What it takes to be a Graphic Designer

So you think you can design?  That’s cute.  

Designing a business card for “Oom Faan se Fabriek” or a logo for the local Pub & Grub does not a designer make.

Sure, being a Graphic Designer is no big deal but…being a GOOD one is a horse of a different colour.

Graphic Design is both a science and an art - it requires the constant updating and upgrading of your current knowledge of the ever changing and expanding world of design arts.

“You always have to stay on top of the releases of new programs, the latest upgrades of existing ones and more importantly in my opinion, new techniques if you want to stand a chance at being on the forefront of design”, Juan Arenz - Graphic Designer for The Computer Guyz, Cape Town & Johannesburg.

That being said, before you can start expanding your knowledge, you have to understand the basic principles of design.  This is important because, you can’t always give your imagination free-reign on a design and assume that the client will instantly go warm and fuzzy and fall head-over-heels in love with the end product, purely based on the hard work you put into it or the pretty colours.  According to Juan, in most cases you will likely have to motivate your actions and this is where foundation of design comes into play. 

Sure, the end result of knowing what you’re doing will ultimately produce a decent piece of work but, on many occasions you would have to convince the “would be” client on the aspects of the design as well on the design itself. 

You could create the most breath-taking piece of work that everyone raves about, only to find that it does not quite fall in the client’s taste.  That experience alone forces you to re-evaluate and build on your skillset.

Juan shared some of his insights on what it takes to be a first-class designer:

• You must be able to handle criticism…lots of it.
• You need to develop your own style and experiment with different styles in order to grow.  Sticking to a single style or genre (e.g.: alternative, niche, kitchy etc.) will only lead to stagnation and limit your reach and influence.
• Be able to stick to deadlines!
• You need to be able to figure out a client’s needs when they are not sure what they want.
• You need to get with the times, know what’s trending and why - you need to learn how to adapt to these current trends without losing your individuality.

After all, design is and always will be very personal – you put a little bit of yourself in every design – it’s your soul in visual form.

Graphic Design Cape Town

Written by: Christine Kleyn  
Copywriter at The Computer Guyz.