24 - 11 - 2020
Advice that can be counted on the fingers of one hand
You are ready to start your career in design and turn your passion into a livelihood.
You have learnt software, practised and studied. But turning your passion into a successful long-term career requires more than ambition and talent.
Balancing creativity with career planning and business management is a crucial art for graphic designers and can take time to master. While some things can only be learned through experience, there is no reason why one should not benefit from expert advice.
1. Be inspired, don't imitate
While of course you can be inspired by the world around you, as a professional designer there are tried and true methods to stay inspired. There are many online resources with powerful and insightful coverage of the creative world. Adobe Create magazine, Medium Platform and 99designs are some of the best sources of inspiration. The Internet is full of creative resources waiting to be discovered by avid young people like you.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in graphic design that only leads to unoriginal, borderline plagiarised work. It can be difficult for young designers to be inspired by the work of others without unintentionally resorting to copying. Instead of copying the result, analyse the piece or style that caught your eye and identify the factors that make it so appealing to you. The key is not to do exactly what others have done, but to do your own thing in a similar way.
2. Keep an eye on trends, but be yourself
In our technology-driven world, visual content evolves at increasing speed, making the designer's job as exciting as it is demanding. To prevail in this business, you need to stay up-to-date. Using your library of sources of inspiration to stay up-to-date with visual trends is a wise and creative move.
However, there is no need to sacrifice your design style simply to follow the latest trends. Your individuality as an artist and your integrity as a designer are what will make you unique in a pool of young designers. The secret lies in adapting (not just adopting) trends that complement your personal style and the needs of your client in an individual and original way.
3. Look for simplicity
When you're fresh out of design school or in your early days as a freelancer, it's normal to be excited about showcasing your skills and creating mind-blowing visions. You can totally do this without throwing every technique you have learnt and every idea you have created into one project.
Trust your instincts and the word of experienced designers who say that the strongest projects are those with a clear and coherent concept, a defined subject and only one or a few techniques executed efficiently. In other words: do it, don't overdo it. Keep it simple.
4. Always strive for harmony
To realise the great designs you need, you must maintain visual harmony as your north in the compass. Your design should not only be concise and well-designed, but you should also aim to cause a pleasant experience for users.
How do you do that? It is much simpler than you think, if we start with the key word 'simple'. For example, work with the colour palette by choosing complementary or low-contrast tones, select no more than two typefaces and make sure that the font styles complement each other smoothly.
The most important thing is to use the hierarchy of content: do not fill the draft with 'noisy' backgrounds or overly elaborate fonts, never mind filling the main subject with many graphic elements. Identifying the relevance of each element in the design and using it according to importance helps to ensure that the hierarchies are respected.
5. Come to terms with media-stock
Stock media are a real boon for creative work: the sooner you get to grips with them, the better. Copyright-free stock media including photos, vector illustrations, templates and more can be the perfect addition to your graphic projects.
Archival graphics are a great resource for inspiration and creativity. For example, did you know that some of the most viral memes are actually repurposed stock photos?
There are other concrete advantages too: stock media files are immediately available, speeding up delivery times. You can customise them as much as you want, giving them your own original touch. Moreover, they are high-resolution, suitable for any professional use, and the Royalty Free licence guarantees that the rights of use are respected. Add the fact that their cost fits most budgets and you can be sure of a great deal!
Good work!
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