Teach Yourself Graphic Design: A Self-Study Course Outline
May 20th in Inspiration by Sean Hodge
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!
Hi All! I recently moved to the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. I'm the editor of Psdtuts+ and Vectortuts+. Also, visit my blog AiBURN where I feature some of my creative work and ideas. Or follow me on Twitter: @seanHodge.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
Graphic Design Week
To celebrate the launch of GraphicRiver's new
Print Design Templates category we're putting on a whole week of graphic design tutorials on both Psdtuts+ and Vectortuts+. The new category means you can now sell your design work to make extra cash On the flip side if you're coming up short on inspiration, you can get a kickstart by grabbing a
Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign template via GraphicRiver. So to give the new category the launch it deserves, all this week we'll be bringing you articles and tutorials just like this one, on graphic design as part of our
Tuts+ Graphic Design Week.
User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Steve May 20th
WOW COOL
( )Hami May 20th
YEAH An awesome post, loving it. Bookmarked it, Stumbled it, retweeted and now gonna digg it too. You rock
( )Marco May 20th
Great to see you writing these kind of interesting articles once again Sean!
Must admit I haven’t read it fully (yet), but I’ll make sure to bookmark it to use it as a resource
.
Keep up the great work!
( )custom icon design May 20th
great info. this is the information I am looking. Good job, keep it coming.
( )Ibesoringola May 20th
This is sweet! Gracie!
( )Pavel May 20th
Hi Sean,
that is exactly what I missed till now.
Great. Thanks.
( )Lina Zaproudi - 2sane.com May 20th
This is a wonderful guide Sean, well done!
( )The design of your site and this guide is wonderful too – clearly you know what you are teaching…
vlasnn May 20th
This is a good key to start Thanks!
( )www.xsolve.pl May 20th
Really awesome article. You guys rocks!
( )Steve May 20th
Probably the most valuable article ever written on here for self-taught designers. It’s not enough just to learn all the tricks in photoshop, this understanding of design theory is essential to becoming a truly great designer.
( )brett May 28th
Actually, photoshop has almost nothing to do with graphic design. It is one of many tools available for image work. That’s it. Graphic design is a lot more than some slick photoshop images.
( )The steps outlined here are but a bare minimum of what is needed to become a good graphic designer. But they are a good starting place.
Aaron May 20th
This is a really great post!
( )NecroPsyChroNauTron May 20th
It is really nice to have a sort of checklist like this to make sure of the bases that need to be covered. Studying up myself, and while I feel it’s simple to use your instincts towards what looks proper and what doesn’t; it’s not so easy when trying to figure out what basic guidelines are the norm/expected industry-wise.
( )Thanks for the helpful insight.
Ronan May 20th
This is great, there is about 60 links so you’ll be reading for years! Nicely put together.
( )Dave May 20th
Broken/dead link: http://designerside.com/article/four-basic-design-principles
( )Sean Hodge May 20th
Hey Dave. Thanks for pointing that out. Looks like the site went down. I removed that link and replaced it with a resource that links to a bunch of articles on this subject http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/whatisgraphicdesign.html Thx!
( )Jan Alvin May 20th
Thanks for this post, I’m trying to start a freelance job but I don’t know how to start until I saw this.
( )Dennis Coughlin May 20th
This is great, thanks.
I’ve been waiting for someone to put an article like this together. Not having a graphic design background, self taught lessons are the only way I’m going to learn this stuff.
Cheers!
( )lau May 20th
auw nice…
( )Phenotype May 20th
Great post Sean! One thing though, this linked you posted is broken:
http://designerside.com/article/four-basic-design-principles
( )Symon May 20th
This is gonna keep me reading for ages. Real useful. Thx again!!
( )Hila May 20th
the designerside website is not running.. or maybe its just me?
other than that.. wow this is exactly what i’ve been looking for. thanks so much.
( )PapJeff May 20th
Cool stuff….Thank you.
( )wiphone May 20th
great post! I couldn’t read it all, but it’s bookmarked for future studies
( )thanks
Abhijeet May 20th
Thanku very much Right post on Right time of life
( )Thanku very very very much
Zachary May 20th
This was a great post! I look forward to reading some of the books you mentioned. I never thought to read up on the history of graphic design.
( )Martijn May 20th
Nice
( )Chris C May 20th
Been following for almost two years and this is the best post i have come across. I am a self taught graphics guy and this is so stinkin helpful. Wish i had it a few years ago so i wouldnt have had to struggle so much at the beginning. not too late to learn though
( )Steve May 20th
How about instead of teaching yourself with hopes of getting any design job. Try going to school. There’s a lot more to it than what you have listed.
Not to mention no one will touch you in the real world without education and experience.
The design industry is already flooded with designers who are self taught, read a book or took a weekend photoshop course. But I guess I’ll be adding read a blog post to the list.
I’ve also seen tons of designers in the industry who have more education than anyone, but they cannot design to save their life.
If you have the talent, put it to good use and get an education out of it. Nothing better than going to work when you love what you do.
( )Amatatomba May 20th
Great post. I haven’t read it yet, but I definitely will.
I had plans to go to school for graphic design, but it was just too expensive and not an option right now. I figure that if I’m good enough, a graphic design degree won’t be of utmost importance, unlike other careers. But while I get a 4 year degree elsewhere I’m going to teach myself the fundamentals and hopefully I can pursue a graphic design career later on. This article will definitely help me to do that.
( )Sammo May 20th
You’re right about the personal study at University being mostly down to you, learning as you go. The tutors just set you tasks basically, and give you brief history related to the tasks. Nothing much more, like in depth usage on colours, layouts etc. They tell you what to do and you have a few weeks in which to do it.
I’m studying at University currently, in Graphic Design, and this is definitely going to be helpful. I managed to get into Graphic Design at University based only on my portfolio, having never done Graphic Design at GSCE, A-Level or collage, before entering. These sort of posts definitely help students, and self taught designers get a better understanding of the fundamentals. It turns an art form into a science, analysing every aspect in depth.
( )Arik May 20th
Very nice post. I am completely self taught and It’s ben about a year or two since I’ve been getting into serious design and reading literature about design.
I encourage anyone to read up on all of the subjects because it will really help you. However, you should all also experiment and just mess around with PS every now and again, it will give you amazing control of the software.
( )happy May 20th
This is what i’m looking for. thank you for this tutorial i will share it with my boyfriend He also wants to learn graphic designing…
( )Some Points May 20th
This is excellent and motivational information…
( )Paris Vega May 20th
Its all about mastering the basics. Really good resource. Thanks.
( )jose May 20th
You do not know how much this article means to me and to many others who plan to become a graphic designer. I’ve been waiting for this sort of thing for ever and I cant thank you enough for posting this.
( )I’ll take this into great consideration.
and thanks again for posting this!!
Stanley Parrish May 20th
A lot of info to go through, but good though
( )sal May 20th
Holy comprehensive.
( )Jachobsen May 20th
Amazing.. now I know what to do the next couple of weeks.. Thanks alot!
( )Name abimran May 20th
helpful things for all.thanks for that………..
( )alejandro May 20th
As a current student of graphic design at CalArts, I find this article a novel idea but is in actuality a game of chance. You don’t get the same interaction and experience that you would get with a solid design education. At CalArts we have visiting design lectures, workshops and other benefits. Granted the program is expensive but worth every penny if you have the potential of working for companies like Brand New School, Imaginary Forces, and Prologue (just some of the companies that scout our school). As far as design theory one should actually look at the theory’s developed at The Bauhaus, by the Swiss (The International Style) as well as De Stijl, Constructivism and the Futurist. Design Principles are actually Scale, weight, direction, form, texture, space or structure if you are referring to type.
( )Down to Earth September 2nd
Could you spot me a quarter mil?
( )alejandro May 20th
the idea of being self taught is cool, but nit very practical. You can learn from tutorials and just getting into the software but you don’t learn the real design principles (scale, weight, direction, form, texture, space or structure if you are talking about type). You also don’t get the critiques that can help take your process to a new level. I am currently studying at CalArts and find it totally worth it, we get to attend design lectures, workshops on image making and Ed Fella is just down the hall ready to intellectualize design and your work. Also Imaginary Forces, Brand New School and Prologue scout at our school as well. The connections are great, ifyou do want to learn more about design you might want to look at The Bauhaus, Swiss design (The International Style), De Stijl, Constructivism and Futurism. Also Mueller-Brockmann is the best example of clean design.
( )agustin May 20th
coool! thanks!
( )Ani May 20th
Great post. Lots of super tips here!
However, “Fortunately, it isn’t required to go to design school in order to be a graphic designer” isn’t really true. In order to be employed as an in-house designer almost everywhere you go require a HND at least, to even get an interview. Most only would consider BA (Hons) Degree as standard before a portfolio has even been looked at. Pretty much all design agencies insist upon having Degree standard qualifications to be taken on. Due to the current economic status, most graphic design positions are very hard to come by. A lot of companies and agencies require graphic designers now to have strong working knowledge in web design too, which makes finding a job for someone without a degree almost impossible.
The only realistic chance to get your foot in the door, if you’re uneducated in design and have no qualifications, in my opinion, is to do as much freebie stuff as you possibly can. Aim to do any kind of freelance as you can lay your hands on, but don’t let anyone fool you, it’s not going to be an easy task due to the above. Dedication and will to work for next to nothing is the way forward for anyone thinking about graphic design as a career, who have no work experience or qualifications.
This advice is aimed more at the UK designer. Situations in Europe, Australia, USA etc, will of course be slightly different.
( )Sean Hodge May 22nd
@Ani – Some good points. I’m in the US, but I think the path of freelance for experience should work from anywhere. If you build your career into a successful freelance designer, then you’re employable without a degree. You can start with theoretical design work, then do non-profit free work, but then you can transition into paying gigs.
Your point about dedication and willingness to work for less is a good point, and very relevant. You should enter the market based at a price point where you will get actual paying work, and with little experience this will mean a lower pay rate, but you can raise your rate over time. Especially, as you grow your business skills.
But again. This path isn’t for everyone, and it is a struggle, but it is doable. Also, going to design school doesn’t guarantee a job, but does offer lots of readily available resources, and good schools will have connections to good design agencies. Either path requires hard work, passionate, a smidgen of talent, and dedication. Thx.
( )WallpaperDude May 20th
The “how to be” tutorials have been abundant lately. I gotta say, tutorials showing how to use the pen tool or how to use lens flares make sense. But a tutorial on how to make a whole website, become a freelance web developer or how to start a business – seem kinda overly ambitious. Becoming such things takes 1000x more than what any tutorial could even touch on, let alone cover. They end up coming off more as a tease than anything else, making stuff out to be easier than it really is. And they’re usually very subjective and opinion-based anywho.
( )Greg May 20th
yes but this post isnt trying to make you ‘become a freelance web devoloper’ or ’start a business’. it just provides a perspective on all of it for people who are interested, and at least give them something to start with.
( )SORRISO May 21st
I’m totally with you.
( )Hassan May 20th
wow bookmarked it embed it yeah baby this is what am talkin about
( )thank u guys
QT May 20th
Funny. I went to school for graphic and design and it’s true. Most of what you learn is by your own motivation and creativity. However I don’t agree the fact that you can just “learn” graphic design from PSDTUS or”just like that” (finger snap) Impossible. In a class, or group setting you get feedback and critiques, and perspectives from others including your professional teacher. You get hands-on experience with web press and doing press checks, or making die cuts, sampling photos, creating comps..the list goes on.
Here is my issue. Everyone now wants to be be a graphic designers and just start designing because it’s “cool” or “fun” to do. Don’t belittle graphic design. It’s almost an lost art imo. Learning courses or attending an seminar can give you more insight into graphic design including, the history of this art from the beginning to now.
KNOWING PHOTOSHOP DOESN’T MEAN YOUR A GRAPHIC DESIGNER.
Sorry I had to put that in caps. Where I’m from I have people claim to be a graphic designer cause they know this software.
Want to be a graphic designer?? Integrate, illustrator, typography, InDeisgn and QuarkXpress, images, pantone colors…etc
Going to a university has made me become a well rounded artist from learning basic design courses, English, math, all the way to art history-these have all influences me as an artist.
My point: Learn, study, do research about graphic design. This will creat a TRUE graphic designer-not an overnight “con artist graphic designer”
-Good luck
( )lucas May 20th
This is great, but people must understand that mastering the tools doesn’t give you an eye for quality work. I have seen plenty of people who know how to make really bad work!
Thanks though!
( )not-designerinabox May 20th
Grrr, Ive been a graphic designer for about 10 years…Ive been through the gammut of keylining type by hand or from a compugraphics machine. I spent 5 years in school to get a BFA in advertising design & communications..color theory, history of typography, design elementals, etc… There are 1000’s of “would be” designers out there that are basically glorified secretaries that know MS Word and have access to the bundle of 10,000+ pieces of bad clip art..In my days we called them “desktop publishers”. Seriously if REAL designers want tuts, kewl we can learn from each other, but keep the self-taught idiots out of the “real” design world!!!
( )Down to Earth September 2nd
“idiots?” (Mr. Hodge, is this otherwise civilised thread moderated?) Poster, please learn some manners. Perhaps we should give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that, elevated atop your high horse, the air is thin. Some of the most hopelessly repetetive and cliched work I’ve seen is from designers who hold degrees from celebrated university programmes. Some of the most beautiful work I’ve seen is from top designers who probably can’t name three design schools and were entirely self-taught. Paying all that money cannot create talent. Talent will rise and does not pay heed to university degrees. Not only CAN you build a stellar career without university and self-taught, but you SHOULD. Designers learn more in the first three months on the job than you did in all four years, excuse me, all five years of undergraduate. For the soul who has talent, four years of work experience and US$200,000 saved is infinitely more valuable than any degreee. Hiring managers who are not qualified and, therefore, not confident to evaluate portfolios, understandably rely on credentials to feel secure about their hiring decisions. I never consider whether a designer attended university, let alone which one. True, though, that the talentless can find employment based on credentials. You need only find the right, or rather, the wrong hiring manager. In the hour glass of your career, as the sands vanish beneath your feet, may you find the peace that has so far eluded you.
( )Ron May 20th
Sorry, but there are more than 10 steps to being a graphic designer. Getting a real education is ALWAYS the right choice for you… no matter what your profession is.
( )SORRISO May 21st
I TOTALLY AGREE!
( )Satya Colombo May 20th
wow – FRICKN ROCK!
thanks for this – thanks skellie for the link – thanks universe for the advent of the computer and the eyeballs and the other senses – HALLELUIAH!
( )Lionel May 21st
Un grand merci pour ce travail de recherche. It’s amazing.
( )MorayWeb May 21st
Fantastic article, just what I have been looking for – thanks!
( )Victoria Web May 21st
This is an extremely informative article which i wish i had read when i graduated from university last year. If you go to university i found it was looking for a job and constructing my portfolio to be the hardest part, with no help and guidance and no one to bounce ideas off. The best way i found to learn as apart from my degree i went into graphic design with no real prior experience, is to work with other people and learn from them, and don’t be precious about your design work.
( )Sean Hodge May 22nd
Yah, internships are one of the best things you can do in school. The better the school, the better internship opportunities are available, and you should really take advantage of those. I went to a state school in Connecticut and there were few if any real agency internships available at my school.
You don’t have to be a student though to get an internship. An internship just means “your willing to work for minimum wage or close to it” for experience. I think one of the things that the graphic design profession would benefit from is a return to an Apprenticeship tradition, whereby someone works underneath knowledgeable Master designers for a few years until they become graphic Journeyman and start to work on their own. Lots of craft and skilled based professions have traditionally worked this way, and an intern is something like an apprentice.
ESPN used to be down the street from me in CT, and they used to hire interns regularly. You don’t have to be a student to land the gig. It is possible to get hired based on a portfolio review, though schooling would certainly help to give you a leg up.
( )troufion May 21st
I’ve never been in a grafic design school, or anything like that, and started to work as an informatic engineer that was my diploma. I learnt all my photoshop skills and grafic design alone (thx psdtuts!!!!!!!) and it’s been now 6-7 month I work 100% of my time as a grafic designer.
I’ve met a couple of persons that are in grafic school, and I realised that even if I’ve never been in graphic school, I have much more theory than them just because of the practice.
So yes you can learn grafic design by yourself :p
( )Sean Hodge May 22nd
@Troublon – I met a couple people that were in filed like that and another that was an architect. And there experience and related knowledge made the transition over to graphic design alot smoother.
( )ilja May 21st
This is a PLUS tut!
( )orphicpixel May 21st
interesting article you got here, have a lot of information
( )Marie Poulin May 21st
Most of what I learned in school was not about the curriculum. Its not just about learning principles and a few programs. There is a LOT to be said for student-teacher interaction, and communication between peers. I think there is a VERY VERY small percentage of people that can pull of an incredible career without the education.
( )The rest may be wondering why they can’t charge as much as other designers… and can’t seem to find quality clients.
There is definitely a lot to be said for self-initiated learning, but that is in addition to a solid education, whether it be at college or university. Learning and experience can’t happen in a bubble at home at your computer.
Kathryn Barlow May 22nd
I agree, without the solid foundation of education and the vast networks of teachers/peers early on, it would take a lot to really make it work. Getting the quality clients that respect your knowledge, education and experience makes this job fun and makes it go a lot more smoothly.
( )keti May 25th
i agree
joshua June 5th
soorry my name is josh and i really want to be a graphic deisigner
( )please if you now any tranning courses for a 10 year old boy pleease reply
Nebuto May 21st
Thanks great post.
( )cahbreis May 21st
Outstanding! Thanks for the post!
( )Woah There May 21st
i hate when clients read this shit and think…”Oh its this simple, I could do it” and take thier project into their own hands and then give you a “comp” (similar to a childs drawing on a fridge) and then expect you to make something out of it… OH MY FAVORITE! Revisions=$
( )Mikah Sargent May 21st
This has got to be the most helpful post on the web, even if it’s only a refresher course for most. Thank you very much. This is great information.
( )www.glossygames.com May 21st
graphic design is like all other arts a matter of practice. even if your main goal s to brake all the rules in order to be the best you should still know what those rules are.
this is a great article, but remember kids only practice makes perfection.
( )NBK May 21st
Now this is a great post. Lots of depth and informative stuff here. Like these much better than those plugs for graphic river.
( )lawrence77 May 21st
wow nice work sean…
( )underdog May 22nd
THX Sean it’s very useful for me..
( )David Airey May 22nd
What I find amusing (as pointed out by David Carson in the video linked below) is that his book, The End of Print, is now in its 5th printing.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_carson_on_design.html
I hope everything’s going great with you, Sean. Enjoy the weekend.
( )Sean Hodge May 23rd
Great talk by Carson, thx for the link. He’s actually kinda funny in person
( )David Airey May 24th
I agree, and you’re more than welcome buddy.
Jason May 22nd
Yeah, everybody can be a graphic artist. Just add Indesign and photoshop.
Oh, wait. You still need to know how to be a problem solvers and have a eye for elegant solutions. Design is more than pragrams and a MacBook Pro; it’s patience, perseverance and a desire to speak visually.
I’m not saying that education is neccessary, but it can’t be a hobby to do in a few minutes time. College’s best aspect is immersion into the culture of design. You feed off others, and new design is born from that hunger.
Just a thought.
( )Diana May 23rd
Very nice post! It’s just amazing how much people thinks design it’s something easy and don’t need discipline and hard work.
( )Hezi May 23rd
ROCK N ROLL ! ! !
( )Andy May 23rd
Bookmarked!
( )Leena Cruz May 23rd
Hey thats a fantastic post, I feel better now hehe with energy, thank you for the post, and although I´m in a design school and I love this carreer and everything I learn, I began to feel confused about what I was doing, but like you say “dont set your expectations too high right away” and Im going to work in my skills.
( )Thank You
Deepak May 24th
Really nice post, It’s best motivation for graphic designers…
( )Deepak May 24th
helpful things….thanks for that
( )Nagarjun Palavalli May 24th
This is absolutely amazing. The resources that you’ve put together will definitely teach me a lot. I am an aspiring web developer and these resources are really useful.
I just wanted to bring a college to your notice since this post has a bit on that too. Take a look at http://www.fullsail.com. That is where I will study. The university is excellent for anyone that wants a formal education on any of these areas of study.
( )Ari Suardiyanti May 25th
what a helpful post….thank you
( )Dana May 25th
Thanks for the post. Not everyone can afford to study in college or even have graphic design degrees or programs in the country they live in. Thank you so much for opening up the opportunity for those of us who have no choice but to self-teach ourselves graphic design.
( )self taught is best May 26th
99 .9 percent of web designers are self taught
save yourself 15 – 20 grand
@Ani not true i know people who have 50 grand a year jobs without degrees
its about how you selll yourself and your ability -
( )Yalanda May 26th
Incredibly helpful, thanks.
( )Jane May 27th
Great post!! I’m lucky enough to go to design school. How I wish I found design website like this 4 years ago when i just started go to university.
( )Anyway, they say it’s never too late for us to study anything.
Again, great post!!
PCARTER! May 27th
As a professional designer that battles this kind of garbage on a daily basis (underqualified wanna be’s diminishing our industry with little talent and barely enough knowledge to be dangerous), posts like this make me sick to my stomach.
( )Nardyello May 27th
Talk about valuable information. This is worth gold!
Fantastic post. Will definitely help us all.
( )Matthew May 28th
I have such a respect for graphic designers. Being a computing scientists that has recently moved into web applications, I know that there is so much more than scripting and concepts, it takes talent. Thanks again for a great article and collection of reliable resources.
( )Aky May 28th
Super Duper Awesome stuff…
( )Maseeh May 29th
Thank you for the tips. will keep them in mind!, very nice article.
( )Mark lassoff May 29th
Nicely done. I will promote this in my classes.
( )Kay May 31st
Hi,
( )Does anyone know a suitable art school to study graphic design?
I’m about to get my bachelor degree in language but have no practical experience in the design field. Art school I’m looking for is the kind which offers courses to students without experience. I know there are many, but don’t know how to choose from. It’s ok for me to start everything from the ground up, as long as I can get on the right track and really learn something.Thanks.
be cool design is cool June 5th
David Carson no college self taght an styled best designer in the world so i think that kinda says it
( )Samuelarah July 14th
thank you very much….helped me a lot.
( )Landscape Photography July 16th
Nice post… I don’t agree (with one post) that in the real world people won’t look at you without a formal study background, I think study is a good way of forcing yourself to sit adown and actually learn, but at the end of the day what people really care about is how good your work is.
( )Eva August 1st
I think, all in all, this is a good list of resources we can all benefit from. But what irks me is the title of this post and the general message that I feel is being sent out to wanna-be designers reading this. Which is that you can teach yourself something other people go to college or university to learn. And I feel that is the way most people see design. As a hobby you can teach yourself instead of an actual profession you have to earn credentials to practice. You’ll never see a blog post entitled “Teach Yourself Thoracic Surgery: Cuz like who needs Med School right? Totally!”.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy and appreciate posts like this one as long as they don’t promote ignorance. Would you give your sick puppy to anyone claiming to be a Veterinarian just because they read a lot of books about dogs? C’mon. As designers we need to prove to the world that we, like doctors and lawyers, are not dispensable! And this “Teach yourself how to play guitar in 30 days or less as easy as 1,2,3!” attitude is not helping us achieve that.
That’s just my 2 cents.
( )Manoj Kumar August 12th
Amazing,
It’s a great effort. Thanks Thanks Thanks
( )Loisa August 24th
this is extremely amazing, and it’s amazing that ur helping so many people, since some cannot afford to go to college, or don’t have the time
( )Gary Lister October 6th
Just what we need, a thousand more self taught “graphic designers” polluting the job market with substandard skills, turning out horribly amateur work. Owning a computer, Photoshop & reading a few tutorials does not make you a designer. It makes you a nuisance because I’m the graphic designer who has to fix your crappy work so it will print correctly. Its a daily part of my Graphic Design job at a printing/publishing company. Fixing crappy design files that people want printed. They usually come from self-taught, tutorial reading ‘designers.’
Do the whole Graphic Design industry a favor — go to school and learn to do it RIGHT. Do you think you can read a few tutorials and be a surgeon or a lawyer? Nope. Why do you think you can with wanting to be a Graphic Designer? Stop it.
( )Evil Slayer October 9th
Because graphic design is NOT the same as other jobs..in other jobs you need to go to college to be good lawyer or a good surgeon cuz that is the only way to learn it right..but its really different for graphic design..cuz graphic design is not about where did u study or what degree do u have..its about how much talent do u have and how good are u…and i think u know that there is many people who didn’t go to design school can make better works and better designs than the ones who actually did go to graphic design school…im not saying that learning graphic design in school is not important..its very important..and im not saying that there are many people who think they are graphic designers just becuz they know how to mix up some brushes in photoshop..there is and i used to believe that i can be a good graphic designer because i can use photoshop and illustrator but i realized that i still haven’t crossed the starting line yet..but still there is a great graphic designers who didn’t study it in collge…
( )sona October 14th
well it must be in this way all studying in universities is almost self-study they only gives u the headlines and u have 2 do the rest ……. specially in graphic it all depends on finding an idea and another thing they gives u the basics of design so u can design according to knowledgment and its not about using tools and program its about being creative
( )everybody can use the program bt not everybody can be creative
how to make an idea is the problem ….. and this is what design all about