Major Steps That Will Take Your Graphic Design Skills To The Next Level

Graphic designers are considered to be visual communicators because their primary role is to impart a message to a certain target audience through the use of images rather than words. Apart from hard copies such as magazines and prints, graphic designers now play an important role in digital media.

If you are a budding graphic designer, then you may find the tips below beneficial to take your skills to the next level.

Manage Your Portfolio

Make sure to keep your portfolio updated with the previous work you’ve done, as well as the experience that you have gained. This is considered to be one of the easiest steps when it comes to taking your graphic design skills to the next level. When it comes to assembling your portfolio though, the digital specialists behind Jolt.co.uk, one of the premier UK hostings for web design and graphic designers, suggest that you should leverage reliable hosting regardless of whether you are launching a new site or just migrating an existing one to another platform.

This way, you will be certain that the graphic designs, along with the text that you have incorporated on your website will be maintained. The reason behind this is that with an updated portfolio, potential employers or clients will be able to judge whether you are the perfect artist for a particular job just by throwing a glance at your work. When they realize you are actually the person they are looking for, you will have the opportunity to showcase your talent, which you can then add to your experience.

Explore Graphic Design Skills You Can Master

The first major that you need to do to take your graphic design skills to the next level is to explore a certain area in your field that you can master. Rest assured that you will have various options to choose from when it comes to this matter. The key is in going for one that you are most passionate about.

Hard Skills

User Experience (UX) Copywriting Skills
One of the primary graphic design skills that you can explore is UX copywriting or incorporating written text during your design process. Graphic designers need to build a strong connection between their designs as well as the text that they need to incorporate in a material or a website. When it comes to designing the latter though, the digital specialists behind Jolt.co.uk, premier UK host for web design and graphic designers, suggest that you leverage reliable hosting regardless of whether you are launching a new site or migrating an existing one to another platform. In this way, you are sure that the graphic designs, along with the text that you have incorporated on your site will be maintained.

Coding Skills
Alongside UX copywriting skills, you can also explore the coding side of designing wherein you need to familiarize yourself with certain programming languages such as HTML. While learning how to code may prove to be a struggle at the beginning, you will be able to overcome this by taking it one step at a time. In this case, you can break down your learning process into small tasks that you will be able to accomplish daily. Nevertheless, it will help if you look into coding resources that you can find such as HTML 101 tutorial and cheat sheets.

Environmental Graphic Design (EGD) Skills
EGD encompasses various design disciplines such as exhibition design or interior design, as well as placemaking or wayfinding. The primary goal of this skill is to efficiently and effectively communicate information to people through delightful physical experiences. As an EGD, you can specialize in areas such as signage and architectural graphics, as well as identity graphics and mapping to name a few. You can also venture into wall and glass graphics or spatial branding.

Augmented Reality Design Skills
Augmented reality, as well as virtual reality design, can now be considered mainstream because of the products that have been launched by different companies. In line with this, it is worthwhile for you to look into this field by observing how other products work or even trying to play AR games. In this way, you will have a first-hand experience of how end-users will eventually feel with this technology. It is also a good idea to study available AR design resources.

Voice User Interface (UI) Design Skills

Voice design is another major trend that is deemed to be big shortly, which is why it is worthwhile to look into this technology if you want to take your graphic design skills to the next level. Come to think of it, there are already various device types that you can converse with such as smartphones and wearable gadgets, as well as connected devices. Voice UI can come in the shape of animated images to indicate that response is being heard or auditory as well as tactile.

Soft Skills

Apart from the hard skills that you can explore, make sure to take time to develop your soft skills as well if you want to take your graphic design abilities to the next level. These are the less tangible skills that prove to be more difficult to measure compared to the hard skills that you can learn. Nevertheless, you still need to strive to develop these skills as they are equally beneficial if you want to be a successful graphic designer.

Time Management

Regardless of whether you are a graphic designer or not, time management is one of the soft skills that you need to develop. In doing so, you will be able to complete the tasks assigned to you within a reasonable time and even get to stay on top of multiple tasks at a time. As a result of this, you will have the opportunity to land more gigs as a freelancer, or to be recognized for your productivity in the corporate world.

Client Relations

As a graphic designer, you also need to have the charisma to work with different clients, communicating clearly to understand their needs and requirements. Not only will this prove to be beneficial when it comes to getting hired for more projects, but even the approval process of your projects will also become more seamless. In this case, it will greatly help if you look into various pointers on how you will be able to improve your client management relations.

 

Enroll in Graphic Design Training

As soon as you have figured out which graphic design skill to master, the next step that you need to do is to enroll in graphic design training. It’s a good thing that there are now various reputable schools that offer graphic design courses. You also have the option of exploring online courses that provide an in-depth tutorial on the skills that you need to learn.

Before you shell out a hefty sum to pay for the tuition fee though, you may want to consider free courses first. These free courses can already give you a good insight into what you need to familiarize yourself with. There are instances wherein these free courses already prove to be sufficient, but in case they are not, then you already have a good head start before you enroll in an official graphic design course.

Venture Out in New Graphic Design Career Opportunities

When you are already equipped with the knowledge that you have learned, it is time to put the theory you have acquired into practice. Fortunately, there are various types of jobs that are related to graphic design and with the advancements in modern technology, the opportunities waiting for you may even be more soon. Some of the areas that you can explore include web design and user experience design, as well as virtual reality or even a graphic arts teacher.

When you decide to enter the field of web designing, you will be able to put not only your graphic design skills to test but also your coding skills. On the other hand, when you attempt to delve into UX design, then you need to put yourself in the shoes of your end-users to figure out what they need. When it comes to virtual or augmented reality, you can expect that the demand for graphic designers knowledgeable in this field will increase. Even being a graphics art teacher can take your skills to the next level as you need to continuously learn both through formal and informal education.

Try Freelance Work

Aside from exploring career opportunities, there is also the option for you to try out freelancing. This is particularly beneficial if you want to have more flexibility when it comes to your schedule, or when you want to explore new and bold opportunities where you will be able to implement the skills that you have learned with more freedom. When you work with different clients, you tend to expand your learning opportunities because more often than not, different clients have varying requirements that you need to fulfill. With a richer experience, you will surely be able to take your graphic design skills to a new level.

To take your graphic design skills to the next level, you need to explore new skills related to this field that you can master. Just keep in mind that apart from hard skills, you also need to take into account your soft skills. As soon as you are decided on a certain path to follow, you can already enroll in graphic design training for you to eventually venture out new career opportunities. You can even use the knowledge you have acquired to try freelance work. Never forget to update your portfolio though because this will also serve as your reminder on how far you have gone in terms of graphic designing.