From the author: Hello friends! Today I would like to talk about the profession of a graphic designer. My choice fell on her, because design is a component of almost all aspects of modern life. Creative professions always require great dedication and in return they give no less. In my article, I will talk about how to become a graphic designer and where to start.
Profession graphic designer
The work of a designer requires not only creativity and creative approach, but also the presence of logic. A specialist of this profile must be able to simultaneously solve several important and complex tasks. The product that he creates (typeface, logo, etc.) must be unique, memorable and bright, suitable for printing and take into account the specifics of the enterprise for which he is developing it. Therefore, it is very important that the creative mind of a graphic designer strictly obey the laws of logic.
For those who are wondering how to become a graphic designer, I want to reveal the essence of this profession:
the main activity is the development of the corporate style of the organization (creation of a logo, font, color scheme, etc.);
Also, a specialist of this profile can work in the printing industry: develop packaging design, layouts of promotional products, as well as create designs for souvenirs.
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So, the skills of a designer are used in the development of: corporate identity and logo, packaging, online advertising, printed materials, websites, interfaces for computer games and programs, presentations, etc.
What professional qualities and skills are needed for the job?
There is an opinion among the people that a specialist in the field of graphic design should be proficient in programming languages, the basics of copywriting and understand codes. Is that so, let's figure it out together.
Do you think a designer should be able to draw? I will answer your question with a question. Should an accountant know how to count? Being able to draw does not mean creating virtuoso works of art, a graphic designer works in a more "narrow" world of tools. However, in order to better understand the visual processes from the inside, the ability to draw does not hurt.
But graphic designers must know the color scheme, fonts and the basics of composition. It is also necessary to constantly understand the current trends in style and fashion and improve your skills. Of course, the main tools in the work of the designer will be graphic editors Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. And depending on the type of occupation, you will use one or another program.
In addition to skills in working with programs, a specialist in this profile should have the following set of qualities:
visual perception;
artistic taste;
ingenuity and creativity;
knowledge of modern culture and fashion;
the ability to think soberly, but in an original way.
What about copywriting, coding and programming? I think that this knowledge will be useful for "aerobatics", but for beginners they are optional. Believe me, it's better to be a master in one area and have a well-coordinated team, which will include a layout designer, a programmer, and a copywriter.
How to start a career as a graphic designer?
How to become a graphic designer without education and work experience? First, don't be afraid. Register on the freelance exchange for beginners. There you can find many assignments for art and design activities and start practicing right away, learn how to negotiate with future employers, get your hands on small projects, and also get your first, but most long-awaited, positive feedback. Add completed work to your portfolio.
The next step is to invite your acquaintances and friends to develop a design for a positive review. In most cases, people willingly go forward and agree. At this stage, you can not only gain experience, but also increase your rating on the freelance exchange.
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The third step is to put things in order in our social networks. It is very important to have a valid page on the social network, because on the other side of the computer they don’t know anything about you. Set yourself the "right" status and publish your work. This will help you attract more attention to yourself and arrange people for trusting cooperation.
Now that you have come such a long way, you can safely start working on professional freelance exchanges. Pay special attention to your portfolio, because the number of orders will depend on it. The competition is very high, but if you have all the above skills, you will definitely be able to find customers for yourself.
Where to study to be a graphic designer?
If you decide to study as a graphic designer, then you should decide whether you need a diploma. In the case when a diploma is needed, you can try to enter universities or secondary specialized educational institutions with design faculties, such as:
graphic design;
publishing.
If the crust is not the main thing for you, then you can safely study design on your own using video tutorials or go to graphic designer courses. Such ways of learning have a lot of positive aspects: you will save a lot of time and money, get all the necessary knowledge that you can immediately try in practice.
The main disciplines to be studied:
fundamentals of graphic design;
coloring;
graphic elements;
painting and drawing;
photography basics.
Also, during the training a lot of attention is paid to marketing and advertising, the use of graphic design in these areas. For example, the development of logos for organizations or advertising posters. Once again, I note that you should definitely master Illustrator and Photoshop. Knowledge of InDesign will not be superfluous.
Where to get a job?
In the modern world, professions related to design are the most paid and in demand in the labor market. Today, no organization can do without a graphic designer.
Design specialists are required not only in publishing houses, but also in advertising agencies, in the company for the production of postcards, stationery and packaging. You can also apply your talents in web design, design of computer games and programs.
Every day, a huge number of online stores and sites appear on the World Wide Web, many groups are created on social networks and they all want to have their own individual design that will allow them to stand out from the “crowd” and win the favor of “potential customers”. No self-respecting company today can do without the services of a designer.
If your soul is drawn to creativity, you are creative and open to new knowledge, then this profession is perfect for you! Do not give up at the slightest difficulty, and you will definitely succeed!
In the meantime, subscribe to our blog and share useful information with your friends - they will be grateful to you. See you soon!
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Designer is a specialty from the TOP-10. Especially in the IT industry. Therefore, those who have chosen this profession will definitely provide themselves with sales and income.
Graphic Designer: Training
Advertising, branding, printing, websites, magazines, architecture, technology, interior design - the list of niches in which a designer can find himself can take a long time. Of course, online training programs are also suitable for novice graphic designers: various channels on Youtube, Yandex design school, blogs of eminent geeks. But the smartest thing to do is to become a graphic designer, in every way. So you can get: a diploma, initial experience and a profitable line in your resume. The latter is especially true for those who want to get into a large company and gain valuable experience as a graphic designer. The specialty also allows you to earn extra money while studying remotely.
Graphic designer - where to study
A graphic designer can get an education both in courses and in specialized higher educational institutions. To begin with, you should assess your abilities and answer such key questions.
- will I be able to self-educate effectively;
- will they take a self-taught person to work where I dream;
- I choose freelance or I want to work in the office.
Based on thoughtful answers to these questions, you need to decide where to study as a graphic designer: on your own via the Internet; on short courses; in a higher education institution. For freelancing, self-education is enough, experience and a portfolio can be gained on remote work exchanges. To satisfy career ambitions and a good position - a university. It is also important to consider that most educational institutions provide practice, give directions. Bachelor's and specialist's programs differ significantly in areas.
Graphic designer: universities
A lot of universities have a specialty designer, graphic design. You need to choose by industry, location, prices for education, conditions for admission. Just a few of hundreds of possibilities:
- Universities. Bauman, them. Plekhanov;
- information technology in Moscow;
- Institute of Business and Design;
- Institute of Humanitarian Education and Information Technologies;
- State University of Design and Technology in Moscow;
- Technology and design in St. Petersburg;
- British Higher School of Design;
- International Academy of Business and Management;
- Moscow Humanitarian and Technical Academy;
- University "Synergy.
To begin with, you should make a selection of suitable universities, and then visit them on open days and get acquainted in detail with the work of students, teachers, assess the level of training, places of internship.
Graphic Designer: Colleges
Usually the artistic inclinations of a teenager by the 9th grade of the school become obvious. With the goal of studying to be a graphic designer, it is only logical to go to college after grade 9, for an average of 4 years. After 11 classes, colleges offer programs for an average of 3 years. There are quite a lot of them, given the demand for the specialty 54.01 20 graphic designer. Some options:
- Publishing and Printing College. Fedorov;
- art school in memory of 1905 in Moscow;
- college them. Faberge;
- College of Design at the Institute of IGUMO and IT.
When it comes to the profession of a graphic designer, what subjects to take should be specified for a specific university. The main ones are: mathematics, Russian language, physics and computer science for IT and technical specialties, literature. You almost always have to go through a creative competition. History or social studies may also be included.
Design and fine arts
The modern term "design" comes from the English word design, which has many meanings: idea, goal, sketch, model, composition. The designer generates an idea and creates an artistic image in which his own experience and knowledge are transferred to the subject and phenomena of professional activity. At the same time, the main task of its activity is to improve the quality and beauty of the environment around us, to create comfortable and aesthetic conditions for work and leisure.
Professional design services are always in demand in large firms investing in the representativeness and convenience of their offices. Designers are also indispensable in the field of small business, for which the dynamism of product change requires a faster pace of design and development, and then the production of new, competitive products.
One of the facets of the designer's activity is creativity, but there are a number of purely creative specialties, whose main task is to realize the artistic concept in works of art.
Majors and Specializations in Design and Fine Arts
You can become a professional designer by graduating from a university with a degree in Design (6 years of study with full-time education). Education in the specialty "Design of the architectural environment" is possible with the same period of study. In the direction of "Design" two-level training is carried out in the bachelor's and master's programs of universities in the field of design.
As part of the specialty "Design", Moscow universities offer the following specializations:
- Graphic design
- costume design
- Means of transport design
- Environmental design (interior design, landscape design)
- Industrial Design
- Web design.
For almost all specializations in the specialty "Design" in the universities of Moscow, you can find similar training programs in specialties of a similar profile. Thus, the specialization "Graphic Design" is close to the specialty "Graphics", a block of printing specialties, the specialization "Design in Advertising" of the specialty "Advertising", and the specialization "Costume Design" - the specialty "Artistic Costume Design". Environmental design can be learned at universities under the training programs in the specialties "Landscape architecture", "Urban construction industry".
In the field of fine arts, higher education is possible at Moscow universities in the following specialties:
"Graphics" - training of artists for activities in the field of easel graphics, book art, design of printed materials, animation, animation, computer graphics.
"Decorative and Applied Arts" - training in creative activities to create high-quality serial and unique works of art in various areas (cultural and household items, decorative plastic, stained glass, etc.).
"Painting" - training of artists in the field of easel painting; theatrical and decorative painting; restoration of easel, oil, tempera, monumental and decorative painting.
"History and theory of fine arts" - trains art historians, art historians and art critics for professional activities in the field of culture and society.
"Sculpture" - prepares artists in the field of creating three-dimensional works of art of various types and genres: monumental, monumental-decorative, easel (portrait and composition) sculpture, sculpture of small forms, relief, medal art.
In universities in the field of fine arts, two-level education is possible: in the areas of "Decorative and applied arts and folk crafts" and "Art history" in the undergraduate and graduate programs. In the direction of "Fine Arts" - in the bachelor's degree.
What are they studying
In line with the basic professional knowledge at the university, the designer must learn:
- analysis of works of different types and genres of art;
- methods of organizing the creative process;
- realization of artistic conception in practical activities.
In addition to the basic ones, the designer will need knowledge from a variety of areas and, above all, from the field of computer technology. Computer technology has provided designers with an inexhaustible source of information, at the same time being a unique means for translating their creative ideas into almost all areas of design.
In addition, the creativity of a designer is inseparable from related areas of advertising, PR, marketing and merchandising. The designer also needs legal knowledge in such areas of jurisprudence as labor law, intellectual property. A number of specializations in the specialty "Design" require technical knowledge and deep engineering training.
The curriculum for all creative specialties of universities in the field of design and fine arts includes: Russian and general history; world literature; history of music, costume and theatre; fundamentals of philosophical and economic knowledge, general psychology, foreign languages. Particular attention is paid to acquiring skills in working with various materials, making models.
Where do they work and how much do they earn?
Graphic design specialists are required in the field of printing, in advertising agencies, design studios, design workshops, PR and marketing departments of enterprises and firms. Graphic designers salary starting at $500
Costume designers can work as costume designers in film, theater, show business; stylists, fashion editors of illustrated media; fashion designers in the service sector; buyers, merchandisers in the field of trade; finally, to create author's collections. Costume designers start at $500.
Environmental designers can engage in interior decoration of residential and public spaces in specialized agencies or organize their own studio; to work in the field of improvement of urban areas, to be landscape designers, specialists in the field of exhibition design, exterior and equipment, floral design. Salary for environment designers from $700.
Designers of any specialization can work in creative unions and organizations, design centers, publishing houses, printing houses, advertising agencies, teach in general education and art schools, art studios, colleges, universities.
Art critics can work in museums, exhibition halls, art galleries, antique shops, in the editorial offices of fine art magazines, in creative unions. They can engage in teaching activities in all educational institutions from school to university.
Artists, graphic artists, sculptors can do creative work. In addition, they can take part in the design of various printing publications, carry out restoration work, engage in scenography - design theatrical performances. They can decorate the interiors of theaters, hotels, restaurants, banks, churches and other public buildings, take part in the design of urban areas, ensembles of squares, recreation areas, etc.
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Composition basics
Composition is one of the most complex and fundamentally important disciplines in the professional training of a designer. In the process of teaching the basics of composition, the study of the basic rules for working with compositional space is carried out. Techniques and means of conveying various concepts are studied, such as: symmetry, asymmetry, rhythm, space, etc. The composition course is of paramount importance in developing an understanding of the structure of images, imaginative thinking, creative self-expression and helps to find the necessary resources for creating and visualizing ideas in the creative process design.
Sketching and graphic drawing
Drawing is the basis of all types of fine arts and design. He opens up the possibility of realizing his ideas and ideas, develops spatial and decorative thinking.
In the classroom, students can get acquainted with such concepts as aerial perspective, horizon line, volume, rhythm, proportions of objects, organization of sheet space. Practical exercises and drawing from life lay the foundation for professional thinking and are a key tool in the future work of the designer.
floristry
Coloristics as a science in graphic art. Fundamentals of color. Fundamentals of color harmony. Methods and means of building color harmony. The role of color in design. Color psychology. Color culture. Color and space. Color work. Creation of color compositions. Domestic and foreign experience of color science.
Web design as a branch of graphic design. Main types of sites. Stages of site development. Creative brief (determining the goals of the site, target audience, concept). The main elements of a web page and the logic behind their arrangement. Site design. Usability.
Overview of the programs used to develop the site. Modern styles of web design. Basic principles of website design. Color schemes. Formatting text material and choosing a typeface. Ways to design page elements. Modular grid. Setting options in Adobe Photoshop.
Working out the design details of the site. Icons, pictograms, favicon. Development of static and gif-animated banners. Using vector programs to develop website design using the example of Adobe Illustrator.
Preparation of layouts for layout: format of source files, organization of layers. Dynamic and interactive page elements. Website behavior on monitors of different sizes. Layout cutting. Requirements for illustrations on the Internet. Non-standard fonts, effects, patterns.
In Italian universities, future graphic designers study such subjects as the history of visual culture, the principles of visual design, the history and theory of the media, the analysis of new trends, etc. By graduation, each student, as a rule, has already formed his own portfolio, which allows you to take the first steps on the way to a successful international career. Students from prestigious Italian universities train at companies such as Danone, Glamour, Smartbox, Park Hyatt, The Coca-Cola Company and dozens of others.
Istituto Marangoni
Three-year program "Multimedia and Visual Design"
During a three-year course (similar to a bachelor's degree), students learn to embody creative ideas in such areas as communications, marketing, sales, promotion of goods and services. They also learn how to shape a brand's visual strategy, create digital layouts for apps and websites, and get familiar with exhibition design. Graduates are technically savvy: their knowledge is enough to manage publishing projects.
City: Milan
Teaching languages: English, Italian
Course duration: 3 years
Domus Academy
Master in Visual Brand Design
The program teaches students to analyze the needs of people and, based on this, create products that can attract the attention of the target audience. Students learn to define or shape company philosophies, use modern marketing techniques, and develop new ways to communicate company values through digital, physical and social media. The program is designed for students with experience in visual or graphic design.
City: Milan
Teaching languages: English
Course duration: 2 weeks
Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano (NABA)
Summer course "Visual Design"
Over the course of two weeks, students are introduced to various tools and concepts of visual communication. The program consists of theoretical and practical classes that help students find their own visual style and teach how to work on projects. The course is designed for students with no experience in design and will be a good preparation before entering a university for programs in the field of art or design.
