefore, both of these have pros and cons meaning your decision will depend on what is more important to you. Many designers try both throughout their careers and eventually figure out what they like better.
What are misconceptions about this field of work?
A big misconception about graphic design is that it’s just designing logos and that’s it. Logos are definitely a part of a graphic design, but they are just a piece of a bigger picture. For example, we rarely ever just do a logo for a company because a successful brand identity should have many different types of marks to work with. For a typical brand project we will create one main logo mark and 5 to 10 sub-marks that vary in size and shape. That way depending on where the company needs to put a logo, there will always be an option that fits.
What are some valuable skills to have as a graphic designer?
The obvious answer is that a graphic designer should be skilled in all of the adobe programs including illustrator and photoshop. But outside of just the technical part, a graphic designer should have strong time management skills, be self motivated, and be extremely open to criticism and working with others. It’s important to detach yourself from your work on some level and understand that what you create is trying to accomplish something so if it isn’t working it doesn’t necessarily mean that the work is bad, it might just not be the right fit or appeal to the right people. You should always be open to trying something new or be able to go in a different direction.
What are some tips for getting a job after college?
After school everyone gets jobs at different times so something important to remember is to not compare yourself to others. Some kids might have a job before college ends and some might not get one for months after, but everyone is on a different path and there is no set time on how long it should take. Some tips for getting yourself out there are to keep in contact with peers, teachers, guest speakers, internship supervisors, and putting yourself out there online and in person. After school you should also be building a really strong portfolio that includes work other than what you did in school. Even if you make up a completely fictional project, find a way to show off your skills and design something that you would be proud of.
Those are some of the questions we hear the most and ones that we had ourselves when we first got started. Hopefully if you are a student right now we answered some of your questions as well. If we missed anything check out our other articles here or reach out to us anytime here!
