How do I become a graphic designer?

Hi, I'm a producer and while I am not a graphic designer by title myself I work and supervise designers on a daily basis. The best way to become a graphic designer would be to obtain a degree in graphic design. Most Colleges and Universities offer various types of degrees. I would recommend you apply for various internships so you can have hands on experience. You can also try and build your own portfolio by making your own projects for example a personal webpage, flyers, invitations for events etc. You can always start by doing work for family members or close friends. This will help you gain a lot of knowledge about software. It really all depends what type of graphic designer you wish to be. There's design for say print and there's design for television - that deals with motion. If you are unsure about your interest, I would start off with one class perhaps entry level photoshop or illustrator so you can figure out if you are passionate about it.

While I am not a graphical designer, I have worked directly with artists in technical professions, like technical illustrators and graphic artists. I wrote the words, they drew the pictures. Here are my thoughts.

Practice, practice, practice. You need to be fast at getting the creation completed. Some speed will come from learning to do things in simpler ways.

Master the basic principles of graphic design. I took an introductory course in graphics for instructional designers, so I know there are basic principles. Repetition, and stuff like that. In that same class, I learned there are rules for how to portray things in good taste and with cultural sensitivity. Practice your creations using those rules. And everywhere I worked, there was a style guide. I'm sure there are many style guides out there to learn from, and then if you work independently, you can create your own.

A very important element is to develop the ability to understand what you are being asked to accomplish. What does the client want to communicate? What does the client want to not be communicated?

Closely tied to this is learning how to deal with people who do not know how to communicate very well. This includes both the communication of the idea they are trying to express and communication with you as the artist. You need to learn to stay cool, and stay focused on the task. Do not get bothered by their criticism of you as an artist, of you as a person, or their complaining about the job they have to do.

I suggest you develop a workflow that includes the following ideas. Understand the assignment. Provide a good number of draft alternatives for the client to choose from to refine. And check your work before passing it on to the next stage.

Master many different kinds of tools (Photoshop, Snagit, etc.).

Learn how to find stock images quickly. Become familiar with many different kinds of stock images.

Also learn how to fix problems with stock images that will make them usable for your purposes. I worked with one person who had an image of what we wanted, but something was blocking the shoulder of the person in the image. The artist cut out the thing blocking and drew a new shoulder in a way that was not distinguishable from a real shoulder. Then she changed the colors slightly to "cool it down" or "warm it up". I don't remember.

I'm sure there are many other important aspects of being a graphics designer, like dealing with copyright laws and stuff.

I'm pretty sure there are schools that teach classes that will help you learn those things. You could also look online to get instructions in individual concepts. But you need to practice, practice, practice!