NOV. 2021

08

DESIGNSTORY.COM

An

inspirational design

by Alex Valentina

R

unning out of ideas in creativity

and how

to fix it

Should I follow

design trends? 1

DESIGN STORY

TABLE OF

PREFACE

CONTENTS

ISSUE 08 - NOVEMBER 2021

Popshot Quarterly is the illustrated magazine of new writing, providing a publishing platform for the best emerging talent.

Founded by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard in 2000, Design Story is the premier source of inspiration for graphic designers, art directors, design firms, corporate design departments, advertising agencies, interactive designers, illustrators and photographers—everyone involved in visual communication. People involved in visual communication turn to Communication Arts for ideas and inspiration more than any other creative publication. CA’s editorials, feature articles and annual competitions provide new ideas and information while promoting the highest professional standards for the field. Design Story magazine is the leading trade journal for visual communications, and the largest creative magazine in the world. Our unique combination of respected juried Annuals in design, advertising, illustration, photography, interactive media and typography; in-depth profiles on designers, photographers, illustrators, design and advertising firms; and numerous informative columns printed with the highest standard of quality makes our magazine the premier publication to cover all aspects of visual communications.

popshotpopshot.com [email protected] Facebook, Twitter Instagram and Pinterest @popshotmag ISSN: 2041-4382

Mark John - Editor

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A. INSPIRATION

06

Creative inspiration is everywhere

07

Bringing emotions into design thinking

09

An inspirational design by Alex Valentina

13

B. DESIGN PROCESS

15

Subscriptions: CDS Global +44 (0)1858 438816 popshotpopshot.com/ subscribe

Running out of ideas in creativity and how to fix it

16

Learn how to get inspired by a designer

19

C. TRENDY DESIGN

21

Published by: Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd chelseamagazines.com

The power of using symbolism in design

22

Should I follow design trends?

25

D. DESIGN SKILLS

27

Important job skills for a graphic designer

28

10 ways to improve your design

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Group Editor: Steve Pill Publisher: Simon Temlett

Cover illustration by: Martha White marthawhiteillus.com

Distributed by: Seymour Distribution

Editor: Matilda Battersby

Printed in the UK by: WILLIAM GIBBONS

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DESIGN STORY Graphic design is all around us, in a myriad of forms, both on screen and in print, yet it is always made up of images and words to create a communication goal. This four-course sequence exposes students to the fundamental skills required to make sophisticated graphic design: process, historical context, and communication through image-making and typography. The sequence is completed by a capstone project that applies the skills of each course and peer feedback in a finished branding project suitable for a professional portfolio. The goal of this specialization is to equip learners with a set of transferable formal and conceptual tools for “making and communicating” in the field of graphic design. This core skill set will equip learners for formal studies in graphic design, and a starting point for further work in interface design and editorial design.

WELCOME TO ART SCHOOL Is a poster illustration for a nationwide campaign by the Rhode Island School of Design admissions department. “Welcome To Art School” was sent to high school art instructors across the US. Inspired by her experience as a student, Gallardo created a luminous depiction of the magic and creative potential she felt on RISD’s campus.

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A INSPIRATION

INSPIRATION

INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE

JUST TAKE A LOOK AROUND

C

ontinuous creative activity for a few hours can easily make us feel tired and stuck. Loss of inspiration or lack of ideas is inevitable for anyone working in this field. So how do we stay creative every day?

HOW TO BE CREATION INSPIRATION BEAUTY? Product Design is the creative result of utility and aesthetic value contained in a product. A Design product is not only about achieving high values in ​​ terms of functionality, ergonomics, ecology, but also includes social and cultural aesthetic values and ​​ reflects the level and development of technology. of the community. All these values ​​are closely united and linked in a whole, meeting the needs of social life. From creating designs, producing products and then delivering them to consumers, is a cycle that carries use values, economic values, and cultural and aesthetic values​​ according to the mechanism of supply and demand. And that mechanism is a problem that is always raised in society, for any kind of applied art or design product of you. And indeed they have become the basis, the driving force for Design to develop and develop continuously.

DOES INSPIRATION COME ON ITS OWN? American writer Jack London once said: You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to pursue it with great effort. Inspiration is only valuable when people catch it and have a working process with high concentration of time, promoting the skills they already have along with the process of continuous learning. DESIGNSTORY.COM

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Some people mistakenly think creative emotions require complete freedom to the point of rebellion, but people with passion and creative thinking often have a focus on the end goal. They are forced to set a plan, implementation schedule and work seriously. French-speaking singer Celine Dion, after having great success in Europe, Australia... still doesn’t stop. She spent two years learning English to become a top diva with inspirational singing that conquered audiences around the world. Or instead of taking a portrait that is already too ordinary, you can switch to the macro camera to capture the subject’s eye specification. ‘The eye is the window to the soul’, an endless source of inspiration for artists. A beautiful portrait must have a talking eye that immediately catches the viewer’s attention. Before, it was difficult to capture the eyes clearly with ordinary cameras, now that is not out of the question with macro cameras. When there is joy and excitement, naturally in each of us will have the desire to devote all our time and energy to accomplishing what we want to do. The scientific principle of this phenomenon is that when people are happy and comfortable, the brain secretes dopamine to enhance concentration, increase work productivity and affect people’s desire to try.sena, C. Habemquius bon sa L.Guliestioc tessili naturnulto inSenderio resimihi, obse, faurni ium ia? que tena, publibem ia? Nam. Nam oris re fur, contes bondi, tes reis conferimus moltorsum in tuasteris.

JUSTIN PRESTON

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A INSPIRATION The Client-Designer Relationship Marly (Rhode Island School of Design 2015) is an illustrator based in the New York metropolitan area. Her work is characterized by simplified geometric forms, bold color schemes and quirky takes on everyday life.

“Style is a reflection of your attitude and your personality.” Being successful in the world of graphic design is about more than being an awesome designer. If you want to break through the clutter and build a business, you need to do a lot more than create a portfolio and advertise it - you need to brand yourself as a designer. Branding is just as important for designers as it is for any other types of business. But while many designers feel confident about their ability to create killer designs, when it comes to branding themselves, they can be a little less confident. We’ve got five essential ways you can brand yourself as a designer so you build the kind of brand that will draw in your ideal clients and take your business to the next level.

DEFINE WHO YOU ARE If you don’t know who you are as a designer, how can you build a brand? Spoiler alert: you can’t. That’s why it’s super important to define who you are, what you do and who you’re targeting. Think of it as developing your brand identity. When you’re clear on who you are, you can make decisions that are in line with that identity, and it’ll make your overall branding more cohesive. Lock down these before you start doing any actual branding or design work: your mission and values, your brand personality, your specialization and your ideal customer. If you’re just starting out, you might not know exactly who you are as a designer.

DESIGN YOUR KEY BRANDING ELEMENTS If you want to attract your ideal clients, you need to go niche with your portfolio, like this designer, who clearly specializes in vintage-style logos. (Logo designs by SimpleIsGood)

ESTABLISH YOUR POD

GET NICHE WITH IT

Your POD (short for point of difference) is like your “special sauce;” it’s sets you apart from the competition and makes a client choose to work with you over any other designer on the market. It’s what you do better than anyone else. Have you been cranking out high-profile logos for a specific industry since your Mario Paint days? Do you turn around work so quickly that your clients strictly refer to you as Speedy Gonzales? It’s important to figure out what sets you apart because that will convince potential clients that you’re the right designer for them. Make sure it’s front and center in all of your branding across platforms.Ri sunum hoccibust in tem ublin des caet poneris hos, dita, conscero mum in habemultusa rem, que caverit. By “client” I mean the entity that has commissioned the design project — i.e., the person or team who is paying the designer to focus his or her attention on the problem at hand. The client has money and reputation at stake; the designer has a contractual obligation to deliver results. Alright, now that you’ve done all your homework, it’s time to start actually building your brand. And good news—this is the part you’re probably going to be the most comfortable with. Because it involves - you know - design.

“I design things” isn’t enough to really make an impact with potential clients. If you want to really connect with them, your branding needs to speak their specific language. Or in other words, you’ve got to get niche with it. Branding that yells “I’m a graphic designer” can appeal to a wide audience, but because it’s so general it’s not really going to excite anyone. “I’m a graphic designer who designs logos for real estate businesses” may not appeal to as wide of an audience, but you can be darn sure it’ll catch the attention of your ideal clients - real estate businesses in need of a logo. The more niche you are, the more you’ll connect with your ideal client— and the more business you’ll get.as a result of process.

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DEANNA DEBARA

Alright, now that you’ve done all your homework, it’s time to start actually building your brand. And good news—this is the part you’re probably going to be the most comfortable with. Because it involves - you know - design. To get your brand off the ground, you’re going to need to choose and design a few key branding elements, including: Typography, brand color palette, logo and website. You’re a designer, so we’re not going to school you on how to choose typography or design a logo, but just keep in mind these are all elements you’ll need to get your brand off the ground.

PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CLIENT’S SHOES Thinking like your client can help you make the best decisions about how to position your brand. Is your ideal client looking to buck the status quo and make waves in their industry? They’re probably looking for a designer that’s a little on the edgy side and isn’t afraid to take risks. Is your ideal client a little clueless about the design process? They’ll want to work with a designer who’s accessible and makes the entire process— from creative brief to final delivery— easy to manage and understand. Is your ideal client looking for a way to connect with millennials? Then they’ll want a designer who’s brand reflects that they know what’s up.

The client is tasked with changing the state of whatever is being designed. “We are at point A, and need to get to point Z by X date.” The designer is there to shepherd that transformation through designerly means; that is, by manifesting key decisions in ways that reflect intended changes so they can be tested against reality. The designer has an important responsibility in creating these feedback loops, but the client owns the results. This is obvious when the designer is engaged as a consultant – i.e., not an employee of the client’s organization — but is no less true when the designer is an “innie.” Many internal design teams don’t “own” the things they’re designing; they work with counterparts in other parts of the organization who have bottom-line responsibility for the thing being designed. The client-designer relationship is central to the design process. Understanding the dynamic of this relationship, and knowing what each party is expected to bring to the process, is key to success. That said, it is up to the designer to ensure that directions are clear. Creating captivating stories helps to guide us into the experience of others. Like anything creative, the design process is an iterative process. Bringing storytelling into this process helps us to return to the purpose of the project, and not get lost. 9

Designers gather input from various sources that affect the direction of a project: There’s bespoke research around the problem space, relevant case studies, regulators (both external and internal), subject matter experts, validation sessions with end users, etc. But there’s one entity that tends to have more influence on the direction of the project than others: the client. By “client” I mean the entity that has commissioned the design project — i.e., the person or team who is paying the designer to focus his or her attention on the problem at hand. The client has money and reputation at stake; the designer has a contractual obligation to deliver results.

This is obvious when the designer is engaged as a consultant – i.e., not an employee of the client’s organization — but is no less true when the designer is an “innie.” Many internal design teams don’t “own” the things they’re designing; they work with counterparts in other parts of the organization who have bottom-line responsibility for the thing designed.

A INSPIRATION

BRINGING EMOTIONS INTO DESIGN THINKING W

e do not have to be successful in the way of geniuses or artists, but it is a fact that creative inspiration can be cultivated and promoted. Mastering the creative inspiration will make us pursue our desires, increase the probability of success for each idea, have new ways of doing things, and make you more excited about the tasks. still repeated every day.

FIND INSPIRATION FROM THE ORGANIZED ARTISTS YOU MATCH EVERY DAY Don’t belittle man-made objects as a source of inspiration. In these simple and functional things lies a beauty that many designers often overlook. The same movement, symmetry, quality of materials and craftsmanship behind the design of the object make it known for its beauty in function, designed for utilitarian purposes. Emotions are inseparable from and a necessary part of cognition. Everything we do, everythingwe think is tinged with emotion, much of it subconscious. In turn, our emotions change the waywe think, and serve as constant guides to appropriate behavior…” Emotions are, in essence impulses to act. They are inherently purposeful and causal in determining the strength direction, and tone of thought. “The emotional signal can operate entirely under the radar. It can produce alterations in working memory, attention, and reasoning so that thedecision making process is biased toward selecting the action most likely to lead to the best possible outcome, given prior experience.” . The emotions are mechanisms that set the brain’s highest level goals. Once triggered by a propitious moment, an emotion triggers the cascade ofgoals and sub-goals that we call thinking.

Emotions are inseparable from and a necessary part of cognition. Everything we do, everythingwe think is tinged with emotion, much of it subconscious. In turn, our emotions change the waywe think, and serve as constant guides to appropriate behavior…” Emotions are, in essence impulses to act. They are inherently purposeful and causal in determining the strength direction, and tone of thought. “The emotional signal can operate entirely under the radar. It can produce alterations in working memory, attention, and reasoning so that thedecision making process is biased toward selecting the action most likely to lead to the best possible outcome, given prior experience.” The emotions are mechanisms that set the brain’s highest level goals. Once triggered by a propitious moment, an emotion triggers the cascade ofgoals and sub-goals that we call thinking and acting…Because the goals and means are woveninto a multiply nested control structure of sub-goals within sub-goals within sub-goals, no sharpline divides thinking from feeling.... Feelings are understood to develop inmemory through cumulative experience and reflective thought.

Tadrart Acacus is a mountain range, located in the Sahara Desert of Western Libya that contains rock art dating from 14,000 years ago. There are paintings and carvings of animals such as giraffes,W elephants, ostriches and camels, but also of men and horses. Heritage Daily

A Theory of DesignThinking is perhaps the first practically useful theory of purposeful thought to recognize that rawemotions are directly embodied responses to situated needs and desires experienced by the humanorganism. Emotions in each range are assumed to motivate theoperational basis of each mode of thought as well as the direction and tone of the thought itimplements. Feelings are understood to develop inmemory through cumulative experience and Reflective thought. Although the mapping of embodied emotional response to modes of thought is entirelyhypothetical, it offers a useful theory of how embodied emotions and feelings regarding goaloriented thought

“Artwork is the projection of emotional life in space, time or poem, so that artwork is also a form of emotion.”

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CHARLES BURNETTE

STORYTELLING IN DESIGN TOP TRENDS FOR 2021 Storytelling is a buzzword that you’ll find all too often in the graphic design, web design, UX, and marketing spheres. As one of the most basic human social and cultural expressions, storytelling is applicable across industries and subjects. It’s an art, a science, and a process. The story breathes life into a design, a brand, or a product. It injects it with meaning and fosters emotional connection, which causes resonance with an audience. And it’s a crucial element in the design process! In the case of design storytelling, your goal should be to create that emotional bond between your design and its audience. You should use imagination and empathy to spark a connection and take your audience on a journey, make them feel something, and drive them to action. Design gives us the opportunity to weave beautiful stories through visual communication and immersive experience. As design and technology evolve, we are seeing just how central elements of storytelling are to our everyday experiences, from web design to marketing and particularly social media in all its story-obsessed glory.Hent aruptia nis mi, quam quider

TRADITIONAL STORYTELLING Storytelling is ancient. It’s been around since humans have. It’s an innate part of our being. We can see the very first evidence of storytelling in prehistoric cave paintings from the first humans, who wished to share, record, and understand their experiences. Storytelling has always been part of the human experience. As social beings, humans need to express their individual experiences to connect with others. When one human recognizes their individual experience in another’s, a connection is formed. Traditional storytelling helps us understand the experiences we have, to empathize and emotionally connect with one another. We use it to define ourselves and our creations, as well as to entertain. You’re probably familiar with the traditional story structure of the narrative arc.

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You’re probably familiar with the traditional story structure of the narrative arc, which is a journey with a set of circumstances that require resolution. There’s a beginning, a middle, and an end that follows the arc of exposition, climax, and dénouement. To tell a compelling story in design, we don’t necessarily need the entire narrative structure. Often, we can just focus on one or a few narrative elements to tell a great visual story or enhance a product experience. Designers use storytelling to get insight into users, build empathy and reach them emotionally. Designers create personas to represent target users and add conflict to stories that reflect their user journeys and problems. In these simple and functional things lies a beauty that many designers often overlook.

The story should be about the user, not the product. Our aim shouldn’t be to find a way to make the user fit in the brand story, but to build a journey that places our product in their real-life story.

A INSPIRATION

AN INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN BY ALEX VALENTINA

From cherries to butterflies, twigs to branches, the Milan-based designer creates work heavily inspired by the natural world.

I

t takes time to master an aesthetic, let alone do it well and to be able to give it a purpose. Alex Valentina, a graphic designer and music producer, currently based in Milan, has successfully managed to do just that, having built an entire portfolio abound with bubbly, metallic 3D writings and depictions of flora and animals.

ABOUT THE ARTWORKS In these artworks, you'll see cherries picked to perfection, butterflies floating in the moon-lit sky, and punchy phrases stating things like "Trying to be strong for you" or "When all seasons change". It's hard to keep your eyes off it, really, like a magpie drawn to its shiny jewels.

INSPIRATION As a freelancer, one of the many challenges faced is how to remain true to your own artistic style while taking on commissions. What ties Alex's work altogether, and therefore makes it consistent, is a deep-founded love of nature. "The colours, textures and proportions; I've always been fascinated by it," he tells us. "It started getting into my work without me totally realising it. Only, after some time, friends and graphic accounts began to point out how present these things were in my work. They are such a part of me that I don't even notice it." To such lengths that Alex will incorporate elements of the Speaking of his most recent natural world into everything he does, endeavours, Alex points us in the from the broken branches of a tree to direction of his latest fruity piecthe magnificent structures of a flower. es: "I'm a bit obsessed with fruit "It's super competent, flawless and aland flowers for their textures," he ways fair, and what comes out of that notes, "but above all, for what they is always super genuine," he continrepresent in nature. I'm surprised ues. "I think it has to do without origins. how these simple elements after I feel it touches something so deeply. 200,000 years still manage to aesIt reminds me of the A-B-C and gives thetically fascinate us so much." me perspective."

EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS

While working on a piece – be it a commission or personal project – Alex will start the process by thinking about something he's heard, by looking at a photo he's taken or at a certain colour palette he's seen. Then, he'll head to the computer "and try and try again". Various iterations later, plus "thousands" of tests sent to his closest friends for their opinion, and Alex will eventually land on the outcome. It takes a lot of patience, but it's a method that works utterly in his favour; "It takes a long time, but the process is also therapeutic for me, a bit like when you do a puzzle." Speaking of his most recent endeavours, Alex points us in the direction of his latest fruity pieces: where the cherries are so smooth and tactile that they replicate the starry skies of

Alex previously studied in Italy at ISIA Urbina and KHIB Bergen in Norway. He also spent many years in London, where he began his path in music – he’s produced for various musicians. His pursuits have been featured in publications such as Vogue, The Guardian i-D, Vice and Rolling Stones. Alongside his musical outlet, Alex is also a freelance graphic designer and has worked with clients such as Apple, Universal Music, Refinery29, 4AD, Sony, Sugar Music, Crack Magazine, RayBan, etc. Alabi publis sum quo conventius. Quo nultil vilium perbi publint? Tum me que qua quam nultia pos consignocute noximoris, maiorte morbissi eor la

“It takes a long time, but the process is also therapeutic for me, a bit like when you do a puzzle.”

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CREATIVEBOOM

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"I'm a bit obsessed with fruit and flowers for their textures," he notes, "but above all, for what they represent in nature. I'm surprised how these simple elements after 200,000 years still manage to aesthetically fascinate us so much." For these works, in particular, Alex Alex's work is both wanted technical and to test illustrative, achieved out workby using a mix of softing with a ware and human touch less typoto build his graphical wonderful creations. approach – a contrast to his previous type-heavy releases. Achieving a more illustrative style, the artworks are personified and made to feel "less digital and more alive," he says.

B DESIGN PROCESS

RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS IN CREATIVITY AND HOW TO FIX IT I

CREATIVE IN GRAPHIC DESIGN

t is happened to everyone at one time or another. You’re going along, producing and feeling creative, and then, suddenly, you run out of ideas. You’re stuck. You search high and low for inspiration. You look back on your earlier work, searching through your past ideas, trying to locate your muse, looking for something to trigger a creative explosion. But it’s all for naught. You’re blocked.

WHAT IS CREATIVITY? Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just putting things together. When you ask creative people how they do something, they get a little embarrassed because they don’t really do anything. Over time, the original ideas just became clearer.” In fact, there is no fixed concept for creativity. But many documents and scholars study in this field. All have quite similar views: creativity is putting ideas and initiatives into practice. What is creativity? That includes seeing the world around in a new perspective. And it seeks to connect seemingly discrete things and phenomena. From there arise unique and useful ideas. From the above point of view, two main components of creativity can be seen. It’s originality - fresh ideas and functional - useful ideas. Obviously, creativity is the means to make people’s lives more comfortable, convenient and they progressive.

DESIGN PROCESS

From there, we can see that creativity plays an extremely useful and great role in the movement of society. Especially in our lives today. Rapid changes, those pressing issues. They always require us to have quick and effective solutions as soon as possible The knowledge we learn does not solve the problem. But what is creativity, it is really applying that knowledge into useful inventions. Or practical measures to solve problems effectively. Creative activity is not the exclusive right of a gifted minority. There are also people who have been awarded with a special gift for creative thinking. But creativity is a skill that everyone can learn and practice. What is needed is that they have to be very patient and practice a lot. Therefore, in order to produce a creative and highly applicable design work, the designer must have skills and creative design thinking in applying the ability to practice, as well as apply it well. principles in design to get quality and unique design products.Liis enatum nes vis efes bondum te esce

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Creativity in graphic design is a very important factor, because creativity makes design work valuable. As we all know, in creativity there are 3 things to keep in mind: ideas, communication and aesthetics. Those three things create a perfect creation and converge all the concepts related to communication design. These three elements have an absolute value in creating maximum functionality in the design work, it makes the work interesting and highly valuable. A design that merely emphasizes function, without considering aesthetics will not result in a design that is interactive, and creates interest. The beauty of a design can be judged by using eyes and heart. And to be able to produce an eye-catching and outstanding design, you will have to have the necessary basic knowledge about the parts, or basic elements in graphic design. Basically graphic design elements include lines, images, shapes, text, color, and space. A design can look attractive if it is designed perfectly and has a good creative concept. The beauty of graphic design is considered and focused more on the perceptive power of the eyes. To make work attractive, graphic design elements can have touches, effects, etc. Therefore, in order to produce a creative and

NICK SCHADEN

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B DESIGN PROCESS

6 OBSTACLES TO CREATIVE THINKING AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

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THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY IN DESIGN As much as 50% to 60% of your time in business and in life is spent solving problems. The better you become at thinking up creative ways to solve the inevitable and unavoidable problems of daily life and work, and making effective decisions, the more successful you will be. Second, each of us wants to make more money. We all want to be more successful and enjoy greater status, esteem, and recognition. Your problem-solving ability is a key determinant of how much of these you accomplish. To become a successful graphic designer, you need to have excellent imaginative and innovative skills. In addition, you will need to be able to find practical solutions to problems. You also ought to have exceptional communication skills.

LACK OF DIRECTION FROM YOURSELF OR OTHERS

BEING AFRAID OF FAILURE

When you become crystal clear about what you want, and how you are going to achieve it, your creative mind springs to life. You immediately begin to sparkle with ideas and insights that help you to move forward and improve your creative skills.

It is the fear of being wrong, of making a mistake, or of losing money or time. As it happens, it is not the experience of failure that holds you back. You have failed countless times in life and it hasn’t done you any permanent damage.

BEING AFRAID OF REJECTION

NEVER CHANGING OR ADAPTING TO THE SITUATION

he better you become at finding creative ways to solve the unavoidable problems of daily life and work, the more successful you will be. There are two main reasons why creativity is important in achieving success.

THE LINE BETWEEN INSPIRED BY A DESIGN AND COPIED A DESIGN

It is the fear of sounding dumb or looking foolish. This is triggered by the desire to be liked and approved of by others, even people you don’t know or care about. As a result, you decide that, “If you want to get along, you have to go along.”

It is the fear of doing or saying something new or different from what you did before. This homeostatic impulse holds people back from becoming all they are capable of becoming and from achieving success.

NOT THINKING PROACTIVELY

YOU RATIONALIZE AND NEVER IMPROVE

A major cause of passive thinking is routine. Most people get up at the same time each morning, follow the same routine at their jobs, socialize with the same people in the evenings, and watch the same programs.

Being rational means that we continually use our minds to explain the world to ourselves, so we can understand it better and feel more secure. In other words, whatever you decide to do, or not do, you very quickly come up with a good reason. 16

JUSTIN PRESTON

There are a number of things we can do to ensure we avoid copying that which inspires us. It begins with where we draw inspiration. The further away from the finished design you draw inspiration, the less likely the end result will be a copy. Instead of drawing inspiration from the design of a website try drawing inspiration from different industries. Be inspired by the design of a car or a piece of furniture. Take inspiration from the layout of a magazine article or the colors of a painting. Even if you out and out copy something from the car, furniture, magazine, or painting, it’s unlikely your design will be seen as a copy since the source is far enough removed from the finished design. For those times when you are drawing inspired from the design of another site look deeper into what inspires you. Try to understand what specifically is giving you inspiration and why. If you like the color scheme of a site don’t just grab the hex values and use them. Think about what in the scheme you like? Look to the relationships of the colors to one another.. Instead of drawing inspiration from the design of a website try drawing inspiration from different industries. Be inspired by the design of a car or a piece of furniture.

“The key to great ideas is not having them, it is executing them. And great ideas come from problems. As designers we call problems briefs, and we call reactions to concepts.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY IN DESIGN Product Design is the creative result of utility and aesthetic value contained in a product. A Design product does not stop at achieving high values ​​in terms of functionality, ergonomics and ecology, but must also include social and cultural aesthetic values ​​and reflect the level and development of technology. From creating designs, producing products and then delivering them to consumers, it is a cycle carrying use values, economic values, cultural and aesthetic values ​​ according to the mechanism of supply and demand. And that mechanism is a problem that is always raised in society, for any kind of applied art product. And indeed they have become the basis, the driving force for Design to develop and develop continuously. The further away from the finished design you draw inspiration, the less likely the end result will be a copy. If you think about it really well, a creative idea that you might have could not be a new idea at all. We’re bombarded daily with lots of information and inspiration and what we’re really doing when we’re creating something new could be something that has been done before and we unconsciously replicated.

Product Design is the creative result of utility and aesthetic value contained in a product. A Design product does not stop at achieving high values ​​in terms of functionality, ergonomics and ecology, but must also include social and cultural aesthetic values​​ and reflect the level and development of technology. community technology. All these values ​​are closely united and linked in a whole, meeting the needs of social life. From creating designs, producing products and then delivering them to consumers, it is a cycle carrying use values, economic values, cultural and aesthetic values ​​according to the mechanism of supply and demand. And that mechanism is a problem that is always raised in society, for any kind of applied art product. And indeed they have become the basis, the driving force for Design to develop and develop continuously. The further away from the finished design you draw inspiration, the less likely the end result will be a copy. This has been common with artists. They produce a piece of art thinking that they have come up with an original masterpiece. It is later that it is realized it is a copy of a piece they had been exposed to earlier on and forgotten about it. The process of learning and expansion of thought begins by copying.

“Creativity is nothing but the way to solve new problems.”

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B DESIGN PROCESS

Son Tung is extremely famous in the online community through a series of photos of young people wearing Vietnamese-style shorts and hats in the 80s and 90s standing in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The set of photos “LOST - LAC” not only impresses the young generation of Vietnam, but even young people in Japan have “cry in front of” the author because of the metaphorical meaning that the set of pictures conveys. strong to the reality in Japan, according to his share.

ABOUT DESIGN STYLE Having had the opportunity to work with some famous painters such as Nguyen Quoc Dan - who specializes in non-cubic painting - Son Tung’s design style is also influenced a lot. Tung’s portfolio is filled with brand identity designs spanning countries from Bold Bikini - Saigon, Bat - Hanoi, to Yumi Florist - Philippines, Koiako Japan, Insta Salad - South Australia,... Son Tung also actively supports design for non-profit projects such as “Ao Dai Around the world”.

THE PROCESS OF CREATING A CAREER After studying abroad in Japan, Son Tung returned to Vietnam to fulfill his dream of traveling to places of the Fatherland such as Sapa, Hue, Da Lat, Bac Giang,... The movement that was tied up because of the Covid-19 epidemic, carried out by Son Tung during the time when Hoi An had to social distance, showed peaceful images here. Son Tung started working as a designer at the age of 19. The conditional friend had worked with a number of famous painters such as Nguyen Quoc Dan, who specialized in painting in the non-cubic school, so he was also more or less influential. In addition, Tung is also the designer of a number of brands in Saigon, as well as in other countries such as the US, Australia, Japan... While studying and working, in addition to working on client projects, Tung always keeps himself busy in personal projects to satisfy his own needs as well as self-training. It is that passion that is the driving force for Tung to live with himself, a companion to follow to cope with strange things that sometimes make you feel lonely. The following conversation will depict a part of Son Tung - the author of the “LAC” series of photos, representing the young people who are engrossed in living with passion, looking for a way to conquer the design career ladder. 18

Nguyen Son Tung, a 9x boy, is no stranger to young people because of the image of young people wearing Vietnamese shorts and hats in the 80s-90s standing in the heart of Tokyo.

WHAT IN LIFE HAS IMPACTED YOUR ART STYLE? Indeed, people received it positively beyond their expectations. Tung was quite surprised, because some of his friends in Japan cried in front of him because they knew he was doing that set of photos. Because in the picture there are some metaphors that perhaps only some of you who are in Japan with some “slang words” here can understand the most clearly.. I started to feel like and determined to be a brand designer probably after finishing the Advertising course of Mr. Bui Dinh Lam at Arena Multimedia. At that time, I felt like the creative ideas of the brands, and started the process of learning about the brand from there.

It will tell you what needs to be adjusted, why the adjustments are necessary and how an updated version will better serve the needs of the end-user. Gather all user feedback, prototype testing, competitor analysis and market sales to inform and improve upon your product. Use this information to create a more customized solution.

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Tung participates in many different projects, mostly independent. At the same time, he participated in personal projects of big brothers and sisters in the profession of Painting, Photography, Event as a Designer to thicken the portfolio. After a while, many people like their color scheme, so they directly contact to implement brand design projects, or do Graphic Design for interior and fashion companies, or other projects.. At the beginning as well as the first product, Tung did not remember much. But in my opinion, the product that really makes me stand out is probably the “Insta Salad” brand in Australia. Currently, I am still being trusted as the Art Manager of “Insta Salad”. In addition, there is a brand that according to Tung is quite successful today that I have built, which is “Bold Bikini” in Saigon, LAC project and others...

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WHAT IS THE SECRETS THAT HELP YOU ALWAYS ALWAYS STAY INSPIRATION? I learned many things from my predecessors, such as clear experience, dynamic change in creative work. In addition, an extremely important thing is the desire to learn and absorb to constantly improve and develop, which is also part of the reason why I gave up everything to continue carrying my suitcase to school. It can be understandably hard to find inspiration. Honestly, to stand firmly in the design industry is not an easy thing, even I personally now find myself still not really called solid. Tung is the type of person who likes freedom, so currently he is not dependent on any company. But if I consider the income when I receive all the Project, then I can completely live with the expensive costs here.Previously, I majored in design at Arena Multimedia. My intention is to study and study fine arts in Japan. After that, he may look for opportunities for himself, but where to work,

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aving excellently graduated from the Graphic Design Specialist training course at Arena Multimedia, Son Tung embarked on a 5-year journey to study Illustration Art at the College of Art & Design - Japan. Currently, the community knows a lot about Son Tung as a Content Creator, Travel Blogger, and Photographer who has worked on notable projects such as: Hungry, Saigon!, Lac project,..

IMPROVE

“Look at usual thing with unusual eyes.”

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EMPATHISE Empathy is crucial to a human-centered design process such as Design Thinking, and empathy allows design thinkers to set aside their own assumptions about the world in order to gain insight into users and their needs.Mulegerit vivertum anum sentrae vilin Itatra nosta quo perfes facior liam ingulosulut audam perist is. Vateres ciendiis is inum vehenit; nos pro, no. Gules consul ut acenia opublin ceperdici

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Perhaps partly because Tung was influenced by Manga culture from a young age, I have a special affection for Japan. In addition, in my opinion, with the current situation, Vietnamese design is invaded by European and American designs quite a lot. While Japan has always kept the culture of their country in design whether it is classic or contemporary. I also want to do the same thing with my design, of course Vietnamese culture. Exactly the set of photos “LAC” was born out of Tung’s lost feelings during his recent visit to Japan, without relatives, friends and people who could understand what he was doing and the direction he was looking for. . Briefly about “LACE”, this is a non-profit project inspired by the image of a Vietnamese man in the 80s-90s, gentle, simple, and simple, lost in the frivolous things. flower in a foreign land. From there, I hope to bring this silly guy image to every corner of the world.

DESIGN INSPIRATION SEARCH PROCESS

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TEST Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product using the best solutions identified during the prototyping phase. This is the final stage of the 5 stage-model, but in an iterative process, the results generated during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more problems and inform the understanding of the users

IDEATE During the third stage of the Design Thinking process, designers are ready to start generating ideas. You’ve grown to understand your users and their needs in the Empathise stage, and you’ve analysed and synthesised your observations in the Define stage, and ended up with a human-centered problem statement.

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PROTOTYPE

To illustrate, instead of defining the problem as your own wish or a need of the company such as, “We need to increase our food-product market share among young teenage girls by 5%,” a much better way to define the problem would be, “Teenage girls need to eat nutritious food in order to thrive, be healthy and grow.”

The design team will now produce a number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the product or specific features found within the product, so they can investigate the problem solutions generated in the previous stage. Prototypes may be shared and tested within the team itself, in other departments, or on a small group of people outside the design team.

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TRENDY DESIGN

THE POWER OF USING SYMBOLISM IN DESIGN Symbolism (also called semiotics) is a powerful tool in human communication. It is how we convey ideas that are too complex or nebulous for words, and it allows us to do so across language barriers. And graphic design, which is all about communicating through recognizable imagery, regularly depends on symbolism.

WHAT IS SYMBOLISM?

Symbols are so ingrained in our cultural consciousness that we often use them without thinking. Sometimes, they are so old or obscure that it can be easy to forget their meaning. This presents a problem for graphic design: in order to use symbols effectively, designers must understand the ideas behind the icons. Otherwise, they may end up sending unintended messages through their work. In order to make sure that this doesn’t happen and that you are able to tap into the ancient power of symbols, we’re going to provide an overview of the history of common symbols, their meanings, and modern interpretations of symbolism in design. We use thousands of symbols every day. We use them to communicate information and express emotions when we can’t find the words to describe our feelings. Symbols are pictures we use to tell stories, in business and life—and design. In the design world, a symbol is a combination of graphic elements that can be used to represent a brand’s identity, communicating its story and influencing the way it is perceived by consumers.

Symbolism is the use of written marks, shapes, images and/or physical objects that have meaning assigned to them. They are all around us. The letters that make up the words on this page are technically symbols—we collectively agree that these abstract markings represent the sounds of human speech. Symbols are useful because they provide a visual expression of meaning. For example, a red octagon is universally understood to mean “stop” and this can save lives on the road where reading longer words at high speeds is not practical. Often, the intended meaning can be much more complex than a single word, and symbols foster simplicity to speed up comprehension in the viewer. This is why designers use symbolism in design to communicate visually. Graphic designers often both reuse common symbols in their work and design new, original symbols. When it comes to logo design, for example, the goal is to create a unique pictogram that encapsulates what a brand is all about. In order to do so effectively, it is important to understand where many common symbols have come from and how they have historically played a role in visual language.

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With that said, there are an overwhelming number of symbols that have cropped up throughout human history. For the purposes of this article, we will be grouping symbols into three general categories, diving into some particular examples, and discussing the ways in which modern designers have repurposed.

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ANIMAL SYMBOLS AND MEDIEVAL HERALDRY

NATURE SYMBOLS

Owls are one example of animal symbolism, usually representing wisdom. Logo design by artsigma

When you consider the proliferation of scenes of animals in cave paintings, it is clear that the early humans understood their lives through their interactions with nature. This has remained with us even through the advancement of civilization and technology, and almost all symbols have some foundation in reverence for the natural world. Let’s go over a few of the common categories of nature symbolism and how they are implemented.

In graphic design, there are many animal logo design ideas. Crocodiles or alligators are one of the most fascinating at the same time that dangerous animals in the world and they have been used in graphic design to symbolize honor, fear, primal power, courage, and strength and some brands that want to be associated with those attributes are Lacoste and Crocs as they use as the main element of their logo a Crocodile. Or Bear is a big and majestic animal that is usually associated with feelings of courage, leadership, physical strength, and authority, at the same time that depending on the use of this animal in graphic design it also can be perceived with feelings of softness and care. Famous brands using a bear as their mascot logo are World Wide Fund for Nature and Memphis Grizzlies.

Animal symbolism usually associates specific, personified qualities to animals. These qualities have been built up over millennia through mythology and stories: the deceptive serpent in the Book of Genesis, the graceful swan of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the slow and steady tortoise of Aesop’s Fables. As such, many of these qualities are fairly intuitive (though they can vary by culture), for example in Western cultures: Lions symbolize royalty, Doves symbolize peace, Bulls symbolize rage, Owls symbolize wisdom, Dogs symbolize loyalty. Animal symbols were popularized by heraldic charges in the Middle Ages, in which shields and flags would bear coats of arms signifying group affiliation. Although all sorts of iconography (especially religious) were used, the most common heraldic charges included lions, eagles, wolves, bears, stags and even mythological creatures such as griffins or dragons—all of which were backed by decorative floral elements. This tradition has continued into modern flag designs, with many states and countries adopting animals as representative mascots.

Designers today sometimes repurpose medieval heraldry for brands—the competing factions of the modern age. Because coats of arms are archaic symbols in and of themselves, they are useful for brands cultivating a sense of old world tradition, as in the case of family owned businesses or classic services like wine making. Though they favor an illustrative style, designers can also use modern techniques, such as designer Skilline’s monoline approach below, to merge the past and the present. The important thing is that they embody specific and unique personality traits through the use of thoughtful animal symbolism in design. Parts of animals can also be isolated for their symbolic meaning. Wings are often used to represent freedom, antlers can represent authority (being similar to a crown)..

An example of medieval heraldry. Image via wikimedia commons

The laurel is a commonly used floral symbol of victory and achievement. Logo design by anton-p

Floral symbols often infuse plant imagery with growth-related meanings like renewal, serenity and aspiration. Many have their roots in nature worship common in ancient religions—for example, the Knot Tree of Celtic symbology. But just like animal symbols, many plants have historically been associated with specific qualities, such as: The olive branch as a symbol of peace, The 3-leaf clover as a symbol of luck, The rose as a symbol of love, The lily as a symbol of mourning.

In heraldry, plants often Floral elements can provided decorative flair, also act as the focus and similarly, modern of a heraldic charge. designers tend to take Design by DariaR advantage of curling vines and roots as framing elements. But some were relatively commonplace as the main subject of a heraldic charge, such as the rose in England and the fleur-de-lis in France (both of which became symbols of monarchy in their respective countries). It is important to research these medieval associations when designing floral coats of arms.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND ZODIAC SYMBOLS

By Skilline

By Yokaona

Nature symbolism in design typically seeks to portray harmony and balance—in other words, nature as an interdependent ecosystem. This idea is exemplified by the four elemental symbols: earth, water, fire, and air. Together, these elements summon Captain Planet… er, contribute to a sense of well-being and wholeness. Separately, they each possess their own qualities: earth being solid and stable, water cool and calming, air light and moving, and fire dynamic and strong. Designers often portray them through color and/or abstract line art. The elements of nature and their attributes are specified further within zodiac signs. While these signs have their basis in starry constellations, they each represent different animals and coincide with one of the four elements:

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FLORAL SYMBOLS

By Eliza Osmo

JOHNNY LEVANIER

Earth sign: Taurus, Virgil, Capricorn Water sign: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces Air sign: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius Fire sign: Aries, Leo, Sagitarius

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One of the more famous Lotus imagery is floral symbols of the common in brands new age has been the dealing with health Lotus flower. In Hindu and wellness. Logo and Buddhist tradition, design by vraione it is symbolic of divine purity, with gods depicted sitting or standing on one. It is also often depicted splayed flat with symmetrical open petals symbolic of the different chakras, energy that sustains human life. These associations have led to it becoming popular with art and design associated with health and wellness.

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SHOULD I FOLLOW DESIGN TREND? Have a look at Zack Ritchie's work, an illustrator who built his own trend through illustrations. At first glance you know it's something Zack designed, and this is because he built his own recognisable style.

I’ve gotten many questions about design trends lately. Not only from readers, but also from other blogs or magazines asking me what I believe the design trends for 2018 will be.

And to get straight to my point: I don’t believe in design trends and I rarely speak about them. The problem with design trends are exactly what they are, they’re just trends. And riding any trend just means that whatever you do most likely will fade away as fast as the trend appeared. Trends of course exist for a reason and knowing how to navigate them can either be beneficial or a disadvantage. One reason to follow a design trend may be because you’re trying to fit in. It’s the primary reason clients often ask for something “trendy.” They want something safe, something that looks familiar and something that won’t provoke or bother anyone. And if that’s the goal, well then follow the trend and do something that looks generic and like everybody else. In some cases it may be positive to appear “trendy” and help make a new, upcoming business look more legit to its current time. Does that mean we also created something timeless? Probably not. But timeless isn’t always a requirement anyway. On the downside, following a design trend is boring (at least for me) because you're just following the majority. There isn’t much creative thinking involved. Doing something trendy is easy and most likely not very challenging or rewarding. On top of it, whatever you design based on a trend will look and feel outdated pretty quickly. It may look fancy and trendy today, but tomorrow the company or client needs to redesign everything again. Following a trend is basically a quick fix. Consider fashion trends. I can wear clothing thats trendy right now, and it probably makes me look cool and hip. But the moment the trend has faded I need to jump onto the next trend to keep my reputation as being trendy and cool. The longer I do this, the more I depend on trends for my identity. I completely lose my own style and voice, assuming I had one in the first place.

The only way to prevent this is by coming up with your own style and finding your voice. And that’s a pretty challenging task. Of course, the greatest possibility is that you start a trend yourself, which can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.

The best part about design trends is that you can easily spot them. You can learn about them, then you can break and remix them in your own work. If you see what everyone else is doing, you can easily take that and put it on its head. You can be brave and go in the opposite direction, or you can combine things the way YOU want to design it. And honestly, it’s hard to do this because you’re basically going against the grain. It’s risky to do something unexpected or unique that goes out of line. If you’re working on your own projects this may be easier than working for a client who demands something trendy. But the best work, the work that excites you, the work that lasts for many years, is the work created without looking at what’s trendy, but looking at what’s unique and timeless in its own way. It requires trust to design something like it, but it is possible.

“There is a lot of noise out there. I dont’t want to follow the trend - I want to create the trend.”

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TOBIAS VAN SCHNEIDER

MY ADVICE TO DESIGNERS IS USUALLY FAIRLY SIMPLE: See what’s trending and dare to do the opposite. Don’t follow trends blindly just because design magazines write about them. Most importantly: Don’t care too much about trends and just do what you think is the best solution and style for the project. P.S. The only case where following a design trend makes a little more sense is if that trend is related to some best use case that is benefiting everyone, but not related to an aesthetic or style. For example, anything related to usability or sustainability. But I don’t consider these trends, but more of a necessity. Another example may be if you’re forced to follow a trend because you’re dependent on a platform that dictates certain aesthetics and styles. For example when designing for the iOS/Apple platform. There’s always a subtle pressure to do things a certain way, otherwise you risk the success of Relying too much on your product. But even trends can sometimes here, you can still break lead to dead ends in through without follow it your design.

When looking at design trends we can take what we need, but disregard the rest. Often when working with clients the best way through is to find a compromise between making something unique and bold but also familiar and safe. The magic comes in when you manage to strike the right balance. If you’re really good at what you do (combined with a bit of luck) you can create something unique, new and even timeless.

TRENDS OFTEN DO LITTLE TO PUSH DESIGN FORWARD OR IMPROVE USER EXPERIENCE Across all disciplines of design, from fashion to architecture, trends largely define the styles and directions of an industry at a particular time. Trends are often determined to be a reaction to a previous style. Whether that’s swaying from maximalism to minimalism, or colorful to monochrome, trends by their very nature focus on short termism rather than the larger picture. They also tend to be cyclical, meaning across design industries, a trend is likely to come back around at some point, in some form. In design industries, there is limited scope for constant progression: Architecture is limited by regulation and the development of new materials; Web design is limited by web technologies and the medium by which it is consumed. Over time these develop, presenting opportunities for new design directions and approaches. However, in the medium term, industries such as web design have remained very much the same for the end user. While we can now view websites on our phones and use modern technologies to produce more complex designs, much of the styles we use now could have been achieved decades ago. In design industries, there is limited scope for constant progression: Architecture is limited by regulation and the development of new materials; Web design is limited by web technologies and the medium by which it is consumed. Over time these develop, presenting opportunities for new design directions and approaches.

However, in the medium term, industries such as web design have remained very much the same for the end user. While we can now view websites on our phones and use modern technologies to produce more complex designs, much of the styles we use now could have been achieved decades ago. The question therefore presents itself as to why trends exist. It’s not to push an industry forward, nor is it to improve the final output for users, whether it be in fashion or web design. Why trends exist is to maintain visual interest, not just for consumers and clients, but for the designers themselves too. If we take web design as a case study for trends, we can see that we have essentially stripped websites.

FOLLOWING VS. LEADING Good design has existed throughout time, but it still undergoes major changes and shifts from time to time. Changes in technology, the shift to

“The question therefore presents itself as to why trends exist”

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mobile and other factors influence how design works and is implemented. Good design has adapted to the current state of technology and will continue to over time. If all designers had followed existing trends, we wouldn’t have experienced the same leaps and advances in design that we have. It’s thanks to the designers who thought outside the box and created new technologies and practices that design has made the progress it has. However, taking the lead isn’t the right choice for everyone. Following good design practice and trends is just as important in supplying great design for an audience.

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IMPORTANT JOB SKILLS FOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS WHAT ARE GRAPHIC DESIGN SKILLS?

Graphic design, sometimes known as communication design, involves working with and producing images and text. There are a variety of jobs that require graphic design skills.

HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR GRAPHIC DESIGN SKILLS Add Your Most Relevant Skills to Your Resume: The closer a match your credentials are to what the employer is looking for, the better your chances of getting hired. For a graphic designer, highlighting relevant soft skills (such as creativity) with hard skills (specific graphic design software skills) is vital. Graphic designers often develop their resumes creatively through the use of graphics software. By all means, use beautiful fonts and graphics to show off your skills, but make sure that key resume information is clear. A graphic design job application can be an ideal time to submit a nontraditional resume. However, only do this if you think the employer will appreciate it. If the employer asks for a traditional resume, or you know the company has a conservative culture, you might want to send a more straightforward resume. You can then exhibit your skills in a portfolio. Highlight Your Skills in Your Cover Letter: In the body of your letter, you can mention one or two of these skills, and give specific examples of times when you demonstrated those skills at work. Bear in mind that many employers will want you to submit (either with or in place of a cover letter) a portfolio of some of your graphic design work. Use Skill Words During Job Interviews: Employers are often concerned about whether artists and creative can be disciplined and clear when communicating project goals and keeping to a budget. Those that possess great creative ability can sometimes give the impression that they are not grounded in practicality. That’s why it’s important that you demonstrate to potential employers your ability to relate to schedules, deadlines.

DESIGN SKILLS

Highlight Your Skills in Your Cover Letter: In the body of your letter, you can mention one or two of these skills, and give specific examples of times when you demonstrated those skills at work. Bear in mind that many employers will want you to submit (either with or in place of a cover letter) a portfolio of some of your graphic design work. Use Skill Words During Job Interviews: Employers are often concerned about whether artists and creative can be disciplined and clear when communicating project goals and keeping to a budget. Those that possess great creative ability can sometimes give the impression that they are not grounded in practicality. That’s why it’s important that you demonstrate to potential employers your ability to relate to schedules, deadlines.

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Many employees with graphic design skills work in communications and marketing roles. Technically, graphic design is visual communication. Graphic design incorporates creative and functional understanding of seven elements into its own form of communication: space, texture, color, line, size, form, and shape.1 While many in graphic design do complete a college degree, it may not be required. You will, however, need to demonstrate your graphic design skills beyond what is listed in your resume. These range from jobs in advertising to animation, and printmaking to production design. When applying for jobs in any of these fields, you will want to demonstrate your graphic design expertise in your job applications.

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WHAT KIND OF SKILLS DO YOU NEED TO WORK IN GRAPHIC DESIGN?

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GRAPHIC DESIGNER SKILLS There are many ways you can enhance your graphic design skills and abilities. Follow these steps to improve your graphic designer skills:

Communicating with beautiful art in today’s world often involves computer software experience, as well as the creative soft skills required of any artist. Here are some of the top skills employers look for when hiring graphic designers.

CREATIVITY Graphic designers need to be creative thinkers. They have to creatively convey ideas through text and images. They have to generate solutions for their clients through creative means. For example, they might have to promote a company’s mission through a design that helps sell a product. All of this involves creativity, as well as creative problem solving skills.

Aesthetics Attention to Detail Balancing Artistry Perceptivity Visually Representing Ideas Sketching Brainstorming

COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGY

Graphic designers communicate ideas through text and images. Therefore, communication skills are critical to the job. However, communication is important in graphic design in other ways too. Graphic designers have to articulate ideas to companies, clients, and employers. Graphic design requires strong public speaking skills for presentations and writing skills for proposals. Designers also have to be able to communicate with clients and employers by phone, email, and video. Graphic designers must listen to their clients’ needs and convey solutions.

Graphic designers have to master various forms of technology in today’s world. Firstly, they need to be comfortable with design software, such as Quark, InDesign, and Adobe. This software is used by many companies to produce digital prints.

TIME MANAGEMENT Most graphic designers are constantly juggling multiple projects at once. Because this is so common in the job, they have to have strong time management skills. Designers should be able to multitask, juggle multiple assignments over long periods, and meet all established deadlines.

Confidence Consultation Customer Service Establishing Rapport Interpreting Artwork Interpersonal Skills Active Listening

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If the graphic design tasks pertain to website development, you also need to know about web design. They should be fluent in multiple programming languages (including HTML and CSS) as well as web design content management system platforms, such as WordPress.

Take software design courses It’s essential for graphic designers to know how to use basic software design tools. You can enroll in courses online or in-person. Some software programs allow you to watch instructional videos to understand how they work. If you’d like to learn how to use advanced features for certain platforms, consider watching videos or attending seminars to strengthen your knowledge and skill set. Having extensive knowledge of various software tools and features can make you stand out to employers.

Pursue side gigs A great way to improve your skills and earn supplemental cash is through part-time jobs. Many businesses search online for graphic designers to complete short-term projects for their website or marketing materials. By pursuing smaller freelance gigs online, you can practice your skills and experiment with new design tools you’ve recently learned. You may be able to apply the skills gained from your freelance jobs toward the responsibilities of your fulltime role.

Earn additional certifications A great way to enhance your design skills is to earn relevant certifications that stand out on a resume. There are a wide variety of certifications available to graphic designers that focus on different subjects, like logo designs, color combinations, layouts and compositions. Certifications are a great way to showcase your advanced knowledge and expertise in a certain graphic design specialty. You can research available certifications and their courses online.

Learn additional coding languages You can impress employers with your advanced knowledge of various coding languages. Sign up for online courses or take in-person classes to gain hands-on training in complex coding. Learning new languages or enhancing your existing coding skills allows you to complete more advanced web design tasks for clients, which can lead to raises or promotions in your current role. It can also look impressive to hiring managers reviewing your resume.

“No masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist.”

GRAPHIC DESIGNER SKILLS IN THE WORKPLACE You can apply your graphic designer skills toward crafting unique and engaging designs for your clients and their audiences. Here are tips to help you effectively use your graphic designer skills in the workplace: Craft compelling and unique designs according to clients' needs. You must use your listening and communication abilities to understand what goals clients want to achieve with their marketing materials. The designs you create reflect the clients' overall ideas, meet their expectations and grab the attention of their audience.

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Use different mediums to tell an engaging story. Use your branding and typography knowledge to craft designs for different mediums and outlets, like social media, online advertisements and websites. You should know which layouts and sizes each medium requires to build fitting designs that convey the story of the client’s brand. Pitch design ideas to clients. Regularly meet with clients in-person to pitch your ideas for upcoming designs based on their brand guidelines, preferences and objectives. Use your presentation and communication skills to clearly convey your ideas and plans for success. Be open to any notes, suggestions or feedback you may receive from clients. Meet tight deadlines for many different projects. Clients may assign a wide variety of design tasks each day from print advertisements to web pages. You must be able to shift your focus between different work items each day, while ensuring you’re staying on task with completing them by their deadlines.

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9 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DESIGN Have you ever had the perfect experience, start to finish, during a design project? Probably not, but certainly you’ve had projects that felt right and others that went nowhere — like that 125th revision to a business card design. Here is a list of 15 things you might find helpful when coping with a complex project-based business, such as design.

1. LOOK OUTSIDE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR INSPIRATION. Using the likes of , and is fine and dandy if it's just for 'reference'. But if you start reproducing other people's ideas verbatim you won't ever have any original ones of your own. Dribbble in particular to spend too much time, although I have been known occasionally. Of course, foraging off the beaten track takes much more time and effort than heading for your nose bag — but trust me, in the long run it will set your work apart from the competition. Sometimes when I'm freelancing I'll see studios plundering graphic elements from existing websites and then combining them together to form a new Frankenstein "style". A bit like how movies are pitched: "You know, it's like The Goonies meets Terminator". What would that even look like? I don't want to know.

Limit yourself to using a maximum of 2 typefaces at a time. Maybe 3 if it's your birthday. Limit the number of type sizes that you use. If you're using more than you can count on one hand then you probably have too many. Limit your colour palette. Be respectful of the established conventions of web design: use colour (consistently) to indicate which elements on a page are clickable, think twice before using a lot of red (which usually indicates errors or danger).

2. SKETCH ON PAPER FIRST. I know it's tempting to dive straight into Photoshop (and I sometimes do myself) but try to resist the illusion of safety that it affords. Draw small layout thumbnails so that you can't add too much detail initially. Or use a big fat marker pen to place a similar restriction on yourself if you want to sketch at a larger scale. I try to draw at least 3 possible layouts for any given page. And then force myself to do another 3 if I can. You’ll know when you’ve done enough drawing because your brain will start to hurt a wee bit.

4. LEAVE IT OVERNIGHT.

3. ITERATE, ITERATE In the past I've worked up over 20 variations on a single page before nailing the design. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but I do know that my first few attempts at anything are usually bound straight for the scrap heat. Thomas Edison had the right idea:”I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work”.

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6. LIMIT YOUR OPTIONS.

Most things in life make more sense the next day. If you're lucky you might even have a flash of inspiration in the meantime, when you're on your evening run or in the shower or doing whatever else it is that you do when you're a not at your computer pushing pixels around. When you come back to your design the next day, the best and/or the worst things about it will jump out at you. You'll probably hear yourself thinking "oh man did I really make that?" or "Hot damn, that looks the shizzle". Hopefully it's the latter but if you don't allow yourself some breathing space you won't know either way.

5. SQUINT Seriously, screw up your eyes and peer through them at your design. Or print it out and look at it from the far side of the room. Either of these techniques will give you an overview of what's happening in your design. You should then find it much easier to notice any details which aren't consistent, or if your composition is lacking in contrasts of scale or tone.

7. BE AWARE OF, BUT NOT A SLAVE TO, CURRENT TRENDS.

8. TEACH YOURSELF THE BASICS OF GOOD COPYWRITING

The more elements of whatever is currently in vogue that you use, the quicker your design will date. This is fine of course if you are creating something very much of the moment, for a client in fashion perhaps or . But generally speaking, you want your design to last as long as possible.

If 95% web design is typography, then clearly yes, typography is important. Your job as a graphic designer is to create a visual language. But that shouldn't stop you from paying attention to the meaning of the words in your design as well as how they look. Especially given that on many jobs, you are the copywriter as well as the designer. Spend some quality time on copywriting sites like Copyhackrs and you'll soon pick up some new and improved ways with words, that will make your designs more effective. (By more effective, I mean that they will be more persuasive... more likely to get your users to do the things that you want them to). There's a nice side effect here: the clarity of your writing has a symbiotic relationship with the clarity of your thought. Being a better writer makes you a better communicator, and ultimately a better designer. Whatever you do, don't be dismissive about your capability for improving your writing. A little extra work in this department is well worth it, even if it does feel like you are back at school.

By Hurca illustrations

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Limiting design choices helps you have a more specific view and control everything

9. USE AND DON'T USE A GRID I guess what I’m saying is that you don’t need necessarily need to get your knickers in a twist about grids just yet. Non-conforming designers like David Carson have built entire careers around not using them. And like all rules, it is there to be broken. The thing is that using a grid doesn’t automatically improve a design. So I’m not going to attempt to summarise my approach to grids here... it’s something which deserves a dedicated article of its own. In the meantime you could check out Mark Boulton’s “Five simple steps to designing grid systems” for a great primer on the topic.

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