- The range of roles within graphic design and the skills:
Graphic designers create graphics and layouts for a variety of purposes, including product illustrations, company logos, and websites. This job title can be used to describe a wide range of responsibilities in a wide range of industries.
- Brand Identity Designer
- Marketing and Advertising Designer
- Packaging Designer
- Web and User Interface (UX/UI) designer
- Print and Publication Designer
- Lettering and Type Designer
- Concept Art & Illustration
- Data Visualisation and Infographic Designer
These are some of the role’s skills, traits that a graphic design degree will help you gain a better understanding of effective graphic communication while also allowing you to develop a good mix of subject-specific and technical skills, such as:
- Ability to design outside of the box.
- Creativity in web and social media design space
- Interest to learn new skills and involve
- Contribute ideas
- UX / UI design knowledge
- Knowledge of Adobe Suite
- A degree
- Strong concept development
- Product development
- A Portfolio
- Positive contribution
- Attention to detail
- Follow brand guidelines
- Work independently and in a collaborative team environment
- Self-starter
- Strong written & verbal communication
- Video production/editing & animation
- Multiple language skills are a bonus
- Project/time management skills
- Interest in photography
- Understanding of typography and composition of colours
- Knowledge of design for print
- Some web design experience
- Artistic ability to sketch
- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Technology is more likely to have a positive than a negative impact on a graphic designer’s work. Designers have benefited from printers, the internet, scanners, and design software, which have all helped them produce work with minimal preparation time. Indeed, technology has aided the design industry by increasing designers’ motivation and providing a better understanding of their capabilities.
- Visual Identity/Branding:
The visual elements of the brand are created using strategy by brand identity designers. The logo, colour palette, typography, image style, and overall look and feel are all examples of these elements. These should be specific to the business. They should aid in the representation of the brand. An identity designer will not make your plant’s conveyor belt run faster or advise you on which employees to hire. However, by creating an appropriate, consistent look and feel, can influence the public’s perception of the company.
Graphic designers who specialize in branding work frequently work on projects such as:
- Brand Strategy
- Typography
- Colour Palettes
- Logo Design
- Business Card and/or Stationary
- Icon Systems
- Brand Guidelines
- Marketing & Advertising:
The intersection of marketing and design is advertising design. It’s a term used to describe visual artwork created specifically for advertising.
The goal of marketing graphic design is to visually communicate and promote a company’s products or services. Furthermore, all materials must be consistent with the company’s visual identity.
A company’s logo, font, page layout, and photos are all part of great design marketing. It serves as a link between the brand and the customers, as well as a source of trust.
Graphic artists that specialize in advertising and marketing create assets like:
- Print & Digital Advertisements
- Social Media Graphics
- Podcast Cover Art
- Banners
- Marketing emails
- Brochures & Posters
- Billboards
- Vehicle wraps
- Pitch Decks & Presentations
Marketing & Advertising Graphic Designer Tips:
- Keep it clean
- Take advantage of the contrast
- Limit the number of fonts/typefaces
- Play with different font/typeface sizes
- Adhere to brand guidelines
- Use the psychology of colour
- Plan campaigns around holidays
- Play with lines
- Packaging Designer:
It’s all about the visuals when it comes to product packaging. The appearance of your package determines how obvious your value proposition is and whether your product stands out among competitors. A designer who understands a company’s purpose or who fits the style well enough to present novel concepts is critical.
What talents does a Packaging Designer require to do a good job?
- Design talents include the ability to think beyond the box (pun intended) when it comes to creating packaging that appeals to a specific audience.
- Extremely inventive, yet with a keen eye for the finer points.
- Working knowledge of the many forms of packing materials
- Organized and capable of working under pressure
- Collaboration and communication abilities are important.
- Working knowledge of the rules that regulate their industry’s goods. For instance, if they are designing food packaging, the Packaging Designer should be familiar with food safety regulations.
- IT software skills
- Dedicated team player
- Innovative
- Patience and emotional intelligence
- Common sense
- To propose a concept to a group of stakeholders, you’ll need sales abilities.
- Enthusiasm and energy
- Understanding the most recent consumer and digital trends
- Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to grasp what motivates a target audience to buy via research
- Good marketing and brand development understanding
- User Interface (UI) Graphic Designer:
Every webpage or operational phase of the final product must follow the user experience (UX) designer’s intent, according to the user interface designer. They usually have rudimentary coding abilities and can collaborate with software programming specialists to realize the designer’s concept. Consumers can easily engage with webpages, ads, and computer programming thanks to UI designers. They must guarantee that the user experience design is practical and well-implemented.
UI Design Principles:
- Be Consistent
- Make users feel in control
- Provide feedback
- Enable users to resolve errors
- Prevent errors
- Don’t rely on users to remember information
- Keep it simple
- Design for different types of users
- Print and Publication Designer:
For a variety of printed publications, publication designers create the layout, aesthetic look, and graphics. Internal or independent publication designers contribute visuals and graphics to the textual content in annual reports, research papers, books, catalogues, and user manuals. These graphics make data simpler to comprehend and can supplement textual content by displaying a graph or providing step-by-step directions for completing a job in a handbook. The designer is in charge of creating the photos and graphs, as well as inserting them into the magazine in a visually pleasing way.
Print and publication designers are often involved in a variety of print-related tasks, including:
- Book covers
- Magazine & Newspaper layouts
- Menu Design
- Album Covers
- Merchandise & Apparel
- Brochures & Flyers
- Stationery
- Lettering and Type Designer:
Lettering and type design is an often-overlooked aspect of graphic design. Typefaces and fonts, as well as hand-lettered designs, are all created by these graphic artists. They must have a solid understanding of typographic principles, including what makes a typeface intelligible and how kerning and line height affect the overall readability of a typographic design.
- Concept Art & Illustration Designer:
Graphic illustrators are entrusted with designing graphics for commercial and editorial objectives, as well as illustrations for site designs and social media. These graphic artists frequently utilize digital tools to make their illustrations, although some may also employ analogue techniques and later digitize their designs.
Type of job of an illustrator:
- Editorial
- Advertising
- Fashion illustration
- Games
- Apparel
- Packaging
- T-shirt design
- Graphic patterns for textiles
- Motion graphics
- Stock images
- Graphic novels
- Comics
- Book covers
- Infographics
- Technical illustration
- Concept art
- Data Visualization & Infographic Designer:
Designers of data visualization and infographics must have a firm understanding of how to work with massive data sets and how to make that information understandable to non-data scientists.
It’s advantageous for data visualization and infographic designers to have some data science background and expertise. They’ll be better able to transform data into easy-to-understand images if they have a deeper understanding of the material they’re presenting.
Have changes in technology changed the job of a graphic designer?
Changes in technology have changed the career of a graphic designer. Technological advances have made jobs quicker and somewhat easier. When designers started using Photoshop in the early 1990s it was slow and very limited. Now we have a vast array of software and also new devices including bigger screens, smartphones and tablets. Clients need a design that will work on all so that they can communicate their brand to consumers. This means graphic designers now need the knowledge and skill to complete this. According to graphic designer Jonathan Leahy Maharaj, the one thing that has not changed over time is the ability to be creative. Technology and software are just other tools but creativity in a designer is extremely important.
Personal Skills Audit
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting Science however design and artistic expression have always had a much deeper meaning to me. I worked as an accountant manager for 4 years developing useful life skills such as managing processes, interpersonal communications, the ability to work in a team, self-discipline, and self-confidence, all of which in turn have proved to be vital tools in my career as a designer.
I moved to Ireland in order to learn English and pursue a career in design, as accountancy was not satisfying my creative needs. I have done many years of work in marketing/sales and advertising in Japan/Brazil and Ireland. This has given me a somewhat unique perspective and set of skills. I have acquired a multicultural design sense which I believe boosts the quality and aesthetic variety of my work to this day.
SWOT Analysis
I was able to determine my strengths and weaknesses using the SWOT analysis. It also allowed me to identify what future prospects I have and what potential threats might stand in my way.
To achieve my job goal, I need to improve my talents and stay committed to my goals. There are numerous Design classes available in Dublin, as well as numerous online software lessons. I need to take advantage of these opportunities and strive to improve as a designer. I’d like to get guidance from various industry professionals and learn more about their job responsibilities. Looking at online job postings to determine what qualifications employers seek can aid me in developing and sticking to a personal development plan.
What am I good at?
Pattern design, create logo design for a small business, eye for detail, hand drawing, procreate program.
What do I like to do?
Work with artists/styles that I like.
What am I interested in?
Adobe creative cloud, pattern design, illustration, packaging design, typography.
Personal Development plan:
- Create a routine of drawing at least 3 sketches every day.
Drawing anything that comes to my mind using any kind of tool (pencil, coloured ink, charcoal, etc..). Making a variety of experiments and discovering what I like the most.
- Enrol for year 3 of DDI Graphic Design
This will provide me with a clear picture of how my year will unfold.
I want to leave DDI confident in what I want to be and get ready for the design industry.
- Watch Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials and put them into practice for up to the skill
Learning how to manage Adobe programs based on college classes is not enough to become a professional. I will challenge myself to use the tools I learned in class and develop them further by researching different artists on the internet.
- Create projects for the summer
This summer I want to challenge myself to put my arts on design sites like (redbubble, spoonflower, creative market, etsy and so on).
Me and one of my classmate, we are planning to do screen print course for a month at Black Church Print.
- Make deadlines & improve time management
I’ll make sure that each of my personal initiatives has a deadline. Poor time management and procrastination are two of my flaws, therefore this will be critical in completing them. Working full time while studying can be difficult, but it is not impossible if I manage my time properly. I’ll hunt for apps and checklists to assist me with this.
- Read more design books/join the library
I’ll join my local library and check out any graphic design/typography/skill/illustration books on a regular basis.
- Submit my design to Dublin Canvas
Force myself to design something and be more confident with my design style by starting to sign on the Dublin canvas website. Start thinking bigger and gradually show it to the people around me.
Reflective Journal
Week 1: Update more stuff on my own Portfolio. <https://erikaillust.wixsite.com/portfolio>
Week 2: I sent a few questions to one of my favourite illustrators. I will post the interviews at the end of this blog.
Week 3: Became a member of my local library. Carry a mini sketchbook everywhere I go and draw anything that comes to my mind.
Week 4: I drew things using all kinds of different materials. Poscas, water-ink, black fine lines, etc…
Week 5: Set me a project goal to create artworks to post on Etsy.
Week 6: Looked into Black Church Print screen print class. I will attend in the summer when I have more time.
Interview with an artist who has been an inspiration to me for the last 2 years;
Bárbara Malagoli – Illustrator, graphic designer, and creative director
Barbara is half Brazilian half Italian. She is a multidisciplinary artist focused on Illustration and Visual Arts based in London – UK.
She has been working as an independent professional with studios and clients on a wide range of projects as an Illustrator, graphic designer, and creative director. Her work is all about compositions, shapes, vibrant textures and bold colours.
- What characteristics do you think are necessary to work in the design industry?
Be flexible and creative. Have a good circle of friends with that you can share your pain and insecurities. Always be researching new things and trying to understand and find each other personally and artistically. - Can you tell me a bit about your role in being an illustrator?
As an illustrator, I create visual artworks for magazines, books, advertising campaigns and products. I like being able to give my vision to different types of languages and graphic and digital materials. As if a part of me adds to the works I’m part of. - Have you tried freelance work and what is your experience with it?
Yes, I worked in a few studios before becoming a Freelancer and for me, it has been the best experience so far. Despite being very unstable, the freedom you gain, for me, is still much more worth it. - What personal skills/traits are needed to work as a graphic designer/illustrator?
I feel that we are all different people and there is no unique personal trait. Even though social media want you to be outgoing and talk on camera 24h, I think there is room for all types of personality and styles. Just be yourself. - How long have you been working in the field and have you any advice for someone still studying and hoping to have a career in graphic design/illustrator?
I work in the area for 10 years and 5 years as a freelancer. To pursue a career, I think you have to be thirsty for knowledge or curious about books or about other artists and events that happen around you. Following this career is not easy, you have to have a strong heart and a lot of determination. - What are the steps to get to the final project?
Usually, I get the briefing and ask for some references from clients, after that I research my own references and try to find my own version.
I’m just amazed at how the colours and shapes sync up very well with each other.
Barbara is a huge inspiration to me. It’s great to see a Brazilian like me living outside of Brazil and making her international career grow more and more.
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Erika Fukasawa 