Seeking to improve your skills is always good idea. This is even more relevant, when it comes to ever evolving craft like design. Whether you are looking for a “quick fix” or prefer to take a more long-term approach to improving your design skills, you need to start somewhere. It is important to keep in mind that there is no universal strategy of improvement. Depending on their style and current skill level, designers may need to focus on different things to improve. Choose the approach that fits you best and you are most comfortable with. Here are some tools, courses, and techniques to help you become a better graphic designer.
Create your blog
Every great designer has their own space where they can practice their work. Running a blog will give you a place to publish all your works and share them with the world. Feedback from your followers and people who visit the blog will help you get an outside perspective on your projects. You do not necessarily need to be a great writer to run a good blog. In case you wish to fill your blog with interesting texts, there are plenty of professional writers who will be happy to lend a hand. EssayPro is a platform that works with some of the best essay writers in the world. This is where you can get top-level content at affordable prices. You can buy a perfect essay for your blog there.
Get yourself a sketching tool
Every house is built from a foundation. Every design is developed from sketch. And having a sketching tool is always a great idea. A pencil and a piece of paper are great tools. Vectr is an excellent tool to create sketches on your computer. It is simple to use and it is browser-compatible, which means you do not need to install it on your computer. With Vector you can create lots of simple designs any time you have access to internet. This is also a great tool to help you with a small side project like creating logos or business cards. You will also have time to practice working with vector graphics using this software.
AdobeSpark
If you are a beginner graphic designer, AdobeSpark is a great tool to create graphics, pictures, videos, and more. It is an easy to use tool that even non-designers can quickly get a hang of. Its simplicity is what makes it great for beginner graphic designers. As a beginner designer, you may have not yet mastered more complex software like Photoshop, CorelDraw, or Illustrator. AdobeSpark is a great tool to get your ideas out and turn them into design projects.
Take a design crash course
Whether you are a newbie or already have experience in design, taking a graphic design course is a great idea. A crash course is a way to learn something new and help you sharpen your skills. Coursera is an online platform where you can take pretty much any university course. University professors and top experts deliver the lectures in their respective fields. Essentially, it is an online university. As with any field of study, there is a lot of material on Coursera about graphic design. Both, beginner and experienced designers will find the lectures helpful. This is where you can study subjects like Theory of Design that will help improve your understanding of your craft.
Coursera courses can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. If you plan on taking a course here, this may not be the fastest way to become a better designer. Yet, it is a great investment into the future of your graphic designer career.
Devian Art
Inspiration is a vital part of any creative person’s life. Regardless of their talent, people need inspiration to create something great. Anyone can find themselves running short on inspiration. Whether you are a graphic design guru or new to the craft, at times it may be harder to create quality content. In times when you need to get inspired, a community like DevianArt can be a great source of what you are looking for. It is a go to place for all designers when it comes to getting new ideas for your new project. You can also interact with other designers, share feedback, and post your work there. Intake of information replenishes the inspiration, be it in visual, audio, or any other form. This is why we can get inspired by pretty much anything. There is plenty of visual information on DevianArt and anytime is a great time to check it out.
GainBuzz
Plan on becoming an ad creator? Perhaps you are already are creating advertisements? Check out GainBuzz. This is a platform like DevianArt, but, this one focuses on advertising design. You will find plenty of advertising related content. Use it to create catchier and more original advertisements. If you are into creating advertisements, you will find yourself at home there.
Make a Gif
Learning to make animated pictures can prove to be a fun distraction. Or it can also turn into another side project. You never know. A great tool to start making GIFs from scratch is Make a Gif. It is a GIF maker that gives a user options to choose from when making GIF images. With Make a Gif you can make GIFs from screenshots, videos (including YouTube), and even premade GIFs. The website also provides free image hosting, so once you make your GIF you can link to it directly from the website’s gallery. The best part about this GIF maker is that it is free.
These are ways to improve your graphic design skills. They only differ in approach. While some of them will net you quick results, like AdobeSpark, other may need a bit more time. For instance, creating a blog, is not usually something done overnight. Pick the ones that suit you most, keep in mind, that you are free to follow every advice from this article if you feel like it. All the above mentioned ways are going to improve your graphic design skills.