Where Do You Start as a Graphic Designer?

Summary

In this informative video, Will Pass shares his 10 years of experience as a graphic designer, offering a comprehensive guide for beginners on how to break into the field without formal education. He emphasizes the importance of reading books, surrounding oneself with inspiring work, finding a design process, understanding design principles, and building a portfolio. Will also highlights the significance of learning typography and recommends resources for further study. Sponsored by Squarespace, he discusses the benefits of using the platform to create a professional portfolio website.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start with the basics: Read books on graphic design to build a strong foundation in the field.
• 📚 Typography is crucial: 'Formal Communication' is a recommended book to understand the history and application of typography.
• 🌐 Explore online resources: Websites like Behance, Dribbble, and Instagram are great for finding inspiration and saving work that inspires you.
• 🎨 Develop a design process: Having a systematic approach to design helps generate ideas and ensures consistency in your work.
• 🛠️ Learn the design principles: Understanding principles like contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, and appropriateness is fundamental to good design.
• 📈 Build a portfolio: Showcasing your work and problem-solving skills is essential for gaining client trust, even if you start with hypothetical projects.
• 💻 Choose the right software: Find a design tool that works for you and stick to it to streamline your workflow.
• 🌟 Surround yourself with great work: Save and study work that inspires you to elevate your own design skills.
• 🏛️ Understand the industry: Graphic design is about visual communication and making information orderly and understandable.
• 🔗 Utilize tools for briefs: Use resources like goodbrief.io and chat gbt to generate creative direction for projects when starting out.
• 📝 Learn and practice typography: It's integral to graphic design, and learning how to use it effectively can be done through free resources like Skillshare and YouTube.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about how to become a graphic designer in 2023, especially for complete beginners and those who want to learn about graphic design without going to university.

What is the speaker's background in graphic design?

The speaker, Will, has been a graphic designer for 10 years, specializing in logo and typography design. He is self-taught, having learned from reading books, doing online courses, and self-critique over time.

Which clients has the speaker mentioned working for?

The speaker has mentioned working for clients such as James, Johnny, Adobe, and Instagram, with some other unnamed clients.

What is the first piece of advice given for learning graphic design?

The first piece of advice is to read books about graphic design, with a specific recommendation to read 'Formal Communication' to understand typography.

What is the definition of graphic design according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, graphic design is a visual communication that uses type or illustration to convey a message or information in an orderly manner, such as in posters or instruction manuals.

What is the importance of surrounding oneself with great work in graphic design?

Surrounding oneself with great work is important as it provides inspiration, which is crucial for a graphic designer's creative process. It helps in taking inspiration and implementing it with other ideas.

What tool does the speaker recommend for saving and organizing inspirational work?

The speaker recommends using a program called 'Milanote', which is a mood boarding app that functions like an online whiteboarding tool for saving and organizing inspirational work.

What is the significance of having a systematic process in graphic design?

Having a systematic process in graphic design is significant as it helps in generating ideas naturally and ensures a consistent approach to creating designs, which is especially useful when working with clients.

What are the acronym 'CRAPT' design principles mentioned by the speaker?

The acronym 'CRAPT' stands for Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity, and Appropriateness, which are fundamental principles in graphic design.

Why is a portfolio important for a graphic designer?

A portfolio is important for a graphic designer as it showcases their work and how they solve problems, which is essential for demonstrating their skills and gaining clients' trust.

What is the role of Squarespace in the video?

Squarespace is mentioned as a sponsor of the video and is recommended by the speaker as one of the best website builders for creating a professional portfolio or website to showcase design work.

What are some ways to get creative briefs for building a portfolio without having actual clients?

The speaker suggests using websites like 'goodbrief.io' and 'chat gbt' to generate creative briefs for various types of design projects, which can help in building a portfolio without actual clients.

Why is typography considered the king in graphic design?

Typography is considered the king in graphic design because it is central to visual communication. It involves the layout of text, font size, placement, and grouping of text blocks, which are crucial for conveying messages effectively.

What resources are available for learning the fundamentals of graphic design and layout?

Resources for learning the fundamentals of graphic design and layout include courses on Skillshare, YouTube channels, and other free online resources.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Becoming a Graphic Designer: Learning and Self-Education

In this introductory paragraph, the speaker, Will, introduces the topic of becoming a graphic designer in 2023, particularly for complete beginners. He shares his own experience of learning graphic design without formal education, through self-study, online courses, and self-critique. He emphasizes the importance of reading books, such as 'Formal Communication', to understand typography and its role in graphic design. Will also clarifies what graphic design entails, which is more than just drawing or using Photoshop—it's about visual communication and organizing information. He encourages those who are interested in graphic design to watch the entire video for guidance on how to start their career or hobby in this field.

05:01

🎨 Building a Graphic Design Portfolio and Typographic Mastery

The second paragraph focuses on the importance of building a portfolio to showcase one's design work and problem-solving skills. Will discusses the use of Squarespace as a platform for creating a professional website and portfolio, highlighting its customizable templates and the ability to set up a professional email and even an online shop. He also addresses the concern of having no clients by suggesting the creation of hypothetical projects and using resources like goodbrief.io and chat gbt to generate creative briefs. The paragraph concludes with an emphasis on learning typography, which is central to graphic design, and encourages viewers to utilize free resources like Skillshare and YouTube to improve their skills in typesetting and layout.

Keywords

💡Graphic Design

Graphic Design is the art and profession of planning and creating visual content to communicate messages. In the video, it is the central theme, with the speaker discussing how to become a graphic designer, emphasizing its importance in visual communication through various mediums like posters and instruction manuals. The script mentions that graphic design is not just about drawing pictures but about conveying messages effectively.

💡Typography

Typography is the arrangement and styling of text to make language visible and legible. The video script highlights the significance of typography in graphic design, stating that it's about 'communicating' and is integral to the design process. The speaker recommends learning about typography's history and application, as it is fundamental to creating visually appealing and effective designs.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of an individual's work, showcasing their skills and accomplishments. In the context of the video, the speaker advises building a portfolio to demonstrate problem-solving abilities and design work, which is crucial for gaining client trust. The script also suggests using platforms like Squarespace to create an online portfolio.

💡Design Principles

Design principles are the fundamental concepts that guide the creation of visual designs. The video mentions several principles, such as contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, which are essential for understanding how to create balanced and effective graphic designs. The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning these principles for improving design skills.

💡Inspiration

Inspiration refers to the process of being mentally stimulated to create something, often influenced by existing works. The script encourages viewers to seek out inspirational works online and save them using tools like Mural or other mood boarding apps. This practice helps designers to draw ideas and create unique designs by combining inspiration with their own creativity.

💡Logo Design

Logo design is a specific area of graphic design focused on creating visual identifiers for companies or products. The speaker, who specializes in logo design, shares personal experience and mentions having worked for clients like Adobe and Instagram. The process of logo design is discussed as a systematic approach to generating ideas and finalizing a design.

💡Online Courses

Online courses are educational programs delivered through the internet. The video script suggests using online courses as a means of self-education in graphic design, as the speaker himself learned design skills through such courses, books, and self-critique. Online platforms like Skillshare are mentioned as resources for learning typography and design fundamentals.

💡Self-taught

Being self-taught means acquiring knowledge or skills without formal education. The speaker identifies as a self-taught graphic designer, having learned design skills through reading books, taking online courses, and practicing. This concept is relevant to the video's theme of becoming a graphic designer without formal university education.

💡Visual Communication

Visual communication is the conveyance of ideas and information through visual means, such as images, symbols, or graphics. The video script defines graphic design as a form of visual communication, emphasizing its role in organizing and presenting information in an orderly and understandable manner.

💡Mood Board

A mood board is a collection of images, materials, and text that communicates the visual direction of a design project. In the script, the speaker recommends using a mood board app like Mural to save and organize inspirational content, which can be a valuable tool for brainstorming and concept development in graphic design.

💡Squarespace

Squarespace is a website building platform offering templates and tools to create websites. The video features Squarespace as a sponsor and recommends it as an excellent platform for building professional portfolios. The speaker discusses the benefits of using Squarespace for its customizable templates, domain purchasing, and email setup.

Highlights

Introduction to a guide for becoming a graphic designer in 2023 aimed at complete beginners.

The speaker has 10 years of experience as a graphic designer, specializing in logo design.

Self-taught graphic design through books, online courses, and self-critique.

Recommendation to read books for foundational knowledge in graphic design.

Specific book recommendation: 'Fundamentals of Communication' for understanding typography.

Definition of graphic design as visual communication, not just drawing or using Photoshop.

Advice to surround oneself with great work for inspiration.

Use of tools like Mural for creating mood boards and saving inspirational work.

Importance of having a systematic process for graphic design projects.

Example of a design process including mood boarding, mind mapping, and refinement.

Learning the principles and fundamentals of design as a key step in becoming a graphic designer.

Explanation of design principles acronym CRAP: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity.

Importance of a portfolio for showcasing problem-solving skills and design work.

Sponsorship mention of Squarespace as a platform for creating professional portfolios.

Tip to create a portfolio even without client work by using made-up projects.

Use of resources like goodbrief.io and chatgbt to generate creative project briefs.

Learning typography as essential to graphic design for effective visual communication.

Recommendation to use free resources like Skillshare and YouTube to learn typography.

Encouragement for viewers to subscribe for more beginner graphic design content.

Transcripts

hey guys what's going on it's me will

pass and today I'm going to be talking

to you about how to become a graphic

designer in 2023 this video is for

complete beginners anyone who is

thinking or wants to learn about graphic

design what it entails and how to do it

how to make it become a career choice

this is the video for you a little bit

of context I've been a graphic designer

for 10 years I specialize in logo type

design that's word marks I didn't go to

university to learn design I learned it

all kind of I oh I say all by myself but

it's not really but I learned from

reading books doing courses online

studying how to do it and obviously

critiquing myself over time I've worked

for clients such as James Johnny Adobe

Instagram and other ones that I can't

name right now but I will later so if

you're looking to become a graphic

designer but you don't want to go to

university or you just want to do it as

a hobby this video is for you okay so

number one read books sounds really

obvious but there are so many books out

there about graphic design that is

difficult to know which ones to read

I've made a video I'll link it down

below go and check that out it goes into

a bit more detail about the books that

you should read that will help you one

book I can tell you to go and read is

formal communication and that will help

you understand what typography is how it

was sort of created 6 000 years ago and

how it's implemented now it'll give you

a great foundation on what a type does

now and how you can Implement typography

correctly to make your designs look

great but what is graphic design to a

lot of my audience that's a silly

question because we already know but to

the Layman they may not really know do

we just draw pictures all day do we just

mess around in Photoshop yes and no

graphic design is a visual communication

that's kind of like the posters that you

see it's anything that uses type to

convey a message or an illustration that

conveys a message redesign information

which is normally chaotically in The

Ether or this idea and we make it

orderly kind of like in the poster on an

instruction manual number two surround

yourself with great work by that I mean

there are so many inspirational works

out there online there are websites like

bee hunt dribble design inspiration even

Instagram doesn't take a lot to look for

them but when you see one that you like

that inspires you save it I use this

program called Miller note which is

basically a mood boarding app it's kind

of like this online whiteboarding app

that you can use to collaborate with

people take your work that you've seen

online or take that image that has

inspired you to do something and save it

on Miller note a lot of what we do is

graphic designers is take inspiration

and then Implement and mash it up with

other work or ideas so save your work

number three find a processor that works

for you and stick to it graphic design

can be daunting because we don't know

where to start but essentially we all

have a process that we go through

whenever a client comes to us for a logo

design we have a systematic process that

we hold to because we know it works it

generates ideas for us so if you're

worried that you're not creative enough

then don't be this processes that I show

on YouTube or my videos will help you

come up with great ideas naturally in

fact I've got a video down below which

I'll link that will help you understand

my logo design process and how we go

around creating logos and just about any

other design as well an example of a

good process might be taking a client's

email then mood boarding mind mapping

initial sketches refinement presentation

refinement from feedback final

presentation and then boom done that is

a great process this next step is

fundamental in learning graphic design

learn the principles and the

fundamentals there are between five and

seven design principles I Like This

Acronym crap C contrast that is how

bright or dark or how big or small

something is in its form on paper or

wherever it's used to repetition what do

we repeat in our composition or in our

design three alignment what should be

aligned where for proximity where should

groupings be in the design five

appropriateness is the design

appropriate for that industry or that

client for instance you wouldn't use

Comic Sans if you were designing a

poster for a solicitor firm it would

just look hella weird these principles

can be searched for online but I've got

videos that I'll link down below that

will help you understand each of these

principles the best Grabber designs that

you see in the world have spent years

and years training their eye and that

eye comes through experience what may

look good now will look good to you in a

few weeks time I can guarantee you if

you take this seriously you'll start to

see yourself improving at an exponential

rate the next bit of advice is to start

your portfolio a portfolio is a place

where you show off you show your work

and how you solved problems it's not

like a property portfolio it's this is

what I've done and this is how I can

help you if you clicked my website link

down below you will see our work and

that is essentially our online portfolio

now every designer and every person

should have a website to show their work

and their worth Squarespace is

sponsoring today's video because I truly

believe Squarespace to be one of the

best website Builders out there for

everyone with thousands of award-winning

fully customizable templates Squarespace

lets you design the best portfolio or

website that you need for you and your

design work honestly you can make a

portfolio page on that and a contact me

form it's all white label so they won't

know it's from Squarespace you can even

have an online shop on there to make a

little bit of side money if you're

selling design templates for instance

Squarespace is the One-Stop shop you can

buy your domain set up your professional

email from that domain on Squarespace

it's all one great big package and if

you're new to grab a design and you

don't have a portfolio yet you can go

ahead right now by clicking the link and

you can design the website for free and

you get a free trial too which is insane

and when you're ready to publish your

portfolio then that's when you get 10

off by clicking down below or using my

code so thank you Squarespace for

sponsoring this video and making it

happen now if you're saying to yourself

well I can't have a portfolio because I

don't have any clients then don't worry

because when I started my portfolio I

actually had no clients either I just

made up a client and made it very known

that it was made up if we strip back

what a portfolio really is it's a place

where you show how to solve our problems

and to show your work solving problems

is what we do and we need to show

clients that we can clients don't really

care too much about the degree that you

have or the fact that you've worked for

this this and this person they want to

see results on your portfolio of how you

actually do the work that you do that's

how you gain trust so there are two ways

to to get briefs or creative direction

for your project I would always use a

brief though because that's how you can

show a client that you hit and achieve

the goals that were set out in the brief

the first place is goodbrief.io this

place generates priests for you like

Tech briefs logo briefs poster breach

the ux briefs and secondly chat gbt you

can just ask it to create a brief for

you it does a pretty extensive job too

the next tip is to learn typography

typography is King that is everything to

do with graphic design it's all about

communicating you see the way that

people lay out type very important

graphic design is visual communication

learning how to lay out your text layout

type how big the fun should be where

things should be placed how to group

blocks of text together now the best way

is to learn how to use typography

correctly in the softwares is through

courses that you see on skillshare but

also on YouTube channels like and other

people that are linked down below you

can learn it essentially all for free if

you wanted to there are so many

resources out there for you to learn the

fundamentals of graphic design and

layout now if you did enjoy this video

and you would like to learn more about

graphic design let me know down below I

don't post many beginner videos so if

this did help you subscribe to the

channel for more and if you have any

questions leave them in the comments and

I'll do my best to get back to you see

you soon goodbye bye