Starting out as a Graphic Designer

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Levi said:
It's changing all the time
It depends on the designer, their field of design (I know my influences would be different to say scotty for example due to be in different fields of design) and the style they want to produce
Good quality design that has been designed with longevity in mind rather than a current trend
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So true.

Trends tend to come and go by their very nature.

For me (in illustration) people seem to be wanting isometric stuff doing and also simple, flat characters that will animate easily.
The whole vintage/retro thing is still very popular as is hand made typography.

Thing is, in say web or print it 's probably a completely different matter.
 
Hey i just need 1 more different person to answer my questions for an assignment please.

What are some current design trends?
What design trend influences your work?
What trend do you think will stand the test of time?
 
lauren93 said:
Hey i just need 1 more different person to answer my questions for an assignment please.
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Oh they're for an assignment.... These sorts of questions are ones where you are supposed to answer with your own opinions, not those of others. By basing it off of other people's answers you'll not be able to expand on the comments if you get asked to by the tutor.

Also next time, can you also state if it's for an assignment, I had my suspicions it was when I read it originally.
 
Levi said:
Oh they're for an assignment.... These sorts of questions are ones where you are supposed to answer with your own opinions, not those of others. By basing it off of other people's answers you'll not be able to expand on the comments if you get asked to by the tutor.

Also next time, can you also state if it's for an assignment, I had my suspicions it was when I read it originally.
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I am just getting opinions, i had to ask 3 people for their opinions and also i was refereed here by my teacher.
 
What are some current design trends?
Don't know

What design trend influences your work?
None

What trend do you think will stand the test of time?
I really don't know
 
Hi!

I've been designing artwork as a hobby for a while and I have decided to take the plunge and try and sell some of my artwork as prints.

The question I have is in terms of sizing. Most of the designs I have done have been A4 in size as this is something I can print quite easily but I'm not sure from a commercial perspective if that would still be best.

I'm keen to offer a set number of possible sizes to enable people to purchase and potentially put in a frame of their choice (I would not be selling the frame). What I therefore don't want is to be creating artwork in sizes or dimensions that are not practical for customers wanting to do this.

My designs currently tend to be either
  • A typical A4 type ratio
  • Square
  • Slightly wider than A4 giving a more wide-screen effect.
I know I may not be explaining this too well, but if there are general standard sizes that most people work to for these three options it would be great to know so I can work with these in mind.

If you need further details please let me know

Thanks

Dan
 
DanFrost said:
I know I may not be explaining this too well, but if there are general standard sizes that most people work to for these three options it would be great to know so I can work with these in mind.
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I'd probably stick with the standard A* sizes, maybe A3 down to A6, portrait. You could also try some standard photo sizes, so you can use an SD card reader in a printers (or somewhere like Boots) and quickly get prints of your work at the right size.
 
Just bear in mind that a lot of photo frames (which most people would go for) are still 10" x 8" and 16" x 20", so make sure
you're A sizes would potentially fit these. I would avoid many square prints as you don't see to many square frames readily available.
 
Thanks for your responses, for now I'll just focus on the A sizes then.

Thanks also for the link to the picture framers, that helps a lot.
 
Hi there Alinexx. I have been doing web design for a couple of years already. In my case, self study helps me a lot. Since I am an IT grad. I never rely on the learning I got from Schools. Since for me, it is far from reality. I believed in actual experiences. Being a member here. I guess you are on the right path!..Keep it up and more power. Also here is one website that helps me a lot, you may visit https://firstfortunemarketing.com. You can find many information about being a graphic designer.
 
This may be the wrong thread to ask this, but I have a question. I am currently doing a part time postgrad in graphic design in order to create a portfolio to be able to apply for jobs this fall. A big part of the course is research based, and our tutor is adamant on us all using A3 sketchbooks (though it says in the course lit we can use whatever size we like). This may sound strange, but I absolutely detest those size sketchbooks, as the only people who seem to use them are A-Level and foundation students. During my years of working in design studios I have not once seen anyone use them, and so my question is this: what is your view on the A3 sketchbook? I want to create something I can bring to an interview, so should I ignore my tutors view and use the size I want to use? If I am going to spend time making something I want to be able to use it when applying for jobs, not just making something for the tutor to grade me on.
 
Why not just ask them?

I'm sure they'll probably have a justifiable reason or theory behind it but I'd be more inclined to expect that on a fine art course rather than a graphics course.
It could be just something as menial as presenting your research in your final show and to make sure they're larger scale and all uniform with the other students.

Personally, I don't like using them as I find them too big and unwieldy to sit with one on my lap and transport without a portfolio.
Not good for 'blank page syndrome' either. ;)
Also, unless you have access to an A3 scanner it makes it difficult to digitise any images and bring them into a computer.

I tend to use cheap copy paper for my roughs and then an A4 layout pad for refining them.

Unless they had a reasonable argument for using one and you don't get marked down then I'd use what I was comfortable with.

Just because they're tutors doesn't make them always right.
When I was at collage Mac's came along but we were marked down for using them in out final pieces as they thought they were a bit of a gimmick and considered it cheating.

Work that one out! :D
 
I agree with Scotty, A4 (or even A5) is much more practical. I never use A3 paper unless it's a preliminary
drawing for a very large piece of work. It's just not necessary to have a sketchbook that big.
But double-check with your tutor first, there may be a reason.
 
@scotty "When I was at collage Mac's came along but we were marked down for using them in out final pieces as they thought they were a bit of a gimmick and considered it cheating."
I got the opposite when I was doing my degree, we had a project in typography and it was to show hierarchy in a text layout.
I did it all with a Rotring pen and the response from the tutor "A brave attempt, consider using a computer next time"
My spell checker does not like the word Rotring, 4 times it changed it to roaring. Spellchecker code written by Staedtler perhaps.
 
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