5 Tips for Graphic Design Students

 Design  No Responses »
Dec 202011
 

Considering an education in the world of graphic design? Great! This wide open field combines artistic flare and technological savvy in ways which no other field does. In this article we will offer helpful advice for students interested in choosing an education in graphic design.

kangaroo road signThe term “graphic design” can be used to describe everything from drawing a corporate logo, to creating a magazine layout, to designing a website, to creating a road sign. Because hey, kangaroos need publicity too.

Almost every application of graphic design will require knowledge of computers, and possibly programming. Even if you don’t foresee a life in web design, expect that your layout tools will be computer oriented.

With that in mind, let’s get into our five tips for students interested in pursuing a career in graphic design.

1. Increase Your Computer Fluency

You may have mad skills when it comes to updating your Facebook status and Tweeting what you had for dinner, but how much experience do you have in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver? Can you program CSS or PHP? If you cannot program for the web, we recommend W3Schools.

Any of these software tools or program languages could be necessary depending on the concentration you wish to pursue. If you are interested in web design, you should take the time to learn some basic CSS. If you envision yourself drawing a lot of vectors in your future, get a copy of Illustrator or see if your high school has it on their computers for you to use.

Start now. Don’t wait to head off to college before you learn about these programs and languages. Many students will have familiarity when they arrive at college, and you don’t want to start behind the competition.

2. Consider a Four Year School

Technical colleges offer a shorter path to a career in graphic design. You can often finish up a program in less than two years, and be ready to enter the work force.

The problem with this approach is that it assumes we all know what we want to do with our lives at the age of 18. I changed my major during college and completely shifted my career direction. I have friends who switched majors more than once. Many of them are very happy in their current careers, which are completely different from the careers they envisioned as college freshmen.

The great thing about a Bachelor’s of Arts program at a four year school is if you diploma isolated stock photosuddenly realize graphic design isn’t for you, you won’t have wasted a few years of your life. You can switch majors, and still have many important credits under your belt that can be applied toward your new degree.

Keep your options open. You will be surprised by how many changes you will undergo between the ages of 18 and 22.

3. Consider a Community College

For the same reason we recommend a Bachelor’s program instead of going straight to a Technical School, a community college keeps your options open.

Community colleges offer the ability to obtain an Associate’s degree in two years. The Associate’s degree is generally not considered as prestigious as the Bachelor’s degree, but it is much faster to obtain.

You can also take the credits from a community college and transfer many of them to a four year school, if you eventually decide you want to go for the Bachelor’s. This is often a less expensive option too, as community colleges are typically great bargains.

If you decide after two years that you wish to hit the Technical College regardless, you can still accomplish everything in about four years.

4. Mix in Business Courses

This is an often overlooked opportunity. Your future could entail running your own studio. Many of you will do freelance work.

No matter how strong your artistic skill set is, you risk wasting it if you do not have basic business skills. In fact, if you envision yourself running a graphic design firm, I would go as far as to suggest a minor, or dual major, in business.

At the very least you want to pad your knowledge with some business courses which will prepare you for balancing your books, managing finances, and properly promoting your brand.

5. Have a Web Portfolio

Begin creating a portfolio of your best work on your own internet website. Expect prospective employers will require your portfolio to be available online. This allows them to quickly see your work, and get an idea of your capabilities. Plus, it is possible employers will find you before you find them!

As you go through schooling, regularly update your portfolio with your best work. Cull the work which no longer meets your increasing standards. Don’t wait until your senior year of college to put together your portfolio. Start immediately, and update it frequently.

Conclusion

There are a myriad of other tips we could give, such as learning how to network and learning how to write a killer cover letter. But these five tips are the most important to consider immediately, before entering college.

What degree did you pursue for your career in graphic design?

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Introduction to Graphic Design

 Design  No Responses »
Jul 012011
 

The field of graphic design is expansive and ever growing.  In this article we provide a quick introduction to the field of graphic design for aspiring artists interested in participating.

Graphic design is divided into two fields – print and digital.  Skills required for these fields overlap quite a bit, though each has defined skill sets. Both use many of the same tools, such as the usage of royalty free images, computer technology, and software platforms like Photoshop and Illustrator.

Print Design

Print designers create layouts for magazines, brochures, posters, business cards, products, packaging, and so on.  Although graphic design has rapidly expanded into digital mediums over the last two decades, this traditional form of graphic design is huge.  Print designers measure space in inches.

Secretary holding chartsThe biggest advertising challenge for the print designer is the need to instantly capture a reader’s attention and keep it.  This may be the front cover of a book, which needs to evoke enough interest to get the potential reader to consider purchasing it.  It may also be a large display ad in a magazine which needs to draw the reader in and convince her to read more about the product’s usefulness.

Print designers should have a clear understanding of DPI and Resolution, so they know how large an image they require for their print projects.

Digital Design

Digital designers create websites and blogs, and digital advertising such as banner or sidebar advertising.  It is often helpful to have knowledge of Flash and Java, as well as HTML if one desires to work as a designer of websites.  XML and PHP are also languages which website developers should understand.  Digital designers measure space in pixels.

The web surfer tends to move even faster than the print reader, so it is paramount to grab his attention as quickly as possible and keep him on the web page.  Or in some circumstances, to direct the surfer toward additional content.

In our next article we will look at schools which prepare students for a career in graphic design.

- Dan Padavona, Warmpicture

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Making Friends at the Print Shop

 Design  No Responses »
May 042011
 

Prize RibbonsDesigners in fields which require a lot of printing should look to establish a relationship with their local printer.  The first steps to finding the right printer are the same obvious ones you would use when evaluating any business for your needs.  Ask other designers for opinions on print shops, then visit a few and talk about your projects.  Do they have the expertise to meet your needs?  Are they friendly (you don’t want to work frequently with someone you dread seeing)?  Do they have an easy way to upload your files to them through the internet?

Take care not to make a choice based on the lowest price.  Remember the credo, “You get what you pay for.”  That isn’t absolutely true.  You can find an excellent quality printer who has a low price.  Just don’t make the mistake of basing your decision entirely on price.

Make the first month of working with the printer an evaluation period.  Your opinion may change for various reasons.  They may be so busy that your projects are always at the back of a long queue.  Or their work may not be up to your standards.  Hopefully the first month is a tremendous success, and you have found a printer to work with for the long haul.

Once you have chosen a print shop, it is now important that your work flow meets the print shop’s requirements.  Some things to consider from your end:

  1. What file types do they accept?  Your final image should be in their preferred format.
  2. What DPI printer do they use?  DPI, combined with your image resolution, will determine the final size of the print.
  3. Take the time to understand their jargon (color separation, binding, DPI, glossy, matte, etc).
  4. Have the ability to pay immediately.  Even if you are in an organization with higher ups, your printer needs his or her money when their terms state it is due.  If this is a problem for your organization, you will be looking for a new printer constantly.

In almost all cases, you will forge a better relationship with a local printer than you will with a chain printer.  Local printers appreciate your business more, and have full stake in their business.  They are more likely to go the extra mile for you than will a national chain.  And it is inevitable that there will be times when you need printing jobs done immediately and unexpectedly.  That is where your good relationship with the print shop will pay off.

Design is a great field, not only for the work designers do, but also for the people they meet and work with everyday.  Your printer should be someone you know by name, and know you can rely on.

- Dan Padavona, Warmpicture

Don’t Overpay for Stock Photos!

 Design, Stock Photography  No Responses »
Apr 152011
 

A common mistake designers make is to order image sizes which are larger than they require for their print projects.  There is no reason to overpay for size you don’t need.  In this article I will show you how to easily determine the image size you need for your royalty free images.

Examples of print projects are brochures, magazines, billboards, and so on.  Many designers believe they need far more resolution than they actually require.

How Large will your Print be?

Romantic CoupleFirst we need to determine how large our final print will be.  In this case, let’s assume we need a picture for a 8×10 inch layout in a magazine.  That is a very large image for a magazine, so you might think you need a huge image.

Second we need to know the DPI (dots per inch) of our printer.  A common DPI is 300, though many tasks (for example billboards) require a much lower DPI.  For our example project, we’ll assume 300 DPI.

If you order a 4000×6000 very high resolution print, you will be overpaying for a size which is much larger than you require.

Very Simple Math 

The math we will use to determine the final resolution we require is very simple.  All we need to do is multiply the print size (8 x 10 inches) by the DPI (300):

8×300 by 10×300 = 2400 by 3000 pixels

The final size we require is 2400×3000 pixels, far smaller than a maximum size image.  And that is all there is to it!

Knowing the needed resolution you require will help you save a lot of money on royalty free images.  Don’t overpay for your images.  If you ever have a question about the resolution you require for a project, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Daniel Padavona, Warmpicture.com

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