How to become a graphic designer

To become a graphic designer, you’ll need IT and graphics skills, you’ll need to be able to find practical solutions to problems, and you’ll need excellent communication skills.

How to become a graphic designer

You’ll need a foundation degree, HND, graphic design degree or another art and design-based subject.

You’ll also need a working knowledge of desktop design software such as Illustrator, InDesign or QuarkXPress and a photo editing suite such as Photoshop.

You can study these courses at universities, private training institutes and self-study.

You’ll need an up-to-date portfolio to show potential employers what you can do.

Unpaid work experience, holiday work and internships will give you the opportunity to grow your portfolio, make connections and impress employers.

Jobs are highly competitive and not all jobs are advertised, so in addition to networking, you can also approach companies and design agencies directly. A great place to start is to search for design agencies in the UK Design Innovation design directory.

You can become an entry-level graphic designer through a professional apprenticeship programme.

What a Graphic Designer Does

This can be used for a variety of purposes, from advertising to product packaging. Jobs as a graphic designer include:

Discuss project requirements with clients and colleagues (summary)
Provide project costs
Select the most appropriate materials and style
Make rough sketches or computer images to present to clients
Prepare designs using specialized computer software
Create final layouts with accurate font, letter size, and color specifications
Work to budgets and deadlines

How to Become a Graphic Designer: Graphic Designer Career

A degree related to the graphic designer job can be useful for a range of careers. Here are 11 graphic design jobs to explore when you start your job search:

Photo Editor

A photo editor uses real-life photographs to adjust, color correct, or blend images to create the desired final image.

Apparel Graphic Designer

Apparel graphic designers create personalized, original images of clothing.
A graphic designer works in CAD software to develop drawings and scales that fit the size of a clothing pattern.

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in graphic design and previous experience in graphic design for clothing – either an internship or an entry-level position.

Logo Designer

The designer selects unique colors and shapes that relate to the company or product and establishes the brand identity.
Logo designers must also be aware of other designs on the market, lest the brand’s logo be copied or recreated.

Packaging Designer

Packaging designers develop boxes, containers, and labels on products to protect the product during shipping and communicate important features to customers.

They use CAD software to write product details in appropriate fonts and add graphics to explain features and show how the product will look or be used.

Requirements: A job in packaging design typically requires a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, product design, or fine arts.

Web Designer

They are also responsible for designing navigation menus, drop-down menu options, and site structure.

They may have programming skills that will allow them to develop entire websites themselves.

Requirements: Employers look for web designers with strong technical, website layout design, programming, and graphic design knowledge.

Multimedia Designer

Multimedia designers use technical and computer animation software to create complex animated images and videos.
Requirements: Multimedia designers need an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a visual creative field, such as graphic design, digital multimedia arts, web design, or user experience design.

How to Become a Graphic Designer: Advertising Designer

They produce billboards, magazine ads, website advertisements, and any other promotional materials needed.

They draw or use CAD software to develop initial concepts based on marketing and public relations strategies.

Publication Designer

Designers are responsible for developing images and graphics and incorporating them into publications in a visually appealing way.

Requirements: A bachelor’s degree in graphic, visual, user experience, or print design is usually required to pursue a career in publication design.

Art Director

An art director is the senior executive responsible for directing the vision of a design team, directing the concept of a theme, and overseeing all art design work.

They can work in a variety of industries, including fashion, print, advertising, television, or consumer goods.

An art director is responsible for reviewing and approving designs completed by art and graphics teams.
Requirements: A bachelor’s degree in any art or design field is usually required, but some employers may prefer candidates with a master’s degree in business or fine arts.

User Interface (UI) Designer

They are responsible for ensuring that each web page or work step of the final product follows the goals of the user experience (UX) designer.
UI designers make web pages, advertisements, and software easy for consumers to interact with.

Requirements: At least a two-year degree in user interface design, graphic design, or computer programming for UI designers.

How to Become a Graphic Designer: User Experience (UX) Designer

User experience designers typically work in web design to make websites visually appealing and easy for customers to navigate. They also collaborate with other technology-based products, including software, gaming systems, and computers.

Infographic Design Software

Adobe Spark

If you need a tool to quickly and easily create infographics for social media, look no further than Adobe Spark.

It has over 10,000 templates to choose from and thousands of unlicensed assets to spice up your designs.

Piktochart

If you’re looking for a beginner infographic maker, look no further.

Piktochart takes the heavy lifting out of infographic design by providing you with easily customizable templates.

DesignCap

It’s a free infographic maker that’s easy to use and has tons of templates, though you’ll have to pay for some really cool ones.

It also offers icons, illustrations, stock photos, and the ability to upload anything you want.

The free plan lets you export up to five jpg files, and you can upgrade to the basic plan with unlimited templates and high-resolution png and pdf exports.