How to Become a 3d Graphic Designer
A career in the design industry is artistic, rewarding, and profitable if approached correctly.
👉🏼 Graphic design is also called communication design.
Graphic designers use images, colors, fonts, and layouts to share a message with a specific target audience.
Skills you'll need for a graphic design career include:
- Various design software knowledge
- Understanding of the design process
- Stylistic ability
- and more...
Now let's look at what it takes to become a graphic designer.
Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra).
Do You Need A Degree To Be A Graphic Designer? 🧑🏽🎓
A design degree shows you've studied your industry in-depth and developed the basic skills needed to excel.
However, not every designer has a graphic design degree.
Some specialize in related areas, such as journalism or marketing. Some are self-taught and have a successful graphic design career.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a median salary of $53,380 per year for graphic designers with a bachelor's degree. You'll find a wide range of roles available and a varied median wage as well.
Graphic designers who work in-house for a company may produce online magazines and assist with public relations.
On the other hand, freelance designers may work on various projects, such as logo and web design.
The scope of the project might also impact your work. A book cover design could take months, while a freelancer might work on a dozen projects simultaneously.
There are specific steps you'll need to follow to enter the field without taking graphic design courses.
1. Build Up Your Design Skills 👨🏽💻
You'll need a good eye for layouts and more than general graphic design software knowledge. In fact, the deeper and more advanced your skillset is - the better.
via GIPHY
While a degree isn't 100% necessary to become a graphic designer, it will help you land gigs or a full-time job.
Acquire and build upon such skills as drawing and learning new graphic design software, study the work of other designers on Dribbble and Behance, and learn some coding (it might come in handy one day).
You can start building skills in high school and learn the rest during post-secondary education. Some incredible graphic designers are entirely self-taught.
2. Follow Current Design Trends 💻
Digital designers are artists and constantly try and learn new techniques. Stay current on trends, such as minimalism or geometric shapes, so you know what clients want.
You might offer dozens of marketing materials for a single client, but everything should have a similar style for consistency.
Study your competitors. What techniques are they working with at the moment?
👉🏼 Technology can also impact your work.
More websites embrace videos and augmented reality. If you design sites, you must know what's available to you to develop something that offers a great user experience (UX).
3. Read Graphic Design Books 📘
Graphic designers don't stop learning when they get a degree or land a position at the company of their dreams.
👉🏼 There are always ways to improve the design process and learn new skills.
Pay attention to others in your field.
Are there any talks you can attend, YouTube videos to watch, or graphic design books to read?
While the best books in the field change continuously, here are a few to consider.
- Just My Type by Simon Garfield: Dig deeper into typography than you ever have before. Learn what different fonts say and the tone they set.
- Graphic Design Visionaries by Caroline Roberts: You may have heard of some of the designers in this book while taking design classes. However, the author digs deep into why they create the way they do and what you can learn from each artist. The book showcases Stefan Sagmeister and Wim Crouwel.
- Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Müller-Brockmann: Designing on a grid doesn't mean you wind up with boring finished pieces. You can create a symmetrical grid and achieve the balance you wouldn't have without the underlying structure.
The three books above offer some basics every artist needs to know. You can add to your reading list as new ones hit the market and you see specific skills you'd like to develop.
4. Deep Dive Into Graphic Design Trends 📝
You know you need to keep up with the latest trends, but how can you tell which ones will stand the test of time and what will disappear in a flash?
Some trends never entirely go out of style, which can help your work seem as current today as 10 years from now.
For example, minimalism offers a simple, beautiful look without a lot of clutter or flashy elements.
Rentpal
Rentpal designed by Stian ◒ for unfold . Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.
The RentPal logo is by Stian, a Norwegian freelance designer on Dribbble. Note the simplicity of the design.
The palette features two colors. The text is one sans-serif font, and the image features house icons without a lot of embellishment.
Some newer trends may be here to stay, such as motion design or dark mode.
Since individuals spend more time online than ever before, the lower strain on their vision is a welcome addition to design.
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Adebisi Kupoluyi shares her Athene power bicycle product page in dark mode. Note the use of subdued colors except for the product photo, which is accented with blue and purple.
The result is a gorgeous design that mimics the font to the left and pulls hues from the logo.
Other trends of the moment include geometric design, which features shapes such as circles, triangles, hexagons, and anything else that sets a modern tone. You will see these shapes in the background or surrounding photographs.
Skeuomorphism is a newer concept that makes objects on a screen look real and even mimics the way users interact with them online.
Headphone controller app (white version)
Headphone controller app (white version) designed by Ariuka for Awsmd. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.
For example, the designer might create a graphic that looks like an iPhone screen with clickable areas.
5. Know The Main Graphic Design Principles ✿
When working with clients, you'll need to have a solid understanding of some basic graphic design terms and underlying principles.
Having all the basics down ensures the team is on the same page and the finished design matches expectations.
With more than 266,000 graphic designers in the United States alone, you're up against some stiff competition. You can use various websites to showcase your work and learn from others, such as:
- Dribbble
- Behance
- DeviantArt
- Carbonmade
And here are some terms you should know 💁🏻♀️
Space
👉🏼 Space is the distance between elements in a design.
Composition is vital for a graphic artist. You want the user's attention to go to the most critical aspect first.
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BAAX created a page to showcase its products. The brand uses native items and keeps them simple and elegant.
The photograph places certain elements close together and then scatters others for a stronger visual effect. There's plenty of blank space, which could later be used for text.
Color
👉🏼 An understanding of color is critical in all types of art.
Which shades complement one another? Which ones contrast?
Artists and illustrators use color to create a certain mood, while graphic designers seek just the right combination for a brand's image.
Each color may have an emotional impact on your target audience.
Different cultures and areas see shades through the lens of their lives. For example, black might be seen as elegant in one country and frightening in another.
BTC Crypto Casino
BTC Crypto Casino designed by Anatoliy for Spring Art. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.
Anatoilly for Spring Art uses a monochromatic approach with green to showcase a cryptocurrency casino website design. The same shade appears throughout the design, making one think of money.
Alignment
How things relate to one another in a composition impacts the overall look.
👉🏼 Artists use the rule of thirds and grids to decide where to draw different elements.
Graphic designers use alignment to place emphasis where they want it.
If you want your webpage designs to look orderly, you need alignment. The most common layout is a grid, so things align neatly and butt up to a line or within a square.
Food landing page
Food landing page designed by Masud Rana. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.
Balance
👉🏼 Balance is the distribution of elements in a design.
Symmetry means everything has equal importance, while asymmetrical creations emphasize some elements over others.
Artists and graphic designers use balance in a lot of their works, emphasizing certain details.
You can use asymmetrical balance to highlight a call to action (CTA) or improve the UX by pushing people toward the action you'd like them to take.
Promo Website for a New Line of Snowboards
Promo Website for a New Line of Snowboards designed by Serhii Polyvanyi for blacklead studio. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.
Hierarchy
The elements that carry more importance are usually displayed at the top, with elements of lesser importance displayed below.
For example, your fonts might have a hierarchy where the headings are bold and weighted, but the body text is standard and smaller.
The term hierarchy can apply to the fonts, navigation, or elements on a page.
Think about what you want the users to focus on when they land on your website or look at a flyer or other design you've made. The hierarchy should be such that the attention goes to the main elements first.
Infrared About Page
Infrared About Page designed by Zhenya Rynzhuk for Synchronized. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.
Zhenya Rynzhuk's design for Infrared's about page shows how you can use a font hierarchy to add emphasis. Note how the headline features the biggest and boldest text.
👉🏼 "Understand" is larger than the other words in the heading.
The user hones in on the larger text as they scroll down the page. The smaller text highlights details the person may or may not need to move through their journey on the site.
Contrast
👉🏼 Using darker and lighter colors helps add contrast to a design.
Artists use shadows and light to add a sense of depth and realism to their work.
Graphic designers consider how readable the text is or whether an image presents a clear view for the customer.
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Randi Bellamy shared this Martin Luther King Jr. Day poster on Behance.
Note the use of a black background with white text to create a sharp contrast. The poster could be viewed from a distance or online without the colors blurring into one another.
Rhythm
Rhythm is a more complex topic for designers.
You might study it for years before developing a natural sense of how elements relate to one another in a way that creates a harmonious look.
You must vary the objects but still create a relationship where the order makes sense.
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Check out Alex Wagner's design on Behance for OCA. The energy drink features cans with different plants and vivid colors.
When you click through the designs, you'll see a repeat of the images in the background on each product page and the home page design.
The design has a rhythm because the colors match the emblem on each can. They are also repeated throughout the site.
Proximity
👉🏼 Items placed close together are often seen as part of a group.
If you want to separate things, you must create more space.
Artists may use this technique to show a relationship between subjects. However, graphic designers can use proximity to showcase products related to one another or more commercial pursuits.
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Note how designer Ines Garriga-Nogues chooses an image for his design with products near the product packaging they belong with.
The pistachios spill from the top of the box and stay within their own space.
Each product repeats a similar pattern, but the contents inside stay within a narrow parameter showing each nut is grouped to its box.
6. Compete In Graphic Design Contests 🖥
If you want to stretch your skills, enter graphic design contests. Many offer feedback. You'll also learn from people who compete against you.
Each contest focuses on a different skill.
You can find them through graphic design magazines, professional organizations, and social media groups.
A couple of favorites include:
- Awwwards.com : This contest features nominations and winners in a wide variety of design categories. It's geared more toward graphic artists designing logos and websites.
- PRINT : The magazine chooses winners across 20 different categories who are considered the best in design for the year.
- Communication Arts Design Competition : The CA award offers professional and student categories judged by renowned professionals in the field.
Don't rule out smaller competitions to try your skill. You can enter weekly ones on Facebook and gain valuable feedback from your peers.
Keep Learning 🤓
Whether you're just starting and want to learn the basics of graphic design or you're a seasoned pro wanting to stay up on the trends, you must keep learning and growing throughout your career and on a daily basis.
- Loop into resources such as Skillshare and Udemy to learn niche and technical skills you might not have picked up elsewhere
- Seek a mentor
- Don't be afraid of client feedback
- Read widely, including industry magazines, design blogs, and articles in popular newspapers
You'll likely learn the most from the mistakes you make and have to fix them, so embrace all opportunities as a chance to become a better designer.
This article was written by Eleanor Hecks. Eleanor is the founder and managing editor of Designerly. She's also a freelance web designer with a focus on customer experience. She lives in Philly with her husband and dog, Bear 🐶
How to Become a 3d Graphic Designer
Source: https://marketsplash.com/how-to-become-a-graphic-designer/
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