How to Become a Graphic Designer?
- Thread starter liluyedithyliaam
- Start date
- Mar 28, 2008
- 4,476
- 57,707
I would suggest that you use Adobe Illustrator. As the name says,
it is best for creating objects/illustrations (like vehicles, etc) from scratch.
srb888
Elite Member
- Jul 30, 2008
- 3,304
- 5,290
I have worked as a graphics manager in one of the world's best exhibitions centers, in Riyadh, KSA in the early 1990s. That time, I was using CorelDraw, AutoCAD (with AutoLisp routines I had created), and some other simpler sw to design the graphics (including artistic logo texts).
After creating the very detailed logos, etc, suited to be cut on a vinyl cutting robot, it was then plot/cut with the help of two of the world's best (then) vinyl cutting robots. The trials before that phase were done and tested on a smaller CAD desktop paper plotter to check if the graphics/texts were correct or not (tested on smaller scale), or even replacing the cutting blade with a drawing pen, and replacing the vinyl with paper roll on the actual robot for 1:1 scale or smaller/bigger scale to test before cutting the actual graphics.
Our vinyl cutting plotter robots could cut 1 meter wide vinyls of different qualities (short life, glossy, long life vinyls, etc.). The best quality would normally go on cars and vehicles because only they could withstand the extreme heat of the central desert areas around Riyadh and other places.
We would design and cut graphics for almost all the KSA region exhibition companies, medical etc private shows, for example for shows held in King Faisal hospital (if I remember the name correctly), and various other shows all around KSA and Dubai region. We even did vinyl graphics for top multinationals working in KSA and surrounding areas. I was handling almost all those graphics designing part.
The vinyl cutting robots looked similar to this video. I don't know how wide this particular robot can plot/cut, but we could go full 1 mtr wide, and the vinyl rolls were 50 mtrs in length on much advance and bigger machines/robots even then.
Btw, as the region is well known for its extreme heat and dryness, and that combo produces static electricity like I have never seen before or after, we had to take extreme care of not becoming static electricity balls ourselves, or touching the machine would blow out it's very expensive chips instantaneously. Even by walking around, we were producing high static electricity. Touching the car handle would create a shock, thunder-like sound, and if you're not aware, you'd be almost stunned for a moment! Spraying anti-static electricity liquids on the vinyl very often was the "law" and anyone found breaking it got caught because it would mean some of the machine chips would be blown instantly with a loud crack, lol, and so there were anti-static electricity pads stuck to almost all surfaces inside the production room which we had to touch to transfer all the bad static electricity in our body to them... but it was fun, f.u.n. working there, simple because I loved doing graphics, and almost all the jobs I did HAD to be almost exactly like the originals, and those Arabic logos were the most difficult graphics I ever did!
We were working on almost all the world's top companies/multinationals' adverts, outdoor as well as indoor ads, on their cars and vans, and other graphics they wanted at that time, and everyone wanted to have their graphics ready like yesterday!!! They get vinyl cutouts even for the door enter signs, or even for the Gents/Ladies toilet graphics emblems! Every line they want on the walls, they get them on vinyls. Even wall designs and strips will go on vinyl... Gulf has no shortage of money to spend on such things, you see!
We were having non-stop exhibitions at our own exhibition halls, and we were involved with outside exhibitions etc jobs (there were plenty of those all year around), and we also did those car graphics jobs all year around. So understand what non-stop stress and pressure we in production were facing...
If I had not loved my work as much I did, I would have ran away from it the first month the busy season had started...
Also see:
/watch?v=mBrdnTZI2m0
I could do all those very difficult logos and the Arabic ad texts (I never found out what they said in Arabic even though I was reproducing them almost exactly, and most were 1 mtr tall "logo" texts). That was made possible by keeping the scanned sample as the background and then reconstructing the image over it. lol. BTW, I had used that technique in the first week I joined that company, and was on "trial" for 2 weeks as the 3 bosses (they were brothers) tested my skills by giving me mostly Arabic text logos (those long Arabic text lines done with some artistic font, and even Arabic round texted logos)... If I could reproduce those very difficult designs accurately (all as vector images), then I was sufficiently skilled to stay and work there, or after 2-3 weeks I was supposed to be going back to Bombay with a one-way ticket...
Btw, ALL our graphics were needed to be created as vector graphics for vinyl cutting purpose, so CorelDraw and AutoCAD perfectly fitted the requirement.
I survived, simple because I thought of scanning and keeping the sample as a background image, and then traced over it either using CorelDraw or AutoCAD.... so those two sw were real life-savers for me. PS, Illustrator, etc came much later in my life... I still use Coreldraw and AutoCAD many times in my graphics work, as they gave me an entry into my best years in life, and I would love to stick with them forever! The late 1980s and the 1990s really tested me in my graphics career, and those two sw helped me overcome all obstacles easily.
HTH
Some samples, these designs are similar to what work I did there
:Car branding:
Exhibitions:
Indoor all designs/decals (single or multi color vinyl cut):
Not to forget, all participant companies wanted their flags and national emblems done in vinyl... and in special abstract graphics designed around them. WOW, it was absolutely mind blowing, and we had to produce all those various masterpieces in next to nothing time limits! Especially poor me as I was the chief graphics designer...
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kilebranch
Newbie
- Sep 16, 2015
- 8
- 1
just find inspiration and copy works of top designers on dribbble and behance
Study what the greatest graphic designers have done. Go to the newsstand and pick up some of the top magazines: Vogue, Vanity Fair, Men's Health, Wired, Fast Company, etc. Look at the editorial page designs, the type use, headline treatment, the layout grids they use, sparing use of color (other than images).. also look at their websites. And use examples like those in your design. Also, like the others suggested, you need to learn the tools of the trade: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, plus html, maybe Dreaweaver and Wordpress will come in handy too if you want to build sites.
Guys, Graphic design is a creative process that reaches into everything we do these days?from websites to application interfaces to product packaging, the talented hand of the graphic designer is seen everywhere. It can be a rewarding, challenging career.
Here are some steps for you:
Step one: First you have to decide about your interesting field advertising? web development? multimedia? print design? or animation?
Second Step: Acquire the tools will be Illustrator? Premiere? Photoshop? or others related with these.
Third step is ''Study the pro''
Fourth step is: Research fronts.
Fifth step is "Develop a unique style''
Sixth step is'Gather interesting designs'
Seventh step is 'Don?t throw any of your work away'
Eighth Step is 'Redesign other people?s work'
These are the sample steps of graphic design. For more details you have search about these steps.
Here are some steps for you:
Step one: First you have to decide about your interesting field advertising? web development? multimedia? print design? or animation?
Second Step: Acquire the tools will be Illustrator? Premiere? Photoshop? or others related with these.
Third step is ''Study the pro''
Fourth step is: Research fronts.
Fifth step is "Develop a unique style''
Sixth step is'Gather interesting designs'
Seventh step is 'Don?t throw any of your work away'
Eighth Step is 'Redesign other people?s work'
These are the sample steps of graphic design. For more details you have search about these steps.
Khejhubservices
Newbie
- Apr 7, 2015
- 25
- 0
I Prefer you to take Coruse OF Designing and follow the Rules .
shellshk959
Newbie
- Feb 21, 2016
- 16
- 0
First of all, you should have a very sharp sense for creativity and designs. Next look for the best software for designing, that will fulfill your requirements. Look out for the tutorials. Most importantly, keep practicing and the more you do it, the better you get at designing.
