Graphic designing has been emerging as one of the top-most choices of careers among the millennials for the last few years. With the upsurge of technological fields globally, people are getting out of their way to make a name as a graphic designer. Such is an example of Jony Ive, who is known all over the world for his spectacular design pieces pertaining to iPhone and other Apple products. Another reason behind the rise of the graphic designing field is actually the shift from conventional marketing to digital marketing. Every other brand wants appealing visuals on its social media. That’s the reason that online Graphics Designing courses are most in-demand these days.
Whether you are all set to go on a journey to become a graphic designer or just beginning to contemplate the decision, we are going to take you step-wise to help you learn graphic designing.
Now, starting right from the basics!
What is graphic designing?
Graphic designing is all about conveying a message or solving some problem through visual content. This is a way of crafting and assembling different photographs, animations, shapes, texts, and audio tracks into a particular layout to present aesthetic visual concepts to people.
Why Graphic Designing?
If your mind is swarming with the questions as to why do you need to delve into this profession, the answer is simple enough.
You want to be able to make both ends meet with whichever career you choose and graphic designing provides you with just that.
Now, here’s the deal:
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statics, there will be 4% increased demand for graphic designing jobs by 2026, which can create over 11,100 new jobs.
- The median graphic designing salary is $50,370, which is quite handsome. However, in Pakistan the average salary of graphic designer amounts to Rs. 63,650 per month.
- 18% of graphic designers are self-employed and independent contractors.
These facts are quite understandable, as the more our world is getting digitized, the more there will be the need for professionals that actually know how to impress the customers to stay. Moreover, if you prefer self-employment, this profession is going to be the easiest ride for you.
What graphic designers do?
Graphic designers get to try much of their creative and artistic minds in everything they do. Though, this definitely doesn’t mean that they don’t need to have soft skills like communication and collaboration. In fact, meeting with art directors and clients to learn their ideas and ascertain the value of the project is one of the main duties of graphic designers.
Further, graphic designers have to create logos, digital illustrations, layouts, and a plethora of other visual elements. They are also responsible for selecting colors, images, and typefaces to get seamless designs by using the best photo-editing and layout software.
Learning graphic design for beginners
As, now we have explained why this field can be the best for you, we’ll take you further on how to go about graphic designing. In the second section of the article, we will be explaining more about online Graphics Designing courses.
1. Learn and Understand the Basics First
If you think learning to master some software will make you an eminent graphic designer, you cannot be more wrong. It is all about going systematically to educate yourself in a disciple.
You have to start with the foundation, and that are the principles and theory of graphic design. There are thousands of online graphic design courses that can be accessed easily to help you learn the basics.
- Learn to draw
If you are abysmal with sketching and already beginning to panic, don’t!
Because, you don’t need to be Picasso-level expert, but being capable of drawing simple sketches with a pen or pencil is essential to be a graphic designer.
You’ll need this skill for wireframing -a blueprint of what your project will look like.
You can learn the basics of drawing free of cost on Kline Creative.
- Learn basic design principles
Learning about shapes, spacing, textures, colors, and other basic concepts right in the beginning can smooth your way to become a good graphic designer.
Studying exactly what and why you are designing can be the main spirit of graphic design education and you can grasp it with the help of this wonderful article by Joshua David and the online book of “The shape of design” written by Frank Chimero.
You can also learn more about it by going through this free graphic designing course online on Udemy.
- Learn Typography
Being one of the crucial aspects of graphic designing, understanding typography and working with it is going to be a must for you. Learning about screen spaces to right fonts and how to apply them accurately is going to be a continued study throughout your professional life.
This free e-book “Practical Typography Techniques” will be a great help to understand the basics to advanced concepts of typography. You can also learn more about it on Skillshare.
2. Start Getting Familiar With the Main Tools Used In Graphic Designing
After getting to know all the basic concepts and principles involving graphic designing, it’s time to learn different tools used to produce aesthetic visuals. Here is all you need to know about the main tools used in graphic designing.
- Inpage
The best page layout software for Urdu, Balochi, Arabic, and Persian, Inpage offers accurate and aesthetic layouts super fast. Inpage Urdu typing can also be done seamlessly with half the time. Though there are various types of keyboards available, the most suitable for graphic designers is usually Phonetic Inpage Urdu online typing. Furthermore, with the help of integrated Inpage Urdu keyboard, you can get flexible Unicode text export, text rotation, spell checks and several other mind-boggling features.
To learn more, you are better to go through different tutorials present on Computer Taleem and Pakistan Point.
- Adobe Photoshop
If we can call one thing the cornerstone of graphic designing, it would definitely be Adobe Photoshop. Being the most powerful tool for design, Adobe Photoshop allows you to form spectacular prints and patterns. From editing and adjusting photorealistic computer designs to 2D and 3D digital artwork, this most popular photo-editing tool can take you to the places for sure.
We’ve got all kinds of Adobe Photoshop tutorials in Urdu and English both on several platforms. You can enjoy new insights and learn regarding Adobe photoshop course online in Urdu and Learn Adobe Photoshop on Tuts Plus.
- Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator is easier to work with than Photoshop, so you won’t be needing a lot of time to master it. Adobe Illustrator is used by graphic designers to make logos and icons mostly. Not only that but you can also create original photos of all kinds of images with it. Its top-notch features like various fonts, cutting-edge UX, enhanced image editing options, layer adjustments, and others can liven up your all dormant craftsmanship. Moreover, if you know how to bend the lines, this can be your favorite software as its best for vector art generation.
You can find different Adobe Illustrator tutorials in Urdu and English both on YouTube. Udemy, Coursera, and other platforms. Some of our personal favorites are Adobe illustrator course online in Urdu and Create a burning vector match using gradient meshes.
3. Explore Further Specialties In Graphic Design
Graphic designing doesn’t limit to a few things. There are a lot of fields here that can help you delve deeper into advanced education and allow you to enjoy different aspects of your profession. Whether you are interested in Grid theory or information designing, you can manipulate your previously learned graphic design theories to change to this field.
The specialties in graphic design vary from exclusive logo designing to more elaborated mobile app designing. By selecting a specialty, you can excel in your career and have more opportunities for learning.
Here are some of the best online graphic design courses with certificates that you access for free,
- Mobile UI: How to Redesign the Speedometer iPhone App (Part 1)
- Design Theory Adapted for Canva: Create Amazing Designs Now
4. Build Your Portfolio Or Blog To Get Good Jobs
As you continue to progress as a graphic designer, you need to start putting together your portfolio to attract potential clients. Your portfolio is the topmost factor in judging your worth as a professional. It not only displays your experience but also shows your capability to apply skills to convey your knowledge of the subject.
Though, if you are wondering what to add in your portfolio as a beginner, putting all that you learn as you go about your training can be a good start. Howbeit, as you expand you would like to remove all those first ever designed pieces that are more like mistakes. You can even start your own blog and add what interests you.
Here is what you can do:
- Look up your favorite websites, get some inspiration and start designing.
- Do you know of a website that you think deserves some tweaks or whole revamp? If yes, get on it. You can even send your version as a proposal and earn your first project.
- You can also design mobile applications. Just think of some mind-boggling ideas.
5. Keep Up To Date To Develop Continued Proficiency
People change. Trends change. So should you. Although, it’s not as much about change as keeping up with these changes.
You should know,
- What’s happening around in the designing world?
- What the top ranking websites and applications are looking like these days?
- What do the customers like these days?
Once you know the answer to these questions, you can always guarantee satisfied customers. Moreover, you can find a lot of updated online graphic designing courses on websites like Skillshare, Udemy, Coursera, TutsPlus, and whatnot.
Graphics designing courses in Pakistan
In Pakistan, there are several opportunities available for online Graphics Designing courses with a quite good and above average pay rate.
Many of the cities have arts and technical institutes that offer diploma in graphic designing. The Graphic design courses in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Sialkot are offered by institutes like Student shelter In Computers, MDi, ICT Trainings Institute, PK Institute, and many others.
If you are set to make a name in graphic designing, gird your loins and wait no more. Start your learning journey right now. It’s always good to go for online Graphics Designing courses instead of joining any institute for physical learning.
If you have any questions regarding the graphic design or online Graphics Designing courses, you can leave a comment below and we’ll make sure to get back to you asap.
