I’m new to graphic design and have come here to learn. I did an art degree 20 years ago (emphasis in photography, and collage) and have been very active for the last couple years making what I call ‘digital collage’ on Photoshop.
Beginning of last year I took a 6 month course on Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I’ve been suffering for 5 years now with low-paying, manual labor jobs as a non-English teaching foreigner living in the boondocks of Japan and have been hoping to improve my lot by transitioning into a job as a graphic designer.
Yesterday, I got hired for a graphic designer position at an architectural firm. The job is a 3 month trial position basically making marketing materials like flyers and brochures. My Illustrator skills are pretty low. Right now I’m looking to power cram on Youtube tutorials videos on Illustrator and InDesign. The job starts in 3 weeks.
What other things would be good to study to prepare?
For your job preparation, apart from the graphic design skills, I would recommend spending some time to hone your understanding of the audiences their MarCom department is targeting and also to check out what the competition is putting out there.
It sounds like you equate graphic design with learning how to operate the software, but effective graphic design is built on research. Know the business, the competition, the clientele, and then investigate how graphic design product plays a role in successes and failures. Understanding the context of the position, the business objectives of the firm, and the attitudes within the target audience will be keys to succeeding past the trial period.
Not exactly. I think graphic design is 2D design in a marketing/advertising context. The software is just the tool, I know, but I have to know how to use it well. Thank you for your advice.
