Confused about Graphic Design

[POWERPLAY27]

Hi I'm confused about graphic design, I am thinking of maybe looking to take up a course, what course is best to take for a graphic design beginner?

I am so confused about graphic design, I see many amazing content on the web and I'm just baffled. I want to be able to produce such content too.
What programs are most commonly used for graphic design?

What is the difference between photoshop and Indesign and which is best to use?

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you guys in the know. :icon_smile:

 

[Paul Murray]

Hi I'm confused about graphic design, I am thinking of maybe looking to take up a course, what course is best to take for a graphic design beginner?

I am so confused about graphic design, I see many amazing content on the web and I'm just baffled. I want to be able to produce such content too.
What programs are most commonly used for graphic design?

Typically, a combination of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, with other additional programs depending on the designer and the work themselves. These are simply tools though, and being able to use them effectively is only half the job. You also need to know how to design. Knowing how to use Photoshop won't necessarily make you a designer in the same way knowing a few guitar chords won't make you a musician.

What is the difference between photoshop and Indesign and which is best to use?

Photoshop is for editing image and working in pixels. It's typically used for manipulation and enhancement of images and generally isn't used as the sole design tool, at least not by professionals, unless they focus on a particular style (club night posters for example).

Illustrator is for working in vector format, basically for creating anything that needs to be created at different scales without losing quality such as a logo. Read this post regarding raster (Photoshop) versus vector; http://www.graphicdesignforums.co.u...ster-images-vs-vector-images-explanation.html

InDesign is for working with layouts, such as magazine spreads. Whilst you can use Illustrator and even Photoshop, InDesign is specifically for creating multi-page documents and therefore provides tools that improve your workflow.