How to Start Graphic Designing

Before you start your journey into the world of graphic design, there are some important things to know beforehand. There are many programs users can use such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Cinema 4D. In many cases, designers use a variety of these programs to produce and to perfect. I personally prefer Adobe Photoshop, as it has all the tools you need and it’s easy to use. Once you get the hang of it, branching out to other software such as Adobe Illustrator becomes a lot easier, as there are a lot of similarities in the tools being used on both programs.

You have to be patient and determined in order to make progress. Once you start to explore the trade, you may feel that graphic design isn’t as easy as you may have believed it to be. I was once in this position when I started to design. I looked at what I could create and compared it to a professional designer and I didn’t think I would be able to come close to that level. Over time, I stopped comparing my work to other designers’ and noticed how it had a great effect on my progress.

Actually Getting Started

“You need to look at your own work and see how you can improve it, rather than comparing it to other people’s work.”

You should definitely take inspiration from other people’s work, but always focus on self-improvement as a designer. It takes a lot of time to create the art you visualize. I believe the first step to becoming a good designer is to become familiar with Adobe Photoshop. If you’re a student you can purchase a discounted version of Adobe Creative Cloud that includes all the basic programs you need such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I started to master the tools in Photoshop by watching a lot of tutorials. You need to know how to use a large variety of tools and how to use them effectively. Another important part is to have the right resources. Designs are composed of lots of layers of images and media, you need to find the right textures and resources and how to use them.

How to Learn to Design by Yourself

YouTube is a great place for entertainment, yet it’s even grown to be a terrific platform for learning. A lot of the knowledge I’ve gained is accredited to watching hundreds of tutorials. With every tutorial I watched, whether it was a quick five-minute video or a thirty-five minute long and tedious video, I made sure to practice the skill taught. There are YouTube tutorials for almost anything you want to learn in Photoshop. Once you start to pick up on the tutorials you watch, you will be more comfortable with the tools and will eventually incorporate various skills into your art. One of my favorite designers from back in the day goes by Rated Designs on YouTube. Check him out, he has great tutorials and resources. 

Graphic Design Resources

Over the past years thousands of people have posted all sorts of graphic design packs. These packs could be anywhere from a zip file with a bunch of stock images, or even a PSD (Photoshop file) fully loaded with grungy stocks, paint splashes, social media icons, and almost anything you can imagine. These are available all over YouTube and across the internet.

Explore New Tools

Photoshop consists of around 70 different tools. Some of the tools are pretty basic and easy to use and other tools require more time to get the hang of. Don’t expect to learn all of them as you may not ever need to use some of the tools provided. Mess around with images in Photoshop and try to get creative with it. Whenever you have an idea and don’t exactly know how to create it, look up step by step tutorials.

Find Designers To Work With

Surround yourself with designers who are better than you. It doesn’t really matter if you know these people in real life, or over the internet. I was always in contact with several designers who gave me their opinions on how to improve my work. They would tell me what I should fix and how I can make my designs better. This is important because your main goal should be to become the best designer that you can. All the people that helped me learn design were people I connected through social media.

If you’re looking for a designer to help you, you can post your project details here.

Tweet at us with your designs, and we’ll be happy to give you personal feedback!