Long up-hill battle...but I am ready!...I think!

[PrintDriver]

Don't waste your money at this stage getting Adobe Certified.
Wait until you actually have a use for it.

[<b>]

Originally Posted by Chris921200

...right now my main short term goal (next few months) while introducing myself to design is to get Adobe certified in Photoshop Indesign and illustrator...

That will be just about as useful as being certified by Gibson or Fender in playing the electric guitar.

It's important to learn the various apps in the CS suite, but getting a certificate from Adobe means nothing as far as any design ability goes. Anyone with reasonable intelligence can learn how to use Adobe software, but the software apps are just tools — it's the design talent in using those tools that counts.

If a goal of getting certified serves as an incentive to learn the apps, great. It certainly won't hurt. For that matter, having "Adobe certified" on your resume, might work in your favor if you apply for a production-oriented job where speed is more important than design ability.

[Chris921200]

hmm, great!that saved me the $150/test, learning things like crazy on here!

[PanToshi]

You may find the suggestions in this old post helpful.

What should a beginner like me do other than read design books and ad magazines, which programs should i start learning first and on my own?

In addition to the many helpful suggestions others have given you, you could:
1. Take a few drawing classes. Figure drawing as well as object. No money for a class? Draw anyway. Draw objects in your house. Draw people on the bus. Draw your dog. Do 5 minute sketches, not rendered masterpieces. Draw thousands of sketches. Draw hundreds of thousands of sketches. Get familiar with shape, perspective, proportion, dimension, light and shadow.

2. Go to museums. Look at art and design; from prehistoric to modern. No money to go to museums? No museums in your town? You are in luck. There is a wealth of information available to you on the internet or in your local library or book store.

3. Have a camera? Start using it all the time. All the time. You will learn how to "see", which will ultimately help you compose better.

4. Start a morgue-file. Basically it is a folder that you fill with design you like. Ripped out magazine ads, flyers picked up from around town, etc. I would also keep a digital folder of photographs you take of type, signs, billboards, menus, whatever you see that you like. Then go through them and really think about what it is you like about them, and then analyze if the advertising/marketing message is successful.

5. Read. Not just books about art and design. Many good creative concepts are plays on history, science, culture, current events, etc. Know the latest song before it hits the top 40 charts, be able to conjure up a commercial for hemorrhoid cream using allegory or metaphor, create imagery that hasn't been imagined yet for a new fuel-emission technology; you get the gist.

6. Regarding learning programs: I have seen lynda.com recommended here.

As PD said, it's a very tough industry out here. Before current economic woes, it was tough to get an junior AD job in an Advertising Agency. Now, it is even tougher. You will be competing for entry level jobs with more seasoned professionals willing to take massive pay cuts to be gainfully employed. Your skills will be scrutinized and if you're lucky enough to get a job, stretched to the limit. You will be expected to uphold professional standards from the day you start. There is no leeway for being "a beginner" or "just starting out". You will be expected to work quickly and effectively, and in my experience, perfectly.

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/fo...2&postcount=22

[PanToshi]

Originally Posted by Chris921200

Quote by PanToshi
Why are you drawn to "doing something creative" (your subsequent comment about "bringing things to life" does not really answer this question).

Why this "something creative"? Why have you decided that graphic design is the "something creative" for you? (Versus let's say, writing/interior design/illustration/film/etc.) Why do you "feel" this? What lead you to this conclusion and why?

For the "doing something creative" i really can not give you a straight answer on this right now, in a few months perhaps i can, but its really just a gut instinct that this is the direction i want to go in life and i have had it the past few months.

Those other options could be future options to me down the line, but one thing at a time, if i turn out to be very good at design, then i would love to see where that could take me

FYI: Having graphic design skills does not lead to the different career tracks mentioned.

[Chris921200]

Originally Posted by PanToshi

FYI: Having graphic design skills does not lead to the different career tracks mentioned.

Thank you for that link to that thread, very helpful!

Yea, I mean my thought process is more along the lines of that if i can learn this successfully from scratch, then i would have that confidence to learn almost anything from scratch

But on the topic, what careers can graphic design help lead into, if i wanted to build off this somewhere down the line??

Again, sorry for all the questions, but im glad i found a good place to get some info i can trust

[Chris921200]

Okay a little update on my plans. I have seen a lot of good reviews of drawing on the right side of the brain, so i bought it the other day and it came today and begun to read it and will purchase all the equipment suggested in the book i need over the weekend.
With this, my hope is to first tackle my issue of not being able to draw (i mean that as Ive never really tried it (story of my life), so saying that would be equivalent to saying i can not ride a motorcycle (someday!..)) but i I digress..

My thinking is to first focus all of my time on learning to draw on paper (while learning about the types of perceptions), then perhaps taking an actual class on art theory, perceptions, etc, while learning the adobe programs (PS, AI InDesign) then go from there to perhaps pursing an actual degree? Thoughts??

[jujumui]

Originally Posted by Chris921200

Glad to hear other people have been in same situation as me, so right now my main short term goal (next few months) while introducing myself to design is to get Adobe certified in Photoshop Indesign and illustrator, is this a good step to take? or should i wait on this and take classes first??

I think people who get Adobe certification usually lean towards the teaching route. Unless you want to teach programs, I think its a waste of money.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty broke and don't have 100k lying around for another art degree, which is why I suggested volunteering / landing internships instead of going back to school and dropping all that money. Seriously, in this industry, it doesn't matter what degree you have. If you have a solid portfolio, you will land gigs. Period. And the beauty of it is, its totally doable if you are motivated enough to learn on your own. When I left my last internship, I heard the guy who took my spot afterwards was a MFA grad...which is crazy cuz I merely took classes on the side. Portfolio is all that matters!!!

Sounds like you're heading in the right track by learning drawing, art history, color theory, etc. Take some classes on the side, volunteer in your spare time, and you'll succeed =)

[PanToshi]

Originally Posted by jujumui

I think people who get Adobe certification usually lean towards the teaching route. Unless you want to teach programs, I think its a waste of money.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty broke and don't have 100k lying around for another art degree, which is why I suggested volunteering / landing internships instead of going back to school and dropping all that money. Seriously, in this industry, it doesn't matter what degree you have. If you have a solid portfolio, you will land gigs. Period. And the beauty of it is, its totally doable if you are motivated enough to learn on your own. When I left my last internship, I heard the guy who took my spot afterwards was a MFA grad...which is crazy cuz I merely took classes on the side. Portfolio is all that matters!!!

Sounds like you're heading in the right track by learning drawing, art history, color theory, etc. Take some classes on the side, volunteer in your spare time, and you'll succeed =)

I should just let Cosmo chime in here... but acquiring an entry-level position without 4-yr degree AND real-world experience AND a stellar portfolio, is a thing of the past – at least in my area of design.

Juju, have you managed to get a job using this method recently – recently meaning in the last 4-5- years? And by job, I do not mean 'freelancing'.

[jujumui]

Originally Posted by PanToshi

I should just let Cosmo chime in here... but acquiring an entry-level position without 4-yr degree AND real-world experience AND a stellar portfolio, is a thing of the past – at least in my area of design.

Juju, have you managed to get a job using this method recently – recently meaning in the last 4-5- years? And by job, I do not mean 'freelancing'.

What area of design are you in PanToshi? I'm still pretty new in this industry (a year of part-time school, dropped out, 1/2 year of internships), so I haven't been applying to full-time jobs. I have landed internships, 2 so far...1 of which I quit (could have led to a permanent position later), and now another internship which could also become a permanent position.

My background, like Chris, is more business-y. And from my experience, the people that have liked my portfolio actually liked this. It was different. It might be different in other places, but here in the Bay Area (the land of startups), it doesn't seem too difficult to land an entry-level position with just the stellar portfolio alone.