Teach Yourself Graphic Design: A Self-Study Course Outline
Fortunately, it isn’t required to go to design school in order to be a graphic designer. A good foundation in graphic design history, theory, and practical application will help you hit the ground running. There are plenty of resources available in which you can learn graphic design on your own. Don’t set your expectations to high at first, as it will take enthusiastic study for years to become great. You can do it though!
If you would like to learn graphic design from the ground up, through self directed study, then this article lists some great resources that will get you started with your design education. Also, even if you do go to design school, at least three-fifths of your education will be through self directed study anyway. Let’s get to it!
Editor’s note: This article was original posted on Psdtuts in May 2009.
1. Understanding the Principles and Theory of Graphic Design
There are a few graphic design principles that effect every project you’ll create. Understanding these principles conceptually and learning to apply them practically will formulate the foundation of your graphic design education. Let’s take a look at the basic areas you should study to get a solid footing in graphic design.
Shape, Spacing, and Rhythm
I remember first learning these basic design principles, and they seamed so foreign at first. It took me quite some time to get comfortable with these techniques. In school we did a beginner project that consisted of drawing triangles, just to communicate emotion through placement, shape and spacing alone. Below are some good resources on these principles.
- The Principles of Design by Joshua David McClurg-Genevese
- What is Graphic Design? Overview, Basics of Design Principles, and Design Elements
Color, Texture, and Imagery
Understanding the basics of color theory is important and getting a feel for how to work with colors. Color can make areas of a design pop off the page or recede into the background. The use of texture can enhance the feel of a design. In print design texture can be the actual feel of paper or other materials. Imagery can also blend in with texture and is loaded with colors. Learning how to balance these is a delicate craft that will take some practice to apply well. Here are some resources on using color, texture, and imagery in graphic design:
Working with Type
Your ability to use type is one of the things that differentiates graphic design from other visual professions. A big part of graphic design is understanding typography, developing your knowledge of typefaces, and how to apply them in your design. This will be a constant study throughout your career. Here are a few great resources on type:
- Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann and E.M Ginger
- Typography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Design by Timothy Samara
- A Typographic Workbook: A Primer to History, Techniques, and Artistry by Kate Clair and Cynthia Busic-Snyder
- Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students by Ellen Lupton
2. Standing Strong with a Historical Graphic Design Grounding
Philip Meggs book (see below), is a must have for every graphic design. You should read it from cover to cover. Also, as you go through spend time researching areas that interest you the most. Pick at least three areas to go into detailed study with and learn as much as you can about them. One area of interest for me is the Bauhaus, which was a graphic design and craft school founded in the early twentieth century. I find the subject captivating, probably because it combines so many of my passions: art, design, history, and education.
- Meggs’ History of Graphic Design by Philip B. Meggs and Alston W. Purvis
- History of Graphic Design
3. Internalize the Graphic Design Process, Conceptual Solutions, Real World Experience, and Creative Application
Graphic designers solve visual problems. The key to teaching yourself graphic design is to understand the process of solving a visual problem. This means you’ll benefit from tackling design briefs. You’ll learn to apply the skills you study by solving fictitious design problems to begin with and as you advance tackling real world problems and working with clients.
Visual and Conceptual Problem Solving
Visual and conceptual problem solving is the core of what we do as graphic designers. Clients come to us with a brief, which is a problem that needs to be solved. A new company may need to enter a specific market and come to you for a comprehensive identity solution. Or you may work at a newspaper and have to lay out a page to deadline. The problems are endless and your job is to solve these issues.
What is a visual concept? Well it’s more than a pure visual solution. It’s a unification of a graphic and an idea, which is placed in context to solve a problem. Let’s look at the example of a logo. It’s a visual mark, which represents the idea of a company, presented in the context of all the company’s identity, marketing, and history. Let’s look at some resources for developing your visual and conceptual problem solving skills for graphic designers. Keep in mind though practicing your craft will help build your visual problem solving skills.
- Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving by Judith Wilde and Richard Wilde
- Graphic Design: The New Basics by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips
The Design Process
Learning to research, create thumbnails, refine sketches, work up visual solutions in programs, and present to clients are just some of the basics of the design process. Every subset of design may have a slightly different procedure, and your working methodology, or a company you work for may implement things in a somewhat unique way in their production environment. Even so, the basics remain the same. Get familiar with the design process from start to finish, and work on getting faster and better at each stage of the process on each project you work on.
- Design Evolution: A Handbook of Basic Design Principles Applied in Contemporary Design by Tim Samara
- My logo design process by David Airey
- The Role of Sketching in the Design Process by Sean Hodge
Real World Graphic Design Application
A business card, like a canvas, has boundaries. A book has specific dimensions and technical print limitations. These type of practical and technical limitations are an important part of practicing the craft of graphic design. Work to learn about these technologies and build up your knowledge through real projects. You’ll learn a whole lot about print by having to get a big project printed on a budget. Also, keep in mind that creative solutions are often driven within contained creative environments. Part of the fun of graphic design is solving technical problems with creative solutions.
- Working Within Limitations to Achieve Great Designs by Sean Hodge
- Basic vs Applied Research in Graphic Design by Michael Kroeger
4. Consider Advanced Study and Development
Advanced study can take many different paths for each designer. You may become interested in a related field, and then mold your graphic design education to apply to that field. However, every graphic designer will benefit from advanced study and planning.
Of course, there’s no limit to the depth you can study on any subject of graphic design. Grid Theory, Graphic Information Design, and Career Planning are just a few areas to focus on. You could certainly go much deeper in other areas as well.
Grid Theory
Many areas of graphic design incorporate grid based solutions. In many ways, grid theory is advanced principles of spacing, flow, and rhythm, though applied to real projects, like laying out an entire book or website. Putting together any multi-page document will likely benefit from a grid, as it makes the design feel cohesive. Below are some resources to get started with grids.
- Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type by Kimberly Elam
- Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop by Timothy Samara
Graphic Information Design
While many of the principles of graphic information design are similar to graphic design, it takes on a more technical and practical approach to visual problems. Rather than looking at the concept on a billboard, a graphic information designer might analyze the proper font size to use for traffic passing the billboard at 40mph, so as to have maximum impact. It’s a blend of scientific research and practical application to visual design. Edward Tufte has written many good books on the subject, and I recommend you read them all. They are elegantly written, the layout of the books are beautiful, and the principles taught have strong, illustrative examples.
- The Work of Edward Tufte
- Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte
Planning Your Career
Spend some time getting acquainted with the graphic design landscape and plan your career. Graphic design is a large discipline, which is directly involved in numerous occupations. Learning the potential of the field will help you decide what you want to focus on. You may be attracted to print design, advertising, interface design, or another graphic design or related field.
- Graphic Design: A Career Guide Edited by Sharon Helmer Poggenpohl
- 25 Graphic Design Career Preparation Tips
- Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design, 2nd Edition by Steven D. Heller, Teresa Fernandes, and Steven Heller
5. Learn from Professional Graphic Designers
Aside from studying graphic designers throughout history, you’ll also benefit by studying contemporary designers whom you identify with. A couple designers I found inspirational while I was in design school were David Carson and Carlos Segura. Both of these designers utilize typography in intuitive, innovative, and illustrative fashions. They helped encouraged me to get expressive with my use of type, spacing, and texture. While the approach they practice in design isn’t appropriate for every project, it certainly helped develop my graphic range and ability to think illustratively through graphic design.
You may fall in love with some other approach to design. Also, you’ll go through numerous phases, where you’ll be attracted to something else in design. This is part of what’s great about the field; it’s so diverse. Don’t be afraid to emulate designers approaches on some projects. It’s a good way to learn. Then you’ll move on to something else and it will become part of your collective design experience.
- The End of Print: Graphic Design of David Carson by Lewis Blackwell and David Carson
- 16 Great Graphic Design Blogs and Sites by Danny Outlaw
6. Developing Your Proficiency, Intuition, and Flow
Part of becoming a good graphic designer is becoming one with your tools. If you can wield a pencil, and quickly sketch down conceptual solutions, then you’re a more proficient designer. Of course, when working within programs the same thing applies. If you’re a logo designer, the better you know Illustrator, the better a designer you’ll be. That’s one of the reasons why sites like Vectortuts+ are so useful.
Being proficient with your tools helps you to be able to enter an intuitive flow like state when working, but it’s more than that. The better you know design, your medium, your chosen field of focus, your toolsets, and your workflow, the easier it will be to sink into that space where decisions come easily and time disappears. This flow state is a big reason why people choose any art related field, like graphic design; they enjoy being in the flow of creating and working visually.
- Tuts+ – Power Up Your Skill Set
- Core Principles for Rapidly Attaining Creative Flow by Sean Hodge
7. Put Together Your Portfolio and Blog
Make sure to create a portfolio (a home base with your own url), and blog regularly on what you learn as you grow as a designer.
Three things help get you hired as a graphic designer (in order of importance): your portfolio, your demonstrated experience, your ability to communicate your knowledge on graphic design. You build all three of these over time. It’s not something that happens overnight.
Your portfolio is your most important tool in marketing yourself as a graphic designer. It demonstrates your abilities to practically apply your skills. When interviewing it also holds some of the greatest weight in you being hired.
Experience takes time to grow. Someone that has worked in the field for years, run an agency, or worked with large known companies has a tremendous leg-up in the industry. Don’t get discouraged though, everyone started from ground-zero to begin with.
One of the greatest skills one learns in design school is how to talk and write about design. It’s not just being able to create something that looks cool, but being able to critically analyze a problem, apply a proven workflow to solving it, and communicate the process. In the field, this will equate to needing to sell your solutions to clients or bosses. Or when interviewing, describing how you solved a design problem.
Writing articles for your blog is a great place to practice discussing graphic design, and how you’ve solved specific design problems. It also, in itself, demonstrates your knowledge in the field. Don’t be afraid to add case studies to your blog, even for personal projects, as it’s a great way to build this analytical skill set. Through self-study, use your blog to write articles as you learn about design. This serves as a good substitute for assignments you would receive in a design class, and will compliment the design projects you do.
- 12 Steps to a Super Graphic Design Portfolio
- Creating A Successful Online Portfolio by Sean Hodge
- 10 Steps To The Perfect Portfolio Website by Lee Munroe
8. Participate in Online and Professional Graphic Design Communities
Becoming involved in the graphic design community and professional associations will increase your connections in the industry and knowledge of the field. Also, attend conferences and network whenever possible.
Join Professional Associations
A great way to learn about the workings of the graphic design profession is to join professional organizations. They run conferences, produce articles, books, and other resources. Some of these organizations work to improve the profession as a whole by lobbying and other activities.
Becoming Part of the Graphic Design Community Online
Aside from professional communities, there are loads of communities on the web that you can participate in. Below are some graphic design forums you may want to participate in.
Getting Critical Feedback Online and Promote Your Work
Interaction and critique is really important to your growth as a graphic designer. If you’re not in design school, then you need to find other places that people will tear apart your work, and that you can develop your own critical eye. The best thing for a young design is to have someone tell them why something they made isn’t well designed, and what they might do differently. This prepares you for clients doing this (gives you a thicker skin), and it helps you grow with your visual and creative problem solving abilities.
I don’t know of the perfect place on the net to find this, but try different online communities or forums. And if you can find a mentor, even someone with just one or two more years of experience than you, who is willing to critique your work, this can be invaluable. Try some of the places mentioned below and search further.
Aside from your main portfolio, it also helps to have satellite portfolios, which are submitted to portfolio communities, and where you can get feedback on your work. They are also great places to promote your work and gain new clients. Below are some communities to explore.
9. Keep in Mind that Graphic Design as a Discipline Doesn’t Exist in Isolation
Any study of graphic design will include some connection to related disciplines. Studying art and illustration will help develop your ability to create graphics. Studying Marketing will help you place your conceptual solutions within the context of business and consumer needs. Also, graphic design is often a part of the foundational study for related disciplines. You’ll be a much stronger web designer, if you have a solid graphic design education for example.
- Seth Godin’s Blog
- Fundamentals of Illustration by Lawrence Zeegan
- Basics Illustration: Thinking Visually by Mark Wigan
- The Fundamentals of Creative Advertising by Ken Burtenshaw, Nik Mahon, and Caroline Barfoot
10. Finding Work as a Freelance Graphic Designer
Aside form landing a job directly, freelancing is a career path available for designers. There is work out there for almost all skill levels. You’ll need to work at building your portfolio, negotiating, and your business skills.
There are numerous communities and resources online that can help you grow as a freelance graphic designer, and freelancing is a great way to get a broad set of graphic design projects under your belt. It’s a great way to grow your skills and learn through real projects, as you study independently.
11. Evaluate if Self Study or Graphic Design School is Right for You
After evaluating the above steps, do some research on schools, and consider the best course of study for you. Not everyone has the financial ability or desire to go to college. Fortunately, it isn’t a prerequisite to becoming a professional designer. The biggest resource in landing a job is your ability to demonstrate your skills, done through your portfolio, and in interviews your knowledge and passion should show.
Going to design school is great, but if you’re diligent you can learn graphic design through independent study. Keep in mind, I’m not saying don’t go to college, as that decision is up to you (I went to Undergraduate school and I took some Graduate courses). Also, you may be in a position that you’re studying something else, but are passionate about graphic design. Plenty of great designers started in other fields or learned on their own.
Even while I was in design school, some of the greatest lessons I learned came from doing projects on my own, studying online, and books. A good teacher can be a great resource though and I appreciate all those that helped me learn while I was in school.
If you do plan on going to design school, then spend some time deciding on the right school for you. What school fits your budget, goals, and ability to attend. You may want to consider online professional programs as well. Or for the brave of heart, do it without formal schooling.
Graphic Design Schools
- Choosing a Graphic Design Degree
- A Brief Guide To Design Education by Adam Richardson
- 7 Tips for Getting Into Graphic Design School
Putting it All Together
Good luck with learning graphic design. Keep in mind, an undergraduate course takes numerous years to complete, and some even go on to grad school, so don’t set your expectations to high in the beginning, whether you attend school, or go it independently. It’s OK if it takes even years to master graphic design. Just study, grow as a designer, don’t give up, and you’ll get there. Be sure to have fun along the way, or else what’s the point!
Besides, by the time you’re a great graphic designer, you’ll probably be interested in learning something else. That’s just the nature of things, right!
Feel free to link to your favorite graphic design resources (books, articles, and others), as their is an endless amount of great material to get started with, and then to advance your skills as you grow!
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This was very helpful. I’m a sixteen year-old who’s about to graduate high school, (It’s perfectly normal here in the Philippines.) and I chose Mass Communication major in Media Production (which is pretty much like graphics design)as my course. I’m practically turning my hobby into a profession and I think I wasn’t quite sure if I did choose the right path, (I’m not quite sure if it will help me financially after graduating.) This article taught me a lot, especially when it came to planning my career. I am now sure of what to do when I become a real graphic designer.
Thanks a lot.
Keep it up! There is always and opportunity when you love what you do.
Wonderful, comprehensive guide! Thanks so much!
Thank you this is a great guide, I am a high school senior who is going to start my major in Graphic Design next year at Cal Poly San Luis. This guide is absolutely chopped full of usefull info. Literally, the best source have found on the net. Thank you for the guidence.
Wow, what a great find this article was!
I am a homeschooler and my 14 year old is interested in graphic design as a career. I have wanted to help her get a jump start on exploring this career and can’t tell you how very much I appreciate this article. It has helped us get a clearer picture of the things we need to look into.
As someone else said, I think this is the greatest resource so far that I have found.
Thanks!
Fantastic guide. I will follow it carefully over the coming weeks.
fantastic what i want the basic thing about graphic design got ….here!
…thankyou very much
A seriously superb guide. Very clear and thorough explanation.
So happy to have landed on this site!
Im very passionate with graphic design. thank you for this guide
Wow! Thanks a million!
I started my carrier with no basics for some years ago; I went to a school where I learnt by doing and there was no much of basics, but the best part is that I learnt alot and even more the learning brought me realize that I needed the step one. So I joined University where I am learning more of Typo. then today I came across this and ‘am like, “wow, just what I needed”. Detailed as good as a book- and the person is so willing to share this with the world”
THANK you and be very blessed! You must be successful, people who are this generous are very important to the world!
THANK YOU
This is a really great outline! However, nothing can beat going to school and it looks a lot better on a resume.
fellow graphic designer, as an artist and from reading you’re comment.. I just have to ask you one thing.. did Picasso have a degree? Picasso disliked formal instruction and quit attending classes soon after enrolling at age 16 so go to a economics forum with that comment. Graphic Design is an ART, you have it or u don’t.
In 2011, I feel you don’t have to go to college to learn graphic design. Because ART is art and it should come from the heart. Most of the topics you learn at a college, its easily access on web. Its all about practicing, practicing and learning. I have been doing design since 2003, and I learned it on my own. I’m even going to do some new self-teaching to update my skills. I do attend college but it is for music business. I just didn’t feel comfortable going to school for something I know when I need the business side to help me become a better designer.
i’m 37 and looked at going back to school – but really couldn’t afford the time and cost of schooling. Thanks so much for this. I know am thinking about doing something about Graphic design again.
Nice article. I wonder how many books you’ve sold for Amazon.
This is awesome! Thank you so so much!!
This article is so helpful! Thank you for compiling all these resources! Unfortunately, I discovered my interest in graphic design during my senior year at college, so design classes weren’t an option at that point. I’m engaged in self-study now and hope to start freelancing soon. The study track you suggest will be an immense help – being self-taught can be frustrating at times when faced with so much different information out there. Thanks again!
Dude, your spelling is terrible…thankfully you’re not dishing out guidelines on proofreading.
Just wanted to say thanx for the article. I’ve been doing (well, started playing and than I got more focused) with web design since I was 12, this was because I moved to Portugal from Holland and I wanted to be able to tell my story to friends and other people around the world. Moving from profile pages than to free domain names and finally a few years ago I bought my first domain. Everything I learned was from the internet and books and people around me, the only thing that was from “school” was a fashion photography course I did here in Portugal with a major fashion photographer. That was the time that I switched from Corel Paint Shop Pro, Paint and Microsoft to Mac’s and Photoshop, now I can tell you that although my school education wasn’t that much (barely finished high school) but am now starting up a little freelance business and I can say that yes, someone who doesn’t go to uni can get where they want, they can get the big clients and they can be great at web design or graphic design, or even programming, here in my neighborhood I have more experience in programming than the most web designers who come from grad school and modify templates (they don’t even touch “the code”) just because they never bothered to learn anything about it.
The key is to want it and to know what you exactly want, yes you need to be able to solve problems and need to want spending hours and hours looking for the little things that solve your problem, but you can get get there without going to university.
Thank you for the article, it’s great and it gives hope to those who can’t get into university ..
No! It’s terribly unfortunate that anyone who can afford (or illegally download) Creative Suite can set up shop and call themselves a graphic designer in this country. Just as the ability to use a saw and reading woodworking blogs doesn’t make you a great cabinet maker, neglecting a legitimate education is why so many consider what we do a job, rather than a profession. I believe this exposure to untrained “graphic designers” also accounts for why so many consider graphic designers surface decorators.
There are far, far, too many things that you get from a design education that you cannot learn without the personal interaction that a mentor can provide. I highly suggest that those who are interested bite the bullet, fill out a FAFSA, and invest in the kind of education that will truly make you a professional.
Liz, get over yourself!
Great graphic designers aren’t worried about how people judge them and their educational background. It’s their WORK that speaks for itself. You are the exact kind of person that this younger generation is trying to get rid of (and they’re doing an excellent job of it, by the way). Filling out a FAFSA and spending $40,000-$100,000 for a Bachelor’s degree, doesn’t make you more qualified.
And anyway, college is so 10 years ago.
I take it from that comment you’ve probably spent or you’re getting ready to spend thousands of dollars on an education and probably envy the people who don’t spend one dime on a university or have never set foot in a college classroom but will pull off a portfolio better than yours or similar. This is possible because Graphic Design is Art. Not Business or economics for which u need to go to Harvard for to be the best. Picasso graduated from Harvard university right… haha.. Not. Envy shoots and wounds itself.
Liz, your comment is irrelevant. because it is A LOT OF POPULAR, AND EVEN FAMOUS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS AND NONE OF THEM WENT TO SCHOOL. COMPLETELY SELF-TAUGHT.
Stop being ignorant, Liz. If you want to define your success and ultimate destiny by what school you went to, who’s boring class you sat in, and the mounds of debt you’ve accumulated you can. My success is defined by who I am.
I actually happen to be in school for Computer Science. BUT, if I decided to quit today, I would still achieve that level of success and satisfaction that I want in life because that’s just who I am. I have drive, and at heart I’m a DIY, Create Your Own Way kind of person.
I am naturally talented in the arts. I draw, paint, sing etc. and I really do have a love for digital art. In order to cultivate my skill I research, study, practice and teach myself art concepts. Graphic Design is art. Either you’re talented in it,or you’re not. Either you have a passion for it, or you don’t. If you see that you are talented in the area you can choose to go to school for it, or you can teach yourself. Neither is wrong. I’ve decided to teach myself, and I don’t plan to be formally educated in the subject either. Talent, time, effort, research, and experience is all I need.
And who the heck said you only find mentors in college?? Liz, please take you and your limiting beliefs elsewhere.
BTW, I think it’s quite funny that anyone who sat up in a classroom can call themselves an artist.
Wonderful, comprehensive guide! Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for writing this article. After a long and troubled road I have decided that Graphic Design is the area which appeals to me the most as a career. I have a BA in Psych and I cant find a home for it. Education costs so much, and I cant afford the time nor money right now, and your article really did lift my spirits and provided such a clear and structured path. Its an absolutely invaluable article.
Wonderful, comprehensive guide! Thanks so much!
fantastic what i want the basic thing about graphic design got ….here!
…thankyou very much
Yes, I agree, great collection of tips, never though of design in this way. I usually just pick some wordpress theme which has already predefined layout.
Nice article…thanks
Liz, being a professional has much more to do with how you act and handle situations than how much money you shelled out to a university. I completely agree with you that there are many people who call themselves graphic designers who do not put in the time and effort needed to be a professional. However, those two things are exactly what are needed to become a professional: time and effort. You can sit in classes for 2-4 years, schlep your way through with a C average, and still receive a diploma that calls you a graphic designer. Is this really better than being self taught?
As in any industry, there are bad seeds who will be found and eventually weeded out by consumers. It is not just graphic design that suffers this misfortune.
It’s unfortunate that education is not more highly valued in this country; if it were, it would be more accessible to all people with drive and ambition, rich and poor alike, but not everyone can afford it. Especially people who already have a degree that they will be paying off for the next 30 years.
For anyone looking to learn anything, the best way is to dig your heels in deep, find your inner hustle, read all you can, practice & create EVERYDAY, and get a mentor or internship. If you can afford formal education, find the best school for you and go for it, but paying money to a university will in no way make you a good graphic designer. Only you can do that.
Thank you for this article & good luck to everyone.
“For anyone looking to learn anything, the best way is to dig your heels in deep, find your inner hustle, read all you can, practice & create EVERYDAY”
Probably the best advice I’ve read online, lol
I agree with you!
very helpful article, thanks for re-posting this article.
While this is a fantastic resource for beginning designers I don’t feel that it’s appropriate to promote that “it isn’t required to go to design school in order to be a graphic designer”. While true, in my area at least, there is an over abundance of people with little training passing themselves off as designers which gives the profession a less-than-optimal reputation in the small town setting I live in.
There are also several real estate business people that have jumped ship into the graphic design boat as an “easy” alternative now that the real estate market has dropped.
60% or more of my education was self-taught I admit. And there is nothing wrong with this post at all. I would just like to see some sort of emphasis on the real world experience of it. Maybe I’m over-thinking it.
Yes. Going to school is great.
And I actually believe in “going” to school. Sitting in a classroom etc. Not online.
I have my Master’s in Design from Pratt Institute as a matter of fact and have taught design at the International Academy of Design.
But for everything we’d like to tackle in life, we may not have the luxury / privilege of attending a degreed course. Sometimes we just need to “pick things up ourselves.” (I was learning the ins and out of social media way before there were any legitimate courses on the subject for example.)
And for that — This is very well done.
It’s a super overview. It’s also well written as a blog. You, yourself, have some good social media skills – as you have put something together that is “easy to read” on the web. Many folks don’t. Too much content in one chunk etc. You use your images well and the same goes for your titles / headers.
Great job. Just wanted you to know I booked marked you on http://www.delicious.com/MadelineHere and have tweeted about you as well. (@MadelineHere)
http://www.Linkedin.com/in/MadelineHere
Just started a Linkedin group by the way – Persuasive Presentations – perhaps you’d like to join?
Going to a school gets you in contact with people – people who eventually will make business together.
Great resources though.
this is true, but if a person is willing to go out and make their self none. You don’t have to just talk to people who are in school to build friendships and connections. Its all up to A PERSON. Make your self known to everyone. not everyone is in school and might need some artwork or even do graphic design themselves. a person is limited to what they can do when they do nothing at all. THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY. Never stop learning and never give up. I prefer to learn on my own.
Great article,it inspired me. I have have now designed and made my own website from scratch as well as my business cards. I am now looking to enrol on a graphic design course, cause i really enjoyed the process.
Many thanks
I wish I had more time for all of that
I have started web designing since last 3 months. This article helped me a lot, however all of the designing article from tuts plus network is important. One thing is they just load slowly for tuts adds and other external elements , lol:).
Overall, this is great.
Great article – I don’t know what I was expecting but this was great with enough substance to it withouot being boring either.
Nicely broken up with good screenshot exacmples (mostly from the Tuts network lol)
More of these please
im only 12 and i draw loads of designs and i am doing a logo for my dads and mates RC club i even try and draw some in school and then my dads going to make them for T-shirts there is loads of things i would like to do when im older and graphic design is one of them
I find the “Typography” section of this article to be totally useless because you don’t provide any information at all. Just links to purchase books that I can’t afford. THAT’S WHY I’M HERE. I’m a flat broke, 23-year old “student” graphic designer living with my mom and trying to do better for myself. I literally don’t have $15. Please be more kind than that.
Wonderful post I have to say. You must have a little bit of talent, there is a lot of study and practice before you can put all together and call yourself a graphic designer. I am just at the beginning and I hope everybody understands how long this path is (not very long if you love it). Good luck everybody and don’t give up! Thumb up for this post.
Dan – Romania
8th word into the guide should be ‘affect’, not ‘effect’.
I totally agree with this article. I’ve heard stories from so many people who have dished out thousands of dollars and later on comes someone with an incredible portfolio who never set foot in a classroom. That’s what I love about Art. What’s the point of going to Harvard or whatever top school in the world if at the end, you’re portfolio isn’t good and you simply don’t have good art. Someone commented earlier on here saying nothing beats a university and looks better in a resume? I’ll tell you one thing, an artist doesn’t think that way. Pablo Picasso has such an impressive resume and attended an ivy league education right. It’s not his resume for what hes remembered for.
As an instructor, I find this material elaborate and a comprehensive guide for both students and teachers. Congratulations!
Great job dude! you have gathered great info on one page,it not only motivate you for self study but can also help you to emerge as an iconic professional graphic designer. At the age of 30 when I can’t afford regular college studies from every angle,this bolg has ignited great hope in me for independent study and to some extent have also perform my career councelling.I am also grateful to all the friends who shared their valuable comments here.Best of luck to the writer and ev1 on the blog. …Chao
Thank very much! I love design but I live in a very very isolated city without design school, and I don’t even have money to go. So thank you very much for so good information!
Hi Sean,
Thanks for this – it’s afascinating insight. I have done a bit of design on my own websites but never feel like I quite get it right. Then I read your article pointing me in the direction of amongst other things, flow and rhythm and I wonder if I should look for a good graphic designer – or try to become one.
How would you go about finding a really good graphic designer?
Kind Regards,
Stuart
This is truly EPIC. Almost, but not quite, overwhelming. Well, here goes!
Awesome!
Thank you for this article, it is very useful and gave me a lot of information that I and a lot of others can greatly benefit from.
For a while I have been searching for a way to further my skills in this field and haven’t found a heck of a lot ! I’ve done a lot of graphic altering myself and am working on making it my career but i know i still have a lot to learn. I strive to make every project i do the best it can be based on my always improving capability. I love art in all its forms from being a simply drawn picture,freshly captured photo or a complex professional piece bound with sweat and time that became a breath taking view. All in all graphics design is what i do for fun and hopefully soon as a career.
One problem I find myself having is that i don’t know where to start or go with this whole thing, if there’s someone who would like to help out with this issue please email me at track_man180@hotmail.com.
Thanks.
Jamie.
yr site and learning style is very incorrigibly, i m also drama and commercial director basics of graphics
i understand but i have never design myself that is my great weekness, so many times i suggested to my designer tips…iam also an video editor….thanks you people have done a great job for students of graphics.
best regards
“Plenty of great designers started in other fields or learned on their own”
- made my day, and yeah, it’s never too late and some skilled graphic designers here probably can’t accept that self-taught zerglings are far more creative than them (if that is the case). They probably want to be on top just because they have a degree on graphic designing and specifically don;t like to hear people claiming that they’re graphic designer just because they know photoshop. All I want to say is that dont’ take life too seriously, after all, no one has ever come out of it alive.
that was so amazing n a stepping stone to my career.
No doubt it’s a good Guide but I want to learn systematically n from Basic to Advance , So I can learn better about Graphic Design,Thanks
graphic design is my dream
Thank you for this article, it helps me in keeping motivated! I did a part-time course and now i’m trying to build a portfolio on my own in the evenings also with the help of graphic design theory… it’s going a bit slower than I hoped but I’m learning a lot