Please Help getting back into graphic deisgn need advice

[newtothis]

Hi

I graduated 8 years ago with a BA hons in graphic design but then pursued a different career. Now I want to get back into it but dont know where to start. My purple i-mac now looks vintage and retro and I dont have any of the latest equiptment. Is the new i-mac computer the best for the job? What spec? What programs do i need is it still quark express and photoshop? What kind of printer do i need ? and when i started we saved our work on a zip disc! I take it this is still not the case. :icon_scared:

My aim is to get a basic website up and running and once again find my own design style. I used to specialise in editorial design working for GQ magazine but now want to be a general graphic designer and have a few small clients. Is it a big task to have my own website, what programs do I need? From one designer to another please help.

[chris_17]

Hi Welcome to the Forums,

Programs wise Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign etc. For the website you could use anything however If you've been away from design for a while and especially web design where things are changing constantly, I would either get a professional web designer or use a template/wordpress theme.

Chris

[newtothis]

Thanks for your reply, not sure what a template wordpress theme is where do i start?

[Ozwaldo Sanchez]

The new iMac is a good choice for the battle of Performance Vs Cost. Software wise the Adobe Creative Suite 3 would be a good purchase, Adobe are launching CS4 so there may be some good deal to be had from retailers wanting to clear some shelf space. The 'Design Premium' bundle would be the way to go if you want print and web packages (InDesign, Sillystrator, Photochop, Dreamweaver & Flash) or 'Design Standard' if the web authoring software is not needed. No real need to go down the Quark road any more as InDesign does the job plus you get the knowledge that all the software is from one place and SHOULD play well with the other elements. Enjoy finding your style buddy!

[newtothis]

Thanks for your reply. Another thing is when you design your product ie a logo or brochure, how do you submit it to your client. Is it on disc do you have it professionally printed and take the disc in to your printers?

[PrincipalDesign]

You will be able to communicate and pass information with ease over the internet now, using PDF files straight to the printer or client, if you buy the Adobe Suit (any of them) you'll be able to create and distribute them with ease. I very early physically send things these days, only if I am doing anything special with the finishing for the end product.

[matobo]

Quite a bit has changed in 8 years, good luck catching up. I am embarrassed to admit that I started out in the days when artwork was pasted up by hand for camera ready repro and I have had to learn as things developed along the way. I have lots of useless bits/paperweights that didn't stick around for long over the years.

Zip and Jaz disks aren't used anymore, mainly CD's and DVD's - or even USB memory sitcks for temperary storage/transfer. Most printing companies have ftp access, so you can easily transfer high resolution pdfs over the internet directly to their servers. There are a few programmes that you can use for this (I use transmit).

Probably not the *cough* legal way to do it by UK Adobe standards... but if you know someone in the States for use of address purposes... buy Adobe Creative Suite from there (I used the US ebay for my first copy and then Amazon for upgrades, all legally registered through Adobe) - it costs half the UK price on that end of the world. ;0)

[10thWay]

For web design I suggest you get yourself familiarised with Dreamweaver. You can purchase very good templates from here: Website Templates for Dreamweaver, Frontpage, GoLive, and Flash - 4Templates.com

If you find DW a bit too daunting, then purchase this program: Create websites and web graphics with Xara Web Designer it's not as flexible as DW but it's cheap, it comes with fully customizable templates and it outputs valid xhtml websites.