Updated April 14, 2023
Introduction to Graphic Designer Assistant
To create a two-hour film filled with gripping scenes with unimaginable sequences and visual effects that you have never seen before, a Graphic Designer Assistant is a wizard in disguise! You must have heard often that ‘A Picture explains a story better than words ever can’. This is the sole motto for Graphic Designer Assistants.
Graphic design is the field where graphic designer assistant brings their creative geniuses in all forms and features, be it news, advertising, or entertainment in print publications or digital and broadcast media such as television, web browsers, social platforms, and portable devices or giving you real-life experience in the gaming machines. Designing is a work of art, and a Graphic Designer assistant makes it look exquisite.
Here are 10 guidelines you must follow if you aspire to become a successful Graphic Designer Assistant:
- Start with the basics, and decide your field of interest.
- Choose the media you are most comfortable working with.
- Expose yourself to the tools required as early as possible.
- Read about it.
- Take a course; you will need a degree.
- Originality is the key.
- Create the best portfolio for marketing your skills.
- Learn the basics of the Business, and get yourself an internship.
- Be bold and start your own business.
- Be open to alternatives and make strategies accordingly.
These tasks might seem daunting but are pretty easy and simple in reality. The rule is simple- Do what you love!
Steps for Becoming a Graphic Designer Assistant
Below are the steps you need to follow to become a Graphic Designer Assistant:
1. Start with the basics, decide your field of interest
It’s an obvious fact that you cannot be a designer if you don’t know how to design. Realization of your talent is the first step; it cannot be skipped.
Explore the field, descend yourself into the history of graphic designing, and identify what appeals to you because once you study it, you will come to know that there are plenty of options to choose from.
Graphic designing is the tree that branches out into the following sub-categories:
- Web Design
- Animation
- Branding and Advertisements
- Commercial Print Designing
- Publication Designing
- Multimedia Designing
- Typography
- Logos
If you are in high school and a bit confused, don’t worry. This is the time to experiment, change your choices, and dig deep into it because only then can you completely be sure about what you are good at and what your field of interest is.
Once the decision is made, don’t procrastinate. Move forward; this is just the beginning of a long journey.
2. Choose the media you are most comfortable working with
Now, this is crucial. The media you work with sets up the stage for your future in graphic design.
If it is the paper that you love, print designing is the medium for you. Work within your comfort zone. Communicating with the targeted audience of print media is the traditional way of designing and is still quite alive even though the technology is taking over the world. The advantage of long-lasting, engaging a greater audience, and knowing its credibility has kept the print media alive and has become a favorable choice for those who are not what we call ‘Tech Geeks’.
3. Expose yourself to the tools required as early as possible
Done with the decision-making and getting accustomed to your domain of work, then move forward, don’t just stop there. Get the tools you need and start working on them as early as possible because the more you work with them, the better designer you become.
Don’t forget that there is competition in every field, and graphic designing is one of the trending ones if you wish to excel in it, you need to sharpen your graphic design skills.
So know your tools and work them out. Designers are incomplete without them.
4. Read about it
Seriously, read as much as you can about graphic design. It is the best way to master the art. The following books must find a place in your bags:
- The Elements of Graphic Design.
- Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout.
- How to be a Graphic Designer, Without Losing Your Soul.
And never hesitate to read about it online as well. There are loads of information available from a variety of sources. You must never stop gathering.
5. Take a course, you will need a degree
Put a Seal on it! Get yourself admitted to a good college and earn a degree. It will help you get a good job in the future and provide a much-needed experience to put on your resume and enhance your portfolio. The duration of the course varies, and it completely depends on you. A course designed for a shorter period of a few weeks, six months, or a year won’t give a very in-depth education, just the basics. The two-year and four-year programs are ideal for those looking to pursue graphic design as their profession in the future genuinely.
To be good at what you do takes time, so take some time out and enroll yourself for a longer duration program and develop your skills as much as you can.
6. Originality is the key
It is obvious, isn’t it? If your style already exists in the market, why would you be hired?
Believe in yourself; you have your own unique style. Don’t let the pressure of getting chosen and doing well change your creativity. Always remember, only you are the master of your thoughts. Don’t let fear, pressure, and failure cloud your instincts and judgments.
Edwin Land once said – “The essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”
Just write this down on a page and paste it on the wall in front of you and let these words inspire you!
7. Create the best portfolio to market your skills
Now, let the market know how good you are in your field. Create a portfolio featuring your best work. You are your best critic. If any design of yours doesn’t make you 100% happy, don’t feature it. Always start your portfolio with the most creative of your work, the one that showcases the skills you have acquired in your learning process, but never forget to put your best work at the end as well.
8. Learn the basics of the business, start doing an internship
There are a lot of options open for a graphic designer animator. If you have always dreamt of starting your own business and being self-employed, knowing your job as a graphic designer animator will never be enough. You must know how to build and run a business well. Your legal contract, tax filing policies, and the continuous inflow of new projects are just the basics of running a successful business.
9. Be bold and start your own business
Being an employee in a successful enterprise can be a real learning experience. But remember what I said in the beginning, don’t cease to move forward! Gather up all your courage and start your own firm. You have everything you need. Take a leap of faith and be brave. You were born to lead. Self-employed is the best employment. You are innovative and creative, with all the skills set of a graphic designer. Start your own business; you can do it!
10. Be open to options and make strategies accordingly
In your working environment, you will always end up facing clients who are not at all clear about the product they desire. What they want is a professional to work for them in order to achieve whatever ‘it’ is that they want to achieve. In situations like these, it is your job to be open to all the possible options and present them to your clients to get a clearer picture of them. You need to adapt quickly and plan your strategies according to the situation and, of course, your client.
To stand out from the crowd, be unique in your planning. There are a lot of prominent designers out there; you have to outshine them all.
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