What do you need to be able to do?

B

Begin2009

New Member
As a up and coming graphic designer with a solid background previously from web design, I'm getting into this trade after much delayed

Always knew I prefered designing to coding, scripting etc thus taking me down this path

I recieved some news today, that I'm not going to get funding for university due to previous years study

So with that said, as a graphic designer what do I need to learn?

Photoshop
Quark
Indesign
Illustrator
flash
dreamweaver

Using these packages to create stunning visuals, concepts and ideas, but where does the design theory coming in and how do I learn it? Placement of images, using the write type etc, without the lectures support I am slightly worried?

I have the ideas and creativity no doubt.

Is it a matter of building a solid portfolio via my designs etc and the rest will follow?

cheers
 
Hey,

Yes you need to build your portfolio up to show people what skills you have. the programs you have listed are what a typical designer would use and your portfolio shows a few things:

What skills you have - e.g. in illustrator, Indesign (QuarkXpress) etc...
and how you design + how good you are etc.

There are a few was to build up a portfolio from nothing really.. you could re-design stuff e.g. re-design your local newspaper or your fav magazine. You could make up a brief (make up a design problem) and design it. I could maybe dip you up some random briefs I was given from phil west if this is a road you would like to take.

Hope this helps
All the best
Sarah
 
Also lol Indesign and QuarkXpress are pretty much the same thing... They are both desktop publishers however it is good for you to know your way around them both as different studio's use one or the other. Jane from The Point Design told me most studios in Newcastle use QuarkXpress but a lot of London studios use Indesign....

Am not sure if thats 100% ture but yer....lol
 
Creating nice images in one thing, but you need a solid grasp of a couple of basic design principles which you can apply to the web as well as print. Nameley Grid Systems and Typography. Both are huge subjects but you should probably try and read up a little on each.

Grid systems form the basis of any great design. Once you get used to them of them you'll be able to use white space effectively, as well as create a consistent feel to your layouts. Once you get really good at using them, you'll learn to break out of them.
960 Grid System
The Grid System

Typography is the basis of any good design, and although it's a huge subject, it's worth delving into and your designs will benefit. Start reading a couple of typography blogs and you'll start to get a feel of what makes a standout website shine.
25+ Sites that Use Typography As The Only Design Element » - Web Design Marketing Podcast & Blog
I love Typography (iLT), devoted to fonts, typefaces and all things typographical
 
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Pete said:
Creating nice images in one thing, but you need a solid grasp of a couple of basic design principles which you can apply to the web as well as print. Nameley Grid Systems and Typography. Both are huge subjects but you should probably try and get a solid grasp of each.

Grid systems form the basis of any great design. Once you get a solid grasp of them you'll be able to use white space effectively, as well as create a consistent feel to your layouts. Once you get really good at using them, you'll learn to break out of them.
960 Grid System
The Grid System

Typography is the basis of any good design, and although it's a huge subject, it's worth delving into and your designs will benefit. Start reading a couple of typography blogs and you'll start to get a feel of what makes a standout website shine.
25+ Sites that Use Typography As The Only Design Element » - Web Design Marketing Podcast & Blog
I love Typography (iLT), devoted to fonts, typefaces and all things typographical
Click to expand...

Yer what Pete said lol :icon_biggrin:
 
Pete, sarah, cheers for your replies really appreciate it

Sarah if you did happen to have any briefs via phll id love them if possible

Pete, I looked at a few tutorials on the PSDTUTS website and grid systems were
ever present, so I'll be looking into them along with alot of reading.

The use of white space is something which I imagine can be taught via lectures etc so these are things that I didnt want to miss out on.

I'm currently doing some research into self made graphic designs and possibly try n get some placements over the coming months.
 
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I personally found that I use the following programs in order (top one is the most used, bottom one the least used):
photoshop
illustrator
painter
indesign
acrobat pro

I also strongly recommend a tablet, I recently upgraded to a cintiq and I can only recommend it.
 
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