Did you know there are over 290,100 graphic designer jobs in the United States? There was job growth of 8,000 in 2018.
The graphic design job market continues to grow as more and more companies want excellent graphics for their websites. This is one of the many reasons the job demand for graphic designers has increased.
If you’re a graphic designer looking for ways to make your mark, you came to the right place.
Read on to learn about these graphic design tips for beginners.
1. Don’t Underestimate Simplicity
If you’re a beginner graphic designer who has just graduated or is in the process of honing your craft, you need to keep in mind the concept of simplicity.
Although new graphic designers dream about breaking boundaries and producing cutting edge work, they also need to learn when to pull back.
It’s one thing to learn all of the cool features graphic design software has to offer, but you should never incorporate everything you learn into one design. Even if you learned how to slice on Cricut, you don’t have to incorporate it into all of your designs.
You should never feel the need to show a potential client what you have to offer in one project. When you produce a great design, you need to find the right balance of skill and simplicity.
While it depends on the client, many people don’t want overly complex designs, causing a page to load slowly.
2. Don’t Overlook the Photograph
As a novice graphic designer, chances are you want to wow your clients with excellent graphics. However, if you don’t have a great image behind the graphics, your work might suffer.
Whenever you’re working with photographs to create a client project, ensure you give the image a second look. Ask yourself if the image will allow you to convey the message? Does the image fit the brief of what the client is looking for?
If the client is particular about the type of image he wants to use, it doesn’t hurt to mention how the image can affect the overall graphics.
3. Font Choices
Graphic designers soon learn there are too many fonts to choose from, and this can make their head spin. Beginner graphic designers ofter experiment with too many fonts to find what works better.
Using too many fonts doesn’t always convey skill or experience. If you’re just getting started in the field, try to stick to only a few fonts when presenting a client draft.
Whenever text appears too busy, people tend to stay away from it. Rather than using too many fonts, try to make the tile the eye-catching font and use a simple font for text and subtext.
4. Bold Colors
The goal of any successful graphic designer is to turn heads and attract the eye of viewers. However, there is a misconception that bold colors will help you achieve just that.
Whenever you want to use bold colors in your designs, remember to lean towards bright colors rather than harsh colors. For example, while you don’t want to use fuchsia against a white background, you can experiment with a softer pink shade.
5. Don’t Forget About Blank Space
Beginner graphic designers also need to take advantage of every bit of space they’re given. Although it can be tempting to use the entire canvas to catch the eyes and send a message, every work needs blank space.
Blank space is equally as important as your design when it comes to a project. If the design is too busy, viewers will have difficulty taking in all of the elements.
However, when you let blank space do its work, it helps draw attention to the other important elements.
6. Focal Points
Did you know you only have eight seconds to capture the attention of your audience?
With such a limited attention-grabbing window of time, you need to point them to the most important element right away.
As a beginner graphic designer, you always need to remember to choose a focal point. A focal point will help your design guide the eye to the most important element and transition it to sub-focal points.
7. Alignment
As a graphic designer, you have to always think about how you’re going to use space. When you put all of the elements together, ensure you align everything properly.
If you want to make the most images, graphics, and text, use a program that allows you to use a grid to align everything properly. Chances are your clients will be able to notice when something is not aligned properly.
8. Use of Colors
For graphic designers, colors are more than just an element; they also affect the psychology of colors. The use of color can evoke specific emotions in people, so keeping this in mind will help you use more effective colors.
Blue: Blue is a color that evokes relaxation, security, safety, and trust.
Purple: When you use purple, people get a sense of creativity, mystery, and abundance.
Green: Green is the color of health, wealth, and refreshment.
Red: Red is the color of energy and passion.
Black: When you use black, you will evoke luxury, sophistication, and power.
White: White is the color of cleanliness and purity.
As a graphic designer, you need to keep the psychology behind these colors when you put a design together. Using colors that work well together to send a message will take your designs to the next level.
9. Never Stop Getting Inspired
Graphic designers draw inspiration from works around them. Whether they feel inspired by classic art to architecture, experience graphic designers collect inspiration.
If you’re a beginner designer, start to keep a folder of inspiration. When you collect graphic design works that you admire, you can later look back to them for inspiration.
Are You Ready to Follow These Graphic Design Tips?
Now that you know about these graphic design tips, you’re ready to take your career to the next level.
All master graphic designers understand simplicity, pay attention to blank space, use focal points, and master color.
If you enjoyed these career tips and would like to learn more, check out the rest of our blog.
