Graphic design is crucial in today’s world and is incredibly powerful. As for graphic designers, they are the silent but key players in this incredibly visual world we now live in.
It’s no wonder, there is a huge demand for good graphic designers across all kinds of organizations all over the country. Graphic design in India has blown up exponentially these last few years. Thus, whether you are an aspiring graphic designer, or a novice or seasoned one; it’s important to know the skills and tools you need to have in your arsenal.
Graphic Design Skills That Really Matter
Good Ol’ Pen and Paper Skills
Even though most of what we do is now digital; knowing how to draw and the sketch is vital to graphic design work. After all, it all starts with a drawing, a sketch. This phase allows you to develop and explore design ideas without the distraction of high-tech tools.
Mastery of the Tools of the Trade
Every graphic designer must be well-versed in using tools like Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, among others. Not only will these tools make your work more efficient, but proficiency in these tools is also necessary to get a job at a graphic design company. In fact, most Sydney graphic design job postings required mastery of one or all of the three tools.
Typography, Color, and Layout Skills
The most fundamental skill a graphic designer should have is a solid understanding and mastery of typography, color, and layout.
Graphic design services usually begin with a plan regarding which fonts, colors, and layouts to use.
- To be visually appealing, a graphic designer must know which interesting, clear, and easily-read font is appropriate for the message the brand wants to send.
- Colors affect audiences in a lot of ways. Contrasts, blends, and changes will show harmony and bring the design to life.
- Designers must arrange layouts so they can lead the audiences to the brand’s final message.
Creative Thinking Skills
Graphic design is creative work so it goes without saying that one of the graphic design skills that really matter is creative thinking. Graphic designers must be able to turn a mundane idea into a memorable visual representation. That requires thinking outside the box, going out of their artistic comfort zone, and using their imagination a lot of the times.
Multimedia Visualisation
Really effective graphic designers must be able to visualize their work on different media. They must be able to “see” how their work will look like or behave in a variety of platforms like websites, apps, in print, on mobile, etc.
Communicative Competence
Graphic design is communication. A client communicates their vision to the graphic designer. The designer, in turn, creates a visual image of that vision so that he or she can communicate it to the audience. Without effective communication skills, graphic designers will not be able to present a convincing image.
An Intuition for Business
A graphic designer must not only be creative. They must also understand businesses in general. What is the client’s business and what images communicate the business? What will be the most powerful brand identifiers that can be associated with a particular line of business? This will help the designer develop the most appropriate visual representation.
Graphic design is in everything we do and interact with. It’s in the carton of milk we drink every morning, the ballots we cast on election day, the businesses we choose to interact with. Graphic designers make these interactions possible. So, whether you are a seasoned pro or a novice transitioning into the world of graphic design; these graphic design skills really matter in order to make images that are truly powerful.
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About Author
Mr. Bhuvnesh Mathur
Bhuvnesh got his Bachelor's degree in software engineering in 2017 and has been working in Vidhema Technologies since 2018 as SEO Lead and technical writer. He has a special knack of learning from all verticals and imbibing the extracts into his writing and enjoys learning techincal aspects of of writing for his experties as SEO and SMO. In his writing he express his experience and understading of different technologies.