A career as a graphic designer can be lucrative and exciting. Of course, the way to make it as such is to be as skilled as you can possibly be.
With so many online learning courses and tutorials to learn from, you won’t have any issues becoming better tomorrow than you are today. Before you get to improve your skill set as a graphic designer though, you’ll need to figure out what you’re doing wrong first.
1. Not Having The Right Gear
There’s only so much you can do with limited equipment as a graphic designer. What most people don’t tell you is that you’ll need a lot of things to become a good graphic designer. Here’s an overview of what you need.
- Desktop/Laptop – this is going to be your main workstation as a designer. Laptops are built for portability but if you want something more powerful, go for a desktop. Preferably, graphic designers use a Mac as it’s easier to handle. When buying a computer to work with, you need one with great specs on GPU, CPU, RAM, and storage space.
- Keyboard/Mouse – the better the keyboard and mouse you have, the better control you have when it comes to graphic design. Equipment built for gaming are great for designers as these are more durable and they come with extra features that can benefit you as well.
- Monitor – if you’re going for a desktop, you’ll need a good monitor to go along with it. Size doesn’t matter much but you should at least go for a 15’ inch monitor and above. As for specs, the monitor should cover 99% of the Adobe RGB area so that you get accurate colors. A monitor with high resolution is a must too.
- Drawing Tablet – a good alternative to a mouse is a drawing tablet. This can simulate the feeling of drawing on paper but this time it’s digital.
If you’re working as a graphics designer for a firm, you’re going to be given your own set of equipment for the job. However, if you’re working as a freelancer or if you want to start a business of your own, make sure that you’re well-equipped.
2. Forgetting To Update Your Clients
You’re free to create a wide variety of designs as a graphic designer but ultimately, your final product will depend on what your client wants to see.
If you want to avoid wasting your and your client’s time, don’t forget to update them on your progress regularly. Even if it’s something as small as changing a few colors or fonts, they need to be made aware of it.
Constant communication with your clients is key to ensure that you are creating a design that fits their standards best.
3. Not Adjusting Image Sizes
The images you create can be used for a lot of online platforms. If you want to make them look and perform better, they need to be in the right size. This is important especially if you’re making a graphic design for social media.
Here’s a quick overview on image sizes for the top social media platforms:
- Facebook post: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Facebook cover photo: 830 x 312 pixels
- Facebook event cover photo: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Facebook profile photo: 170 x 170 pixels
- Instagram profile photo: 110 x 110 pixels
- Instagram post: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Twitter profile picture: 400 x 400 pixels
- Twitter header photo: 1500 x 500 pixels
- Twitter Card image: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Twitter post photo: 1200 x 675 pixels
4. Using Too Many Fonts
Ask any graphic designer out there and they’ll tell you that one of the most challenging aspects of the art is to find the perfect font.
When picking a font, make sure that it coincides with the message that your client wants to convey. It should also be in line with how they present themselves. That said, a big mistake that new graphic designers make when creating a copy is putting in a lot of fonts. It’s never a good idea to have more than one or two fonts on what you’re creating.
5. Avoiding Online Courses
Graphic design in general is very dynamic. If you want to keep up with the industry, you need to brush up on your skills every once in a while.
There are a lot of online courses about graphic design that you can get into. Udemy has a great selection of courses in the field that tackles various topics. It’s a great investment towards your career as a graphics designer so don’t skip out on these lessons.
Becoming a graphic designer can be challenging. By avoiding these mistakes, however, you’ll become better slowly. Once you sort out these common mistakes, you can then focus on improving your skills as a professional.