- Joined
- Nov 30, 2023
- Messages
- 988
We all have to start somewhere right?
1.) Keep is simple stupid (KISS)
I feel like most artists try to outdo themselves when they're just starting out. Just keep it simple and as you progress down the line of improving, try to expand your abilities and provide yourself a stepping stone to improving.
2.) Setting a goal
Set a goal in mind whenever you're creating a graphic or designing something. Imagine in your head what you're trying to achieve and try to make that happen. I tend to get lost in the "sauce" when designing sometimes and try to slap a bunch of things together when I should be looking at the end picture here.
3.) Consistency
A lot of newer designers will try to pump out multiple things in an attempt to get better but this isn't always optimal. Try learning new things and applying that knowledge to the same design to better it. Try to develop a style that suits you and your skillset and perfect that.
4.) Talk to other designers
The best way to improve as a designer yourself, is interacting with other designers on a consistent basis. Take comments and critiques in stride and use those comments to improve yourself as an artist. Get yourself out there and you'll meet some fantastic people that can help you develop as a premier graphic designer.
5.) Experiment
Once you've started to master a style or you feel a change is needed, experiment with other styles. Try something that you aren't comfortable with, who knows, you may be better at something than you think. There's one thing that I can say from experience, fail fast. Trying out other styles helps you decide what you're good at and what needs to be worked on. When experimenting, you may develop a new look that you can apply to an old design to make it even better.
6.) Get the most from feedback
You have to learn to take critiques and comments in stride. This was previously said in the "Talk to other designers" section, but it's extremely important and needs to be emphasized. How you deal with feedback is probably one of the most important aspects of being a graphic designer. You're going to receive feedback from clients that may not be happy with your work, but at the end of the day, it'll help you improve as an artist. One of the keys to getting useful feedback is to ask specific questions. "How is the text placement and how can I improve?". Asking simple questions such as "How does this look?", will typically get a similar response such as, "This looks great!". If you're really looking to improve as an artist, it's really important to understand feedback and to ask the right questions to help yourself improve.
7.) Tutorials
One of the things that helped myself develop my own skills were tutorials. There are plenty of tutorials on the internet nowadays that are important to each style. I've developed my own style by watching tutorials or reading them and it's extremely important to try these out to develop your abilities as an artist. Some important ones that I can think of off the top of my head would be text placement tutorials, brush tutorials, and blending tutorials to name a few.
8.) Inspiration
I've used other peoples work as inspiration to a piece that I've made in the past. Is there a design that truly inspires you and you love the way it looks? Is there a certain style that you love and want to replicate in your own way? Look to that for inspiration when designing your own things. Check out numerous artists on behance or dA to inspire new works from yourself, but don't completely copy their design.
These are just a few of the tips that I can list off the top of my head, if there are any others that people would suggest, feel free to list them below and I can edit the original post.
1.) Keep is simple stupid (KISS)
I feel like most artists try to outdo themselves when they're just starting out. Just keep it simple and as you progress down the line of improving, try to expand your abilities and provide yourself a stepping stone to improving.
2.) Setting a goal
Set a goal in mind whenever you're creating a graphic or designing something. Imagine in your head what you're trying to achieve and try to make that happen. I tend to get lost in the "sauce" when designing sometimes and try to slap a bunch of things together when I should be looking at the end picture here.
3.) Consistency
A lot of newer designers will try to pump out multiple things in an attempt to get better but this isn't always optimal. Try learning new things and applying that knowledge to the same design to better it. Try to develop a style that suits you and your skillset and perfect that.
4.) Talk to other designers
The best way to improve as a designer yourself, is interacting with other designers on a consistent basis. Take comments and critiques in stride and use those comments to improve yourself as an artist. Get yourself out there and you'll meet some fantastic people that can help you develop as a premier graphic designer.
5.) Experiment
Once you've started to master a style or you feel a change is needed, experiment with other styles. Try something that you aren't comfortable with, who knows, you may be better at something than you think. There's one thing that I can say from experience, fail fast. Trying out other styles helps you decide what you're good at and what needs to be worked on. When experimenting, you may develop a new look that you can apply to an old design to make it even better.
6.) Get the most from feedback
You have to learn to take critiques and comments in stride. This was previously said in the "Talk to other designers" section, but it's extremely important and needs to be emphasized. How you deal with feedback is probably one of the most important aspects of being a graphic designer. You're going to receive feedback from clients that may not be happy with your work, but at the end of the day, it'll help you improve as an artist. One of the keys to getting useful feedback is to ask specific questions. "How is the text placement and how can I improve?". Asking simple questions such as "How does this look?", will typically get a similar response such as, "This looks great!". If you're really looking to improve as an artist, it's really important to understand feedback and to ask the right questions to help yourself improve.
7.) Tutorials
One of the things that helped myself develop my own skills were tutorials. There are plenty of tutorials on the internet nowadays that are important to each style. I've developed my own style by watching tutorials or reading them and it's extremely important to try these out to develop your abilities as an artist. Some important ones that I can think of off the top of my head would be text placement tutorials, brush tutorials, and blending tutorials to name a few.
8.) Inspiration
I've used other peoples work as inspiration to a piece that I've made in the past. Is there a design that truly inspires you and you love the way it looks? Is there a certain style that you love and want to replicate in your own way? Look to that for inspiration when designing your own things. Check out numerous artists on behance or dA to inspire new works from yourself, but don't completely copy their design.
These are just a few of the tips that I can list off the top of my head, if there are any others that people would suggest, feel free to list them below and I can edit the original post.
