How many hours per day can you work on your design skills?
Hi 93RyanB, just to be in a positive thinking, the first thing that you need to know is to stop saying “I am not an Artist”, Graphic Designers in some way are Artist but in an different way … we need to Look, give Analysis and Examine Graphic Design. May be you can say is that “I don’t have experience” and this comes with studying, training and gaining experience. We don’t need to be an Artist to become a experience Graphic Designer. Even a designer don’t need to be a painter or great drawer, just to draw what a customer wants or guide a customer the best way.
Hi Joe, I might be able to manage 2-3 hours a day
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Thank you for this. Yes, I have heard that non artists can be graphic designers. And I guess that applies even more today with AI
Graphic design is a strategic, tactical communication profession.
What happens when you read a book? Do you see what happens?
Suggestion:
If you don’t yet think in images but want to think in images, I would say, create images in order to think in images.
Draw and/or paint by hand (take analog photographs).
Use your 2-3 hours for this. Soon you will feel the flow.
In addition adjust your leisure activities: Focus on visually demanding, aesthetically high-quality/interesting films, books, exhibitions, events.
And once I finish my time machine, I will go back exactly one day farther and try to talk you out of that.
The design business is not what it once was. A flooded marketplace, people willing to work for next-to-nothing, templates and AI enabling would-be clients to take a DIY approach, hobbyist with cheap or free software, contest / crowdsourcing sites, a “good enough is good enough” attitude have all eroded the design business.
If you are good with words and have the ability to easily grasp scientific concepts, I think there has to be a better career path for you than graphic design.
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Once I built my time machine, I’d go back to school to become an accountant. I’d be a raving bore, with money.
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I have a feeling that at least writers, financial clerks, financial specialists and personal financial advisers will be replaced by AI sooner than (good) designers.
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I just have one question, something about you (nothing personal, I just want to know one thing about yourself) do you know how to draw ? or painting with water colors or any paint liquid ?
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For clarity, I do believe there will continue to be demand for high quality designers and that AI won’t completely erase the field (not yet, at least). The point that I was making was the incredible number of threats designers face, and any SWOT analysis would include AI.
To your point, I did not think about AI’s impact on writing when I made my comment. Good thing to consider when planning a career.
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I’m not as good at it as I’d like to be. 
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There are a few things I can draw quite well.
- Money from the bank.
- Blood.
- A blank.
- Water from the well.
- A wrong conclusion.
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The best quote I have ever heard came from an old artist who told me when I was 12 years old, “You learn to draw by drawing” and learn to paint by painting.
I suppose one could learn art at 45, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I knew I was an artist when I was 5 and wanted to earn my living as an artist, and I was better than most at my age, getting better and better with every passing year. By the time I was 16 I could take a pencil in each hand and write forward with my right hand and backward with my left hand simultaneously. They say that means I am a dual-brained person. At 19 I was already a television Art Director. I am now retired after a successful 50 year career as an Advertising Creative.
So what does all this mean to you? Probably nothing. But i guess what I’m saying is at 45 you might be better off at your age by concentrating on what you already do best while you dabble in art as a hobby. It’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.
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Sorry Joe, mistyped this question was for 93RyanB and I am going to write again ! and I apologize you for the confuse !
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Hi 93RyanB this question is for you : something about you (nothing personal, I just want to know one thing about yourself) do you know how to draw ? or painting with water colors or any paint liquid ?. I am curious in that detail … then I will explain why my question.
I’m not quite sure what I mean by that, but I used to have a good friend who was an editorial cartoonist. He could draw anything he wanted purely from memory. That’s a nice skill to have, but it isn’t necessary to become a designer. For that matter, I know good designers who don’t draw at all. Still, I think many graphic designers were originally interested in art because of some baic drawing skill (that was the case with me), then got sidetracked into design.
I think basic talent can be refined and enhanced, but if that innate ability isn’t there, I’m not sure it can be learned.
Are you confusing art with design? There’s a significant overlap, but they’re not the same. Fine art is often done for the sake of doing it. It’s a personal exploration of how the artists want to express themselves. Graphic design isn’t like that. Design relies heavily on a combination of analytical and artistic skills to solve visual problems for clients.
Good design is easy to spot since it depends on how well it solves the problem, which usually involves, but isn’t limited to, aesthetics. Visual fine art is more difficult to judge since it depends on the artist’s intended objective. If an artist wants to draw a realistic picture of a dog, the success of the drawing can be judged by its realism. Modern art is more complicated because it often depends on… well, I could go off on a tangent, so I’ll stop.
If that basic innate talent and interest are there, those things can be learned. And I’d be willing to bet that you’re not giving yourself enough credit. Would you paint a toddler’s bedroom walls and ceiling with fluorescent orange paint with big emerald green polka-dots? Probably not, since the kids would probably have nightmares and develop a psychological illness. Instead, a soft blue might work out a bit better.
We’re all like that, but with schooling and experience, graphic designers learn to set aside their personal favorites and use their analytical skills to create something more appropriate for the job at hand.
Drawing ability is a valuable skill, but there are plenty of great graphic designers who aren’t good at drawing (or sculpting, weaving, pottery, or interior design).
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I spent six years in university coursework learning how to see without a single class on using a computer. Of course, graphics software wasn’t available when I was in college, but all things considered, I’m probably better off for it because, as you said, learning the software is the easy part. Learning to see is much more difficult.
If you have a strong interest, I suspect you’re totally capable of that, but you need to focus on learning to see rather than spending all your time on software. I haven’t checked to see if they’re available, but look for online classes on design rather than classes on design software. As @Steve_O said, graphic design is an incredibly competitive field, where the business dynamics are changing in ways that stress low-cost instead of high-quality. However, if you’re aiming to do this as a hobby, it’s totally doable (to an extent).
One other thing… Have you heard of the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain? If not, please buy a copy. The book is about learning to draw by shifting your perception from the analytical, verbal, and symbolic left-brain processing to the more intuitive, visual, and spatial processing of the right brain. Whether brain hemispheres have anything to do with it, I don’t know. Still, the idea of setting aside analytical thinking and embracing a more intuitive approach will leave your stick figures in the rear-view mirror.
This.
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Look 93RyanB I hope you will get my point now … I am a Graphic Designer and we all are Graphic Designers and Graphics Designers are artists !, (Graphic Design is an kind of different art but just following the rules, knowledge and practicing). You keep saying “I am not an artist” or “non artist”, when you say that then you are just blocking yourself to become as a Graphic Designer. Even some artist get famous just drawing doodles! and I hope this helps you about for not saying “I am not an artist”.
Thanks so much for all the responses, I appreciate it so much. I will reply properly when I get a moment…
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