5 Ways to Improve Graphic Design Skills

Most designers started their graphic design journey with random scribbling and sketching in class during subjects they are not interested in. To them at an early stage, graphic design is more of an expression of oneself in cartoons than anything related to the real world.

But as a profession, graphic designers utilize visual compositions to solve problems and import thoughts through typography, symbolism, shading, and structure. There are different types of designs in which each of them has its own specific set of skills and design techniques.

Graphic design communicates certain ideas, messages, and important information to the one looking at it. A visual can be as simple as a business brand identity or as complex as a page layout on a site. It takes graphical, textual elements and implements them into different types of media.

In digital marketing, graphic designs are often used in advertisements to promote a business or service, for website design to deliver commercial messages or to convey complicated information more interestingly through the use of digital infographics.

Graphic designers are often seen as a communicator or a translator when they translate the ideas or message into a picture that allow people to better understand the message in a more fun and interesting way. For example, a business card can be made much more attention-grabbing and conversational when it is enhanced by images instead of all plain texts.

If an amateur wants to advance his graphic design skills from plain doodling, there are 5 effective ways that can help one scale up slowly to a more advanced level.

1: Sketching

Even professionally, sketching plays an important role in the design process. The extensiveness of this process depends on the size and scope of the project, the individual designer’s style, and the customer’s expectations.

Sketching is a effective method to rapidly investigate ideas where one can sketch for a couple of hours to work out numerous potential answers for the design problem on hand. This is an essential step in design, as it will save time to work on concepts on a paper before turning it into something more concrete. Sketching on the paper is ultimately easier and faster than drawing on the computer, making it “addictive” for a designer to come out with out-of-the-box solutions quickly.

Hence, honing your sketching skill before taking up a professional course will definitely help one in becoming a more efficient graphic designer in the long run.

2: Keeping your Design Simple

One of the most important factors in design is to keep it simple and clean and conveys the idea easily and smoothly to the recipient.

Next, set a clear and simple goal of your design. Ask yourself what is the one thing you want people to focus on when they are looking at the design. Try to use images to communicate instead of words, as that will push the boundaries of your work. Use minimal color as, although color can be an effective emotional stirring tool, too much of it will divert your audience away from your main message.

The devils’ in the details too. Try focusing on the key elements of your product, pay attention to other finer details from a different perspective, and leave nothing to risk- immaculate design raises to fewer issues and more joyful customers.

3: Follow Prominent Designer’s or Design Agencies’ work

To be a good designer, having a keen interest in everything design is a must. Do you feel excited when you come across a good design? Do your eyes lit up when a great design idea was shown to you? Do you think about the design work on hand when you are bathing, walking or even when watching that Korean drama with your partner?

Following successful designers will be a good start to learning from the best. It is also definitely a great way to conceptualise new design ideas. Not to copy exactly what that has been done, but more to learn and think about how it can be improved in your mind, making your brain register all the best practices in the industry, and making it better than the original piece.

Learning about design trends from these prominent designers and creative agencies can also help you in your research and adopting them into your future work.

Just look at the biggest names in the tech sector like Facebook-Friendster, Google-Yahoo, Apple-Sony, etc. It is all about learning from fellow peers in the industry and improving the work by bringing greater value to your end-users.

4: Asking for Feedback

You should be constantly asking for feedback and not be shy about it. Many designers cannot take criticism as they take too much pride in their work that they produce and that is bad.

Granted, design can sometimes be a matter of perspective but it never kills to hear from another person’s perspective when you are seeking to improve yourself. Some comments may even bring about a eureka moment which can lead you to greater things.

Receiving feedback can be one of the most underrated parts for any design work, regardless of how experienced the designer is, to make sure that all blind spots are identified and that your work can be understood by anyone and not only yourself.

Always take pride in your work, not to be too prideful about it. Sometimes, your level may be too high for the masses and the mass is where the money lies. Bring yourself to a lower level once in a while to cater to the commoners for the greater good of humanity, and yourself.

5: Attend a Design School

Getting yourself enrolled in a good design school is one of the fastest ways to start your journey into becoming a graphic designer. You will hop over all the potential missteps and get good advice from good trainers, especially if they are from the industry.

Take up a graphic design course in a school where they consistently take part in design competitions, allowing the students to learn from the hits and misses through the participation of these competitions, locally or internationally, and grow from these valuable experiences.