10 Essential Tips For Graphic Designers to Kickstart Your Creative Career

Starting a career in graphic design might seem like a challenge, especially if you have no idea where to begin. Aspiring designers often struggle with building a solid foundation in design principles, generating original ideas, and crafting an impressive portfolio. However, it gets much easier once you break the process down into simple steps.

This article explains how to create HD visuals and make an engaging graphic design portfolio. Keep reading to discover helpful tips!

Design basics

In the digital design industry, which includes graphic design, web design, UI/UX design, motion design, and mobile app design, graphic design is a prevalent direction. It is about creating visual stories that convey ideas, evoke emotions, and contribute to a brand’s identity. To achieve this, digital creators utilize their knowledge of colors, composition, text, shapes, and graphic editing software. The best examples of this design direction are posters, pictures, and branding materials such as logos.

Beyond aesthetics, graphic design captivates audiences, influences perceptions, and holds the potential for an exciting career. This creative profession is in high demand, offers continuous learning and growth, and allows you to generate income by working in different settings, from big companies to freelancing from home.

How to make good graphics

While it generally requires time and practice to build strong design skills, the following graphic design tips can help you quickly improve the quality of your work.

#1 Understand the fundamentals

Begin by grasping the five foundational design elements: color theory, typography, composition, white space, balance, and visual hierarchy.

• Color theory. It allows you to understand how colors work together and which emotions they evoke. For example, a concrete-like color in a design often evokes feelings of neutrality, stability, and modernity. In contrast, black is associated with sophistication, elegance, and formality.
• Typography. It affects the readability and mood of your project. Make sure to choose fonts that match the message and style of your design. For example, opting for a playful and whimsical font can add a lighthearted touch to children’s book covers, while selecting a clean and modern typeface can enhance the professionalism of a corporate presentation.
• Composition. It allows you to arrange elements harmoniously for visual impact. For example, placing the main subject off-center using the rule of thirds can create a more dynamic and engaging layout in a picture.
• White space (a.k.a. negative space). It enhances the clarity and focus of your design by providing empty room around elements. For example, a minimalist poster with generous white space can draw attention to a single, impactful image or message, making the overall design more compelling and easily digestible.
• Balance. It ensures that your design feels stable, with objects working together to create a strong visual. For example, arranging a larger graphic element on one side of a layout and balancing it with smaller elements on the other can create a sense of equilibrium and prevent the design from feeling lopsided.
• Visual hierarchy. It allows you to arrange visual elements to guide the eye to important details first. For example, a magazine page with a bold headline, subheadings, body text, and small quotes perfectly embodies visual hierarchy.

#2 Design with purpose and audience in mind

Your design should resonate with the target audience. What are their preferences? What do they anticipate from your design? For instance, when creating a package for a budget-friendly product, make the design appealing and simple, and avoid using colors or elements typically associated with luxury (e.g., a black and gold color combination).

#3 Keep it simple

For beginner creators, there’s a temptation to go overboard and create designs that look too cluttered. Opt for straightforward solutions and rely on your understanding of design basics, rather than overwhelming your visuals with excessive effects.

Remember that the primary goal of a design is to deliver a specific message, not to showcase an array of fonts or colors. Simple designs are often more impactful and user-friendly.

#4 Maintain consistency

Your design must include consistent color schemes, typography, and graphic elements. While this generally applies to branding and consistency in visuals, you can also try using this approach in your general work process.

For example, maintaining a cohesive design style across different project materials can establish a strong and recognizable visual identity, making the content interconnection instantly identifiable and fostering a sense of professionalism and reliability.

#5 Seek feedback and learn from others

Show your design to friend professionals, mentors, or online communities. They can offer suggestions to make your design better. Also, look at the works of other talented designers you admire.

If you are designing for a specific target audience, think about whether or not some your friends or family members belong to this audience. If so, ask them questions about a design to see if you perceive it similarly.

How to create a graphic design portfolio that grabs attention

Building a solid digital graphic design portfolio is your next step. To find inspiration and gather some ideas, you can check portfolio example of renowned designers like Chris Labrooy or Hattie Stewart. Look at their works, analyze their presentation, and try to apply the preferred approaches to your own portfolio.

Here are five tips for creating an eye-catching graphic design portfolio.

#1 Create an online portfolio

Having an online portfolio helps you show off your best artwork to potential clients. It’s your digital gallery where people can see your creative capabilities.
There are several ways to set up an online portfolio: create your own website or register an account on Behance or Dribble. Keep in mind that to create a Dribbble account, you’ll need an invitation from an already registered creator.

#2 Show your best work

Beginner designers might think that having an extensive and diverse portfolio will attract more clients. However, including too many different works in it can make your portfolio look cluttered and confusing.

It’s better to settle for 4–6 projects—choose those that resonate with you most and align with the style you want to work in. For example, if poster design appeals to you, enrich your portfolio with an array of posters; or if you’re interested in working on brand identity, channel your focus there. Specializing in a particular niche within your portfolio allows you to showcase your expertise and proficiency.

#3 Make your portfolio easy to navigate

Whether you have a website, a Behance account, or a graphic design portfolio template, ensure it is well-organized. Viewers should be able to quickly understand the type of project you’re presenting and what it is about.

Naming your projects can help with that too. For instance, “Set of posters for a charity event” sounds more apparent than “Charity event X”. Check your texts for typos, credit your references, and include only recent projects.

#4 Describe your projects

Explain each design briefly; it’s like telling a mini-story about how and why you made it. Explain the idea, add some sketches and mood boards, and list the color palette and fonts used. This helps visitors understand how you develop your ideas and how well-thought your work process is.

#5 Share your portfolio

No matter how good your portfolio is, only a few people will see it unless you help your audience discover it. To do that, invest some time and effort into building your social media presence.

Make sure to add a link to your portfolio on your social media accounts and potentially your business card if you have one. Try to interact with other designers on social media, so their followers can also check out your works.

To sum up

To start a career in graphic design, you have to master the design fundamentals, practice creating visuals for different target audiences, seek feedback from others and learn from it. Another essential part of this career journey is building a portfolio that showcases your best projects and helps potential clients understand how you think and work. The tips in this article can help you quickly figure out the process and find clients for your design services.

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