How to start as a graphic designer?

Levi said:
I wouldn't do well there then, my sketching is fine for 'my needs' as I kind of use shorthands for speed but I doubt I'd win a 'beauty contest' with them :)
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:D This is so me! lol. I couldn't of said it better myself.

A lot of people assume / expect graphic designers to be fantastic at drawing. That's what illustrators are for! Talk about wanting us to be jack of all trades... Pah!
 
CLHB said:
:D This is so me! lol. I couldn't of said it better myself.

A lot of people assume / expect graphic designers to be fantastic at drawing. That's what illustrators are for! Talk about wanting us to be jack of all trades... Pah!
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I suppose it shows how things have changed since the digital era in such a short time.

When I was at college, drawing/art skills were the most important thing to get a place on the course.
As part of the course we were taught Illustration, Technical Illustration and how to do slick marker visuals and even artworking was done at a drawing board with Rotring pens so technical ability was a must.
Before "Graphic Designer" was a title Commercial Artist and Graphic Artist were used.

In a way I think I was really lucky to be learning at that time as we were taught the traditional way and also on Mac's.
If we needed a photgraph we knew how to use a SLR and how to develop the film/pics.
If we needed a drawing or an illustration we did one.
A lot of the people that came before either had to learn new skills to make the cut and the ones that came after just didn't have the drawing skills as it wasn't deemed as important as before.
Graphic Design and Illustration started to become separate areas.

I guess that's why I became a Designer/Illustrator... I'm a Desillustrator! :D

I just realised that I've accidentally answered the original question. o_O
Whoa! FREAKY!
 
I just re-read what I just wrote.

No wonder everyone wants to be a "Graphic Designer" and everyone with a computer 'thinks' they're one as it's a piece of piss these days. :D
 
Scotty, I know I said my sketching is my weakest part but I went through all the training you did but I had more of a focus on the technical work (ie plans etc) with Rotring, markers (always hated working with them though) etc. Basically I focused on being a designer not an artist even though there is a clear overlap.

It's not to say I can't do still life because I was pretty good at inanimate objects, really bad at humans/animals though as I just couldn't get proportions right for some reason, but it always seemed 'inefficient' when there was this thing called a camera lol. I kind of see fine art as a more 'personal expression' than a specific skill if you get me.

Looking back it was kind of comical what they were teaching us in a BTEC foundation degree in art and design (did this before going off to uni) as some of the stuff was so unnecessary it was ridiculous. We had fine art (which basically consisted of drawing people/objects with soft pencils/graphite sticks etc because I can't remember paint being used), photography, which other than developing film didn't teach me anything new due to it being a hobby, textiles (I think) and 'graphic design' which wasn't really want would be deemed as graphic design in todays world... none of the lessons taught us about kerning or bleed or anything that might be remotely important, I can't even remember touching photoshop/illustrator but I did learn how to do acid engraving and screen printing.... which I've used a grand total of 0 times since I left unlike kerning, bleed and software like photoshop/illustrator lol. I will admit knowing how screen printing works is useful though.
 
@scotty This is pretty much what I was going to say in response, word for word:

Levi said:
Scotty, I know I said my sketching is my weakest part but I went through all the training you did but I had more of a focus on the technical work (ie plans etc) with Rotring, markers (always hated working with them though) etc. Basically I focused on being a designer not an artist even though there is a clear overlap.

It's not to say I can't do still life because I was pretty good at inanimate objects, really bad at humans/animals though as I just couldn't get proportions right for some reason, but it always seemed 'inefficient' when there was this thing called a camera lol. I kind of see fine art as a more 'personal expression' than a specific skill if you get me.

Looking back it was kind of comical what they were teaching us in a BTEC foundation degree in art and design (did this before going off to uni) as some of the stuff was so unnecessary it was ridiculous. We had fine art (which basically consisted of drawing people/objects with soft pencils/graphite sticks etc because I can't remember paint being used), photography, which other than developing film didn't teach me anything new due to it being a hobby, textiles (I think) and 'graphic design' which wasn't really want would be deemed as graphic design in todays world... none of the lessons taught us about kerning or bleed or anything that might be remotely important, I can't even remember touching photoshop/illustrator but I did learn how to do acid engraving and screen printing.... which I've used a grand total of 0 times since I left unlike kerning, bleed and software like photoshop/illustrator lol. I will admit knowing how screen printing works is useful though.
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@Levi This is starting to freak me out now. Are you my twin? Like seriously, this is exactly what I was going to say word for word. I went through exactly the same thing and did the same things, staying on an extra year in college to do a BTEC foundation degree in art and design before going onto uni etc. Like I couldn't of said any of that better myself, as it all applies to me down to a T. Same with your still life comment, that is what I excelled in, but drawing real life living things, people, animals, I weren't so good at. Inanimate objects I was / am class at drawing. I am basically repeating what you have said!

Can I draw? Yes, well enough for my needs as mentioned. Can I draw to the standard of a professional illustrator? Hell no, I respect their talent to much to even consider myself in the same league!
 
I hope you know that you may have found your doppleganger.
This is not good as you can't occupy the same space and eventually one may have to kill the other one.
It's the Universal Law.
 
HTML and CSS are basic things we should know before designing.



Politically motivated links removed - Levi, Moderator
 
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If you want to be professional graphic designer at first you need to learn Photoshop, Illustrator would be a good start.
 
Not another one who thinks that knowing how to use a program makes you a 'professional designer'..... it just shows what the true 'professionals' have to put up with because this viewpoint spreads into the client base because 'photoshop' is as synonymous with 'design' as google is with search.
 
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