Graphic Design Roadmap for Beginners in 2024

In the recent times, visualization is becoming a more potent attribute of a digital world than words, making it a widely accepted approach to sustain in this hyper-connected world. This is the main reason behind the recent surge in the graphic designing as career choice of many, and the scope of opportunities that are associated with same. Beyond serving as the visual identities of companies, graphic designers also play a significant role in the media & entertainment industry to different capacities. If you are someone with an eye for aesthetics, and a strong creative mindset then graphic designing would serve as the best career option.

Here’s an article on the complete roadmap for the beginners willing to make their career in graphic designing in 2024.

Before we get started, here’s a brief illustration of some of the key tasks that are performed by graphic designers, and what is the essence of this job role. The common tasks performed are defined below-:

• Logo designing-: It is one of the primitive tasks performed by graphic designers, which accounts for creating illustrations and logos responsible for branding purposes.
• Marketing -: The role in this business function is associated with designing brochures, flyers and advertisements collaterals.
• Digital media space-: The role emerges as a boon for the digital marketing space which feeds on video-based content across social media platforms, websites and mobile applications.
• Media & Entertainment Industry-: Computer Graphics Imagery (CGI), stands as the first instance when the media industry was the first to recognize the significance of this profession in `blending imagination with reality.

Now, since we’ve got some basic understanding of generic roles corresponding to graphic designers let’s see.

The first step in progressing towards this career is making a choice for the mode or type of graphic designing role that may lie ahead, and which ultimately accordingly the gateway of opportunities for the beginners.  Here’s a list of the roles that any aspiring graphic designer may choose from while making this decision-:

• In-House Graphic Designer-: This type of graphic designer professionals is generally employed by established brands or companies to make up for their long term design ideas and strategies. Their task varies from designing marketing campaigns to the compilation of annual reports. This profile is suitable for someone with a strong understanding of design skills and adherence to the company’s brand style as well as the audience. The role usually requires someone with a decent experience in similar role.
• Agency Designers-: This offers a fast-paced learning environment for the designers; as the projects offered to such agencies by clients are usually short-term projects catering to targeted campaigns. Agency designers are required to work with colleagues showing exceptional skills in design, which means that expectation for stellar design would be high. Thus, this role is again suitable for beginners who are willing to learn from established designers.
• Freelance Designers-: This belongs to a bunch of highly self-motivated designers who can manage every aspect of their business, from client handling to the issuance of invoices, by themselves. Working as freelance graphic designer would not just leave endless freedom to you but also give you immense opportunity of marketing yourself. Thus, even if you are a beginner or a seasoned designer this role is a good start for those who are good at managing other administrative tasks.

Here’s a step-by-step breakup of the key resources that would help beginners alike in making a step closer to the end objective of becoming a graphic designer-:

• Familiarity with graphic design principles-:  The first step towards becoming a graphic designer is having a deeper understanding of the design principles and design elements that form the foundational aspect of every design sequence. For instance, design elements like typography, contrast, shapes, color and harmony collectively resonate with tone of the message that is conveyed trough visuals. These elements combined are responsible for either evoking or not an emotional response from the audience regarding the graphic.
• Enrolling in graphic designing course: Besides offering perspective on the fundamentals of the design techniques, joining a graphic design course equip with the practical utility of concepts like color theory, typography, layout and a hands-on learning experience of the industry-specific software modules. Not limited to this, joining a design course would also give the networking opportunity with industry veterans and peers to work in a collaborative environment.  These institutes also impart familiarity with graphic designing tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Photoshop and Frame maker.
• Developing a work portfolio: Lastly, a strong portfolio is testament to the degree of creativity that is showcased by an artist throughout their professional journey. Thus, post joining a designing institute one must curate a work specific portfolio that allows potential employers to be acquainted with the design skills of individuals.

This section addresses the most sought-after question before attempting any graphic design course. Looking at the disruptive change that design industry is experiencing, one must be prepared for the opportunities ahead of the event taking place. But, what’s in for the graphic design course in 2024? It is no surprise that UI/UX is a sub-discipline of graphic design and despite that it got widely accepted in leveraging the present-day marketing endeavors.

Likewise,’ Mobile-first’ approach, is one of trendiest topics these days mandating the role of user-friendly interfaces on mobile devices since mobile devices emerged as the first choice of users for their daily needs. Thus, becoming skilled at delivering exceptional UI/UX journey across multiple channels has become one of the sought after graphic designing skills.  This brings us to the end of this article, where it recommends the readers taking up UI/UX course for staying ahead of the current industry trend and making the most of the situation.