Getting started in graphic design?

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This year, I took my first photo class and am entering a more intensive program next year. A significant part of the class was in Photoshop, which I discovered I was fairly good at. I now have the entire summer to mess around, and I was hoping to add more graphic design work to my portfolio and my skillset.

So this is a little shout-out to you graphic designers out there: What helped you when you were getting started? Are there any good projects/websites/books to give me some foundation for my own work. I've gotten some work from a few of my friends, but I'm really looking for challenging projects and more instruction on the foundations.

Many thanks in advance!
 
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1. Be open to ideas.
Nurture the child in you, chidden can always come up with unusual ideas. As Chas ays, look around you and take shots of anything cool you see, from graphite on a wall to a juice container you think is a really good design. Also when designing things don't just go with your first idea, do several designs. If the first one is still the winner, go back to it,

http://www.amazon.com/Serious-Creativity-Lateral-Thinking-Create/dp/0887306357?tag=macforums0e4-20
Ways of Seeing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2. Daydream
Lounging in a park or on a train. That's often where the best ideas pop into your head. Always carry a pad (we are talking old skool paper) and a biro to just doodle any ideas that you have, you can create the design on a computer later.

3. The history of Art
Yeah, sure - what can some Dutch guy from the 1920s teach me about designing websites? If you live in a city visit galleries, it doesn't matter if they are sculpture, painting, design or anything. The more you study art the more it can enrich your graphic design. Before you know it you may find that the Bauhaus movement, Paul Rand or the De Stijl movement in Holland will influence your design. It doesn't sound relevant to look at impressionist paintings - but you will be a much better designer in the end.

4. Think about a course.
A weekend course or full time. Find out the best design courses in your area. You could do a deign course or a more general art one - doesn't matter - since the best tutors will be teaching creativity - which can apply to anything from graphic design to writing novels.
 
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chas_m

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Photoshop jockeys are always in demand, but the graphic arts is a much more comprehensive field than that.

Your best "textbooks" are simply the world around you -- notice good design, figure out why it works for you, figure out how you'd do that same effect in Photoshop or Illustrator.

Read ads and notice art. It has a language, and like all languages it has rules and "grammar." You have to know the rules before you can know which ones you can break, and when. :)

Start with business cards, and small ads and such. Work with printers/print shops/community publications to discover what they bring to the process (answer: the real world and its limitations!). You'll probably need to do a lot of "little, tedious" type jobs, but you'll also get the occasional "big, cool" thing to work on every now and again.

Read Photoshop User magazine.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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I would be working on a self promotional piece, something that shows who you are and why you are different than the next designer.

Logo/corporate branding, and packaging. Those would be some of the stuff that I would be working on.

chas_m had some pretty good advice about working with printers and print shops. You need to know how to setup your documents so that they will print correctly. Learn about the different kind inks and why you should use one over the other.

Spending time at a paper mill and experimenting with different kind of paper would be a good idea. That's if you are serious about print design.
 
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I'm proficient at Photoshop using it daily at work and am learning photography pretty seriously now but I am absolutely useless at graphic design.

I couldn't really make or think of a logo for example to save myself or design a template.

I can however, see what makes a good photograph and then take it back to the computer, process it and turn it into a great photograph (usually just in Lightroom though). So I build on that and forget about graphic design.

I'm just trying to put across there is a difference between a Ps guru and a graphic designer, so read into it as it sounds like you've only done Ps work.


For photography and Ps work, I would recommend kelbytraining.com. It does cover graphic design too so you could take a look around for that too.
 
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I have been a graphic designer for over 20 Years, for the last 10 years ive been in the food packaging design business for companies like Post and kraft.
the best advice I can give you in this business is to try and expand your portfolio, make some cards when your ready and a website showing your stuff then branch out fulltime freelance, you can make so much more money. You can strive to become an Art Director or even Creative Director for a large firm but max pay your looking at is about 85-90k a year and thats after paying your dues, which would be atleast 5-6 years full experience managing a design team.

here are a few things you have to get used to:

1. DEADLINES Graphic Designers (good ones anyway) are always in the pressure Cooker.
2. Learn to Enjoy Caffine
3. Surf the web, TV, Anything for inspiration and Ideas
4. Become familiar with atleast 2 key programs for design I recommend PhotoShop and Illustrator
5. get yourself a high pixel digital camera, always carry it with you nice to see an image that will look good in a design
6. Make sure you use a MAC <---------- (MOST IMPORTANT LOL)

Good Luck
 
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I'm still a student (doubling in graphic design and web development), so I haven't actually worked in the field yet, but before I started design classes, I spent a lot of time just playing around with the software and becoming familiar with it. It really helped to be comfortable with it from the start. It makes it easier to focus on becoming a good designer in school rather than learning how to use software.

Also, I think I've learned just as much about design from reading graphic design blogs and looking at creative examples online as I have from the last 4 years of school.

If you want to have some fun with photoshop and get even better at it, you should check out the constant contests going on at Worth1000 Home too
 
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Wow, this is amazing...

Thank you all so much for the advice. I really appreciate every bit of it. :)
 
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L40. boghtoff

YouTube - Graphic Designer vs client

the ability to hold your tongue when talking to your idiot client.

LOL, that helps in a lot of fields. I am also a real estate agent, the ability to keep my lip zipped as a freelancer helps me tremendously. :)

But seriously, to the OP, I have been a freelance designer for over 20 years. My background is in typography, and I think that is the most important thing to learn. Anyone can "use" any computer program, but making the ad, flyer, menu, chart, etc, look good is an art. In my real estate office there are a few people who think they are good at using Photoshop or Publisher or some such and think they are producing great promotional materials, but they have no eye for typography. Learn typography. And good luck!
 
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chas_m

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Just wanted to second what Pacer said -- studying typography (as well as fine art and many of the other things suggested above) will *change your life.*

Steve Jobs, in a speech to Stanford graduates, devoted a full third of his time on the podium to talking about a calligraphy class he attended as a lark back in his college days, and how that had lead directly to the Mac being the most beautiful computer ever. That little community-college class helped change the world. Mind-blowing.
 
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Just wanted to second what Pacer said -- studying typography (as well as fine art and many of the other things suggested above) will *change your life.*

Steve Jobs, in a speech to Stanford graduates, devoted a full third of his time on the podium to talking about a calligraphy class he attended as a lark back in his college days, and how that had lead directly to the Mac being the most beautiful computer ever. That little community-college class helped change the world. Mind-blowing.

I'm taking graphic art classes..calligraphy doesn't exist in my school.

But if I were one of those Stanford Graduates, my mind= blown.

Mind%20Blown.jpg
 

CrimsonRequiem


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I'm taking graphic art classes..calligraphy doesn't exist in my school.

But if I were one of those Stanford Graduates, my mind= blown.

Mind%20Blown.jpg

I hope that's not stopping you from picking up a Typography book. There are tons out there, you might even have some in your library. >_>"""
 

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