Graphic Designer Skills

 

Here are the skills to gain more customers in the year to come.

Graphic design is an ever-changing industry and the road to professional advancement is not always easy. Sometimes you produce great work without being rewarded.

This may be because, while you have powerful abilities in graphic design, you could neglect other areas on which employers depend. So what skills do graphic designers need to acquire in 2021?

Collaboration is king

Before taking a look at the key graphic design skills that will move you forward in 2021, it's important to mention the importance of developing collaborative skills.

In the post-digital age, the complexity of projects, deadlines and the pace of innovation mean that you can only truly achieve excellence with an interdisciplinary team. Being able to collaborate with creative with different skills - under pressure and potentially in different time zones - is the one skill that will truly secure the future of your career.

In this article, we'll take a look at some of the key skills you can focus on in 2021, in order to boost your career and open up new opportunities.

01. Learn to speak the language of UXdesign

So what exactly is UX? “The task of the UX designer is to take every opportunity, not only visually but also cognitively, to increase the enjoyment of a final product by eliminating obstacles. And making the experience easier,” says Alec East, founder of Narrative Industries.

“UX design is not graphic design or web design; it is a separate discipline that goes far deeper and is more associated with human actions, but it is something of a kind. lot of designers are well equipped to execute if they have the discipline.  "

"So it's a matter for graphic designers to learn to speak the language of UX designers, and to better communicate their point of view, not to replace them."

Start by learning some of the basic rules of the UX design and check out some of these great TED conferences UX design.

02. Use coding for faster idea iteration

As with UX, it's for coding. No one expects someone to focus on the graphics to build a website from start to finish - which would make a web designer - but the more you understand the coding process, the better you can collaborate with them. Developers and programmers on your digital designs.

 

03. Experiment with new technologies

UX and coding have been around for a long time, but other newer technologies are also becoming important for design agency work, including VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), mixed reality, and AI (artificial intelligence). . Each graphic designer must closely follow developments in these fields,

04. Hone your printing skills

Many experienced graphic designers have told us that they feel behind the digital skills curve. Conversely, however, there may be a lack of skills with young designers when it comes to print design.

Despite the digital boom, the importance of print media to the design industry is still strong, so understanding how to properly configure your screen designs for the physical world is still a vital part of the knowledge base of a designer.

Start by reading 5 Things Every Creative Should Know About Print Design.

05. Push your problem-solving skills

We have already established that in 2021 it is important for every designer to focus on specific software and technology skills. But Eckstein worries that some of the most important design skills may get lost along the way.

“I believe we lose our ability to think expansively about problems in ways that accept uncertainty and paradox and raise new questions,” she says. “  If we rely too much on data and measurability, we lose the deep understanding and insights that are at the heart and essence of new thinking.  "

But if our problem-solving skills are important, what can we do to hone and develop them?

This article by Steve Fisher expands on the theme that design is about the solution, not visuals, while this article from the Design Interaction Foundation also provides some tips and tricks to help you hone your problem-solving skills.

06. Stretch Your Mind with Expansive Thinking

In addition to problem solving, Eckstein cites the "ability to think expansively" as a useful skill for designers to develop. Unlike other skills, which require formal study through books, courses or tutorials, this is more of a constant, daily practice.

“It's not what you do, but a way of seeing and relating to the world,” she explains. It can begin by stimulating your senses and making you aware of what is happening in our profession, an environment in which D&AD has developed itself as a leader. for all of us, while reading a wide variety of topics and trying in many case analyze situations. From different perspectives.  "

"Cela involves constantly feed our curiosity through art, poetry, architecture or to be part of conversations taking place in our communities, through social justice projects, for example, "pour suit- she.

“Open up to the experience of diversity rather than falling into your usual patterns of actions and thoughts. At the heart of thought is the elasticity of our own mind.  "

07. Focus on time management

Even if you create world-class graphic design work, unless you are able to deliver it within an agreed timeframe, you are of no use to anyone. So working on your time management skills is essential if you want to advance your career in the long run.

Part of it is “recognizing that you have a problem” and making a determined decision to resolve any issues you may have with meeting deadlines. But it's also about developing clear, definable systems that will help keep you on track.

This could mean, for example, working on productive tasks in the morning and creative tasks in the afternoon, or vice versa. This can mean turning off distracting apps at certain times of the day, and only responding to emails for a certain period of time every day.

This can mean finding time management apps that match your needs and integrating them into your workflow. Everyone is different anyway, so it's all about making systems that work for you.

For more ideas on improving your time management, check out these tips to improve your time management skills and these ways to work smarter not harder.

08. Invest in your interpersonal skills

It doesn't matter how adept you Photoshop you are if you can't discuss a case with a client, collaborate with coworkers, or talk to your boss without rubbing them the wrong way. So developing your interpersonal skills is an essential part of moving up the career ladder.

It's less about studying and more about doing, but you can find some ideas for improving your daily office communication skills in these articles: How to Design Teamwork, How to Collaborate with Other Designers Successfully, Rules gold to talk about your design work and 4 ways to improve your customer relationships.

09. Understand how brands use social media

The past 10 years have seen a seismic change, with brands following their audiences from print to web and websites to social media. So, it stands to reason that anyone working as a graphic designer in 2021 should have a handle on the most popular social media platforms and how they work.

That doesn't mean, of course, that you have to spend every hour on Snapchat, or that you won't get a 2021 job if you have less than 10,000 followers on Twitter.

But at the same time, if you don't know the difference between posting on Instagram and Instagram Stories, or how big brands are using Facebook Live video, then that's a sign you're behind the curve, and it could ultimately limit the long-term career opportunities available to you.

There is no book to read or course to take here: it is about following an environment that allows you to see major changes on a daily basis. So it helps if you regularly use one or two social apps yourself, whether for fun or business (for the latter, follow our 6 Tips for Social Media and our How to Make Social Media Work Guide. for you). It also doesn't hurt to keep up with new tools and developments on a blog like Mash able or Social Media Today.

10. Network

One of the most important skills in career progression is networking. Those with a sensitive and artistic temperament might shy away from the very word, associating it with sordid techniques and selling. But networking doesn't have to be like that.

You're much more likely to thrive by simply connecting with other designers in the same way as anyone else, whether online or at real physical events (a mix of the two is of course, of course.).

The more networking you practice, the better you are at it, and in the long run, the sooner you will find that job or freelance work that is right for you.

Again, networking skills aren't really something you can learn from a book - it's more about going out and doing it. But you'll find some helpful tips in our How to Network Success posts and 3 Tips for Successful Networking.

Learn more