Since graphic design is such a complex subject that covers so many different elements of the visual design process and there are many different reasons to learn graphic design, the level of challenge involved in learning these skills is going to vary significantly from person to person. For example, someone aiming to become a professional graphic designer and work on large corporate contracts is likely to find that they need to learn some fairly advanced skills, while someone who just wants to learn the ins and outs of Photoshop for their vacation pictures is going to find it a lot easier. This article aims to look at the different challenges that graphic design students are likely to face as they start to learn the discpline.
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What is the hardest part of learning graphic design?
This will differ from person to person, but for most, the hardest part of learning graphic design is the fact that you never really stop ‘learning’ the skills as you become more accustomed to the tools and industry practices. This means that the primary thing you need to do is practice, practice and practice some more in order to get better and avoid letting your creative muscles and your graphic design skills fade. This can be intimidating for some students, since the only way to get better at graphic design is to continue honing your skills and constantly making small improvements to your work.
The other major hurdle that many new graphic design students face is the process of applying their graphic design training to practical exercises and real-world projects. For example, it is one thing to understand what a tool in Photoshop does, while it is another thing to know how to best use that tool to achieve a particular effect on audiences depending on the project you are working on. Understanding the theories and best practices of visual design can trip some students up, since there is no one-size-fits-all answer for any problem that you might come across when working on a personal or professional design project.
How can I make learning graphic design easier?
Learning the process of graphic design gets easier the more you practice and work at it, so the obvious way to make learning graphic design easier is to keep practicing and give yourself a bit of time each day to experiment and work with the design programs of your choosing. This, however, can risk leaving you adrift and, while all practice is good practice, if you want to optimize the use of your time and speed up the process by which you start to feel comfortable with your training, the next best way to learn graphic design is to get formal training from a professional graphic design teaching program, like the Graphic Design Certificate offered through Noble Desktop, which is an immersive, career-focused graphic design course aimed at novices and aspiring professional designers.
These training programs will help students become more accustomed to the ins and outs of graphic design tools and techniques and they will provide students with the opportunity to work on design projects that test and apply certain skills. This is useful both for students who are having difficulties with a particular aspect of the training process and for students who simply aren’t finding effective ways to challenge themselves with new design goals. In addition, since these courses are taught by professional instructors with years of experience under their belts, students will benefit from having guided support and personalized feedback on all of their work. Plus, since these are career-focused training programs, students will get practical lessons that prioritize teaching them the foundational skills they need in order to find long-term success.
What skills are you going to need to practice?
The most obvious follow question for anyone looking to learn graphic design is “well, what skills do I need to practice and what are the most important ones to master?” Again, this will vary between individuals but in general, you’ll want to spend your time learning the major graphic design applications that are most commonly taught (and utilized in professional contexts) and you’ll want to spend time working with those tools to develop your own personal style.
The most common tools for graphic design projects are the Adobe Creative Cloud applications, particularly Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. Each of these programs has a different practical function (Photoshop is for image manipulation, InDesign is layout design and Illustrator is a drawing tool), but they are all integrated closely with one another, so most graphic designers will use more than one of these tools. They are very accessible tools for new users and dedicated artists can start working with these tools in almost no time at all. More advanced projects will, obviously, require more advanced skills, but the fundamentals are always important, so no matter what kind of work you are wanting to do with your graphic design training, learning these tools is sure to be important.
In addition, you’ll want to spend time working on projects that fit your own style, or you’ll want to spend time working on projects that help you develop your personal style. This can be a long and arduous process, but it is important if you hope to work in the field, either as a freelance artist or as part of a design studio. This will likely mean that you’ll need at least a bit of training in the principles of visual design and art on a practical level. These skills are also the kind that you’ll work on in a professional skills development course.