Graphic Designers Road Map

GRAPHIC DESIGNER'S DESIGN ROAD MAP 101 Advice & Tips To Get You From Here To There This infographic was created for graphic designers who want to get better at what they do. We surveyed over 30 of the leading designers in the online community and we asked the most commonly asked questions related to design. This information will help guide you through the process of taking your design skills to the next level. CAUTION DESIGNERS AT WORK To read the full interviews of all the featured graphic designers, please visit our website at blog.Smartpress.com. DO I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DRAW? ADVICE FROM THOSE WHO KNOW Chris Spooner No, although it does help if you're wanting to get into the world of illustration. Everyone can draw to some extent, and usually as a designer you only need to sketch very rough ideas onto paper in order to convert this idea into a digital design. Jerod Gibson No, but it certainly can be an advantage if there is an idea you would like to execute that involves it. Design is such an eclectic field, that no matter where you feel you may be limited in ability, there is always another solution. No 1% I Yes Nicholas Patten Some designers never physically draw anything on a piece of paper and are able to come up with incredible digital art, graphic user interfaces, and infographics. NO* Tom Ross 99% With advancements in software, all you really need is a good sense of design, with or without a pencil. *It Helps Sheharzad Arshad Majority of the designs nowadays are based on typography and product photography. These don't require traditional drawing skills. But a designer with traditional drawing skills will definitely have more job opportunities. Being able to draw has its advantages. The ability to convey your ideas in a creative way is a must, whether that be on paper, the computer, or some other outlet. HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY WORKFLOW? ADVICE FROM THOSE WHO KNOW Chris Thurman I never throw away rejected designs. Instead l'll pull out elements that I may reuse and keep them organized in a design resource folder. Jonathan Haggard Keyboard shortcuts and sampling assets that l've already made saves me hours. When I need to draw something I look in my assets folder to see if I've already created it. It saves a lot of time and frustration. 28% Collect Resources & Reuse Jacob Gube The biggest time-saver is being organized and systematic. Good organization reduces the mental burden of constantly thinking about what's out of place and if there's something you forgot to do. 16% Brainstorm Create Draft(s) Learn Keyboard Shortcuts Stay Organized 23% 23% I Other (coffee, plug-ins, research, planning, understand client needs) Jacob Cass Learning new methods and shortcuts is always going to be a time saver, as well as experience. The more you practice, the faster you will become. Collecting resources and reusing them will save you a lot of time. Stay motivated and always brainstorm. It's a good idea to stay organized and use keyboard shortcuts often. Alex Varanese Reusing elements is always a time saver as long as it doesn't compromise the uniqueness of the idea at hand. WHERE DO I FIND INSPIRATION? ADVICE FROM THOSE WHO KNOW Chad Engle It depends on the design, what I have to do to the project and where I am in my "creative' mindset. I draw inspiration from anything. Caffeine always seems to be a good jolt to the system. Mirko Humbert I avoid looking for inspiration on the web, I prefer to take a pencil and notebook, then start writing and sketching ideas. Being away from the computer helps to focus on ideas. Online Movies Books Sketch / Draw Radio Brainstorm Steven Snell I'm online pretty much all day, so I get a lot of inspiration from other websites that I come across. I try to also get inspiration from offline sources like brochures, flyers, magazines, or even package design. | Beach | Magazines 1 Art Gallery Outside Food Malls Museums I Discuss ldeas Andy Sowards Inspiration is everywhere these days. You can't step foot outside of your house without being inspired by something (if you don't see inspiration, your not looking close enough). Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can come from a book, cloud, movie or even from a shape your cereal makes. HOW CAN I GROW AS A DESIGNER? ADVICE FROM THOSE WHO KNOW Jacques van Heerden Love what you do and don't just do it for the money. Being passionate about your job is what takes you to a entirely different level. Glenn Jones Talk to people, get advice, see if you can get some work experience to see what it's like. When you're starting out you don't often get to work on all the good jobs, but it will happen. 10% Education 30% Practice 10% Chad Mueller Always stay creative and involved in your community. The web such a huge resource that you are only hurting yourself if you aren't connected online. Reach out to designers, collaborate and experiment. Build Your Own Brand 10% Network Love What You Do 18% Nick Pagano Be inspired by everything, and practice often. It's good to play around with design, try out new techniques, etc. Surrounding yourself with good design is also a big help. 23% Other (build a portfolio, take risks, be proactive, adapt, design often) Continuing your education is important if you want to grow as a designer. Practice your skill often and network with as many designers and industry professionals as you can. Jeff Archibald Learn the logic and psychology behind design. Learn to be hypercritical of your own work. Learn to take & apply good criticism, and identify & discard poor criticism. POPULAR WEBSITES noupe.com inspiredm.com gigposters.com omgposters.com new.myfont5.com greyscalegorilla.com freelancswitch.com designyoutrust.com pentagram.com designmadeingermany.de designobserver.com webcreme.com graphic-exchange.com flickr.com spyrestudios.com vectips.com speckyboy.com behance.net line25.com dribble.com andysowards.com espn.com dropular.net deviantart.com These are the most visited websites notcot.org yayeveryday.com uncrate com psdtuts.com smashingmagazine.com iso50.com fastcompany.com techcrunch.com ffffound.com webdesignerdepot.com delicious.com forrst.com by the industry leaders. These websites are full of inspiration, freebies, tutorials and great resources to help you grow as a graphic designer. aiga.com society6.com ilovetypography.com thedieline.com designinstruct.com alistapart.com gizmodo.com archdaily.com abduzeedo.com swissmiss.com 1stwebdesigner.com retinart.net core77.com new.myfonts.com naldzgraphics.net.com cargocollective.com stumbleupon.com this.com coolvibe.com d-lists.co.uk nettuts.com kuler.adobe.com macrumors.com tutorial9.com design-newz.com thefwa.com reddit.com Special thanks to the following graphic designers whom participated in the interview that made this infographic possible. Sponsored by Hon Lam Hongkiat Lim Jacob Cass smartpress.com Alex Varanese Sheharzad Arshad Andrew Maier Steven Snell Andy Sowards Chad Engle Chad Mueller Jurryt Visser Matt Griffin TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEWS, VISIT BLOG.SMARTPRESS.COM Real people... who really know print. 888-934-6909 Jacob Gube Jacques van Heerden Jeff Archibald Mirko Humbert Chris Spooner Chris Thurman Dan Kuhlken Franz Jeitz Glenn Jones Nicholas Patten Jerod Gibson Thord Hedengren Jonathan Haggard Nick Pagano Richie Thimmalah Interesting Infographics by InBusiness, Inc. 321-281-8353 Tom Ross Tony Montano Vladimir Tomin Infographic Inspiration By Jonathan Patterson Infographic Design by Sean Taylor