The Tribune

By Deidre M. Bastian

Do you want to be a professional and make a career of graphic design? Well, along with studies, there are some essential soft skills you must master in order to mature as a graphic designer. If you can acquire these skills, you could very well be on your way: Here are a few tips:

Imagination – The ability to Create a Vision

You must know how to visualise a project before starting to work on it. Try to maintain a creative design process to follow. Conduct good research, jot down ideas and develop an understanding of the project beforehand. It is only through understanding project demands that you will be able to craft a vision. The more active your imagination, the more creative and unique your designs will be.

Sketching – The skill of Drawing Ideas

Sketching has always been a basic advantage for any design career. Whether it is in logo or graphic designing, it is good to have the ability to sketch ideas before beginning. It is an advantage to have good knowledge of typographic art and fonts, as most logo and graphic design projects require this.

Aesthetic – An Eye for Beauty

Graphic designers have a huge responsibility to bring out the beauty in things that others may otherwise overlook. Your design must be appealing to the client and their target audience. Colours, patterns and designs used in the project must be pleasant to the beholder’s eye, and convey the company’s message effectively.

Techie – Handy with Graphic Software

As a graphic designer, learn as much graphic software as you can. For instance, logo designers should know how to use Adobe Illustrator, FreeHand and CorelDraw. For web designers, it doesn’t just stop at Adobe Illustrator. Try to have a good knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and other web template design software. Do not limit your knowledge to only one design program.

Knowledge – Know Graphic Concepts

You must know basic concepts regarding colour tones, saturation, pixel requirements etc. For example, designs created in Adobe Photoshop are not scalable because they get pixilated when enlarged.

You must know colour psychology according to industry and region. And have a good understanding of why overused concepts must be avoided. You also need to know everything about typography, pixel and vector art, including their use in various media platforms - be it online, print or digital.

Hard Work – Creating from Scratch

There are a lot of easy graphic and logo design solutions available all over the Internet. From clip art to ready-made designs, everything is there. But these elements are not for graphic designers who value their career. Try to be original. Resorting to low-end solutions will easily blow away your chance of becoming a renowned graphic designer.

Originality – Do you have What it Takes?

Anyone who thrives on copied content and calls it ‘inspiration’ will not blossom as a graphic designer. “Good copycats don’t smart designers make.”

Being Humble – I’m Not Mr ‘Know-it-all’

This may not be a skill, but it is a quality you want to possess. I am not sure if there is a medal or recognition, such as a ‘best’ designer, but graphic designing is a continual learning process. Whenever you assume you are the ‘best’, you may become redundant and stop striving to learn. Be humble and do not allow pride to get the best of you.

Positive Attitude – The ability to Take Criticism

Every art field has its own critics. Artists everywhere are bound to face criticism. Criticism is not the problem, but a negative attitude to criticism is.

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so everyone who perceives a work of art might have a different opinion. Your clients might have their own opinion, or perhaps what you create is not what they anticipated. It’s just another person’s opinion. So, don’t take criticism negatively. Calmly ask: “How can I make it better?”

Take a Chill Pill –

When to Let Go

Stress and being overwhelmed will not get you anywhere, except possibly depression. If there is free time and your creative juices are not flowing, take some time off. Relax for a couple of days, go on a vacation, freshen up and return to work with renewed enthusiasm. Never take on a project while you are stressed, as it produces poor results. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

Ms Bastian is a trained graphic designer who has qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas