Four essential skills every graphic designer must possess
Post date: Jan 09, 2019 8:7:14 PM
Everyone seems to know a thing or two about graphic design these days. But if you want to make a living out of it, you have to master skills that will help turn an idea into a visual. Here are the four skills you need to pick up if your goal is to be a sought-after graphic designer:
Communication
As a graphic designer, you'll be working with other artists or with clients. You don't necessarily have to be an extrovert or a public speaker, but you have to learn how to explain your idea and your designs. In the same way, you'll be dealing with client requests, so you have to establish rapport for a healthy working relationship with them.
Hi, I’m Ram Chary from Boston. I’m a freelance photographer and graphic artist. Follow me on Twitter for updates.
An eye for typography
Learning typography is more than just knowing about font families, line-height, and tracking. It’s about understanding how words and letters can evoke reactions from those who will see the design. Whether you’re doing it by hand or through design software, having an eye for typography will also allow you to confidently combine text with equally important elements such as colors, shapes, spaces, and images.
Command of color theory
As a graphic designer, you have to find the right colors to match a product, business, or person’s image. Aside from knowing which colors work well with each other, it also pays to understand color psychology. You also have to be familiar with the emotions certain colors evoke so you can use it in delivering a clear message. Aside from mixing and matching hues, part of mastering color theory involves the use of lighting, shadowing, and other effects to bring out the best in your design.
Software and web design skills
In the competitive design world, it’s not enough that you dabble in Photoshop and other design software. These days, possessing web design, basic CSS, and basic HTML skills will allow you to do more with your designs. Being able to design mobile layouts for interactive content, you'll be able to serve more clients with front-end web design knowledge.
