How To Make Art School Work For You - by Michael Long

When I was in school I had a graphic design professor - a very smart individual who graduated from Yale and whose expertise was fonts. I spent two hours a day for an entire semester building fonts with a pencil and a clipboard. As the professor did not know how to use a computer, he did not require any of his students to either. This class was boring, but what was worse is that it was completely useless.
Rarely is a real company going to pay for a font. They are going to pay for business cards, logos, web sites, CDROMs and commercials but not a font. Many professors at prestigious schools with good reputations are relics of a past age. Graphic design requires technology, and technologies change and adapt. Oftentimes those that teach graphic design remain stagnant and enforce archaic concepts and methods. Academic graphic design is much closer to fine art than commercial graphic design (the type that makes money).
Avoid classes with names like “The History of Byzantine Graphic Design,” “The Stencil as Design Tool” or “Dimension in Design.”
You should design your schedule around your portfolio, your web site and your resume. The best classes are those that teach software and can provide tangible art that employers will want to see. Look at the want ads and then look at your schedule. If the class teaches or requires Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Flash, or HTML then take it immediately. Look for teachers who have worked in the world of graphic design and understand concepts like deadlines, client needs, and real world application.
The most important way to jumpstart your career is by establishing a web site early and constantly adding to it and improving it. Your web site should be the crown jewel of your arts education. If you can improve the site each year by adding flash animation or streaming video then you will have a job magnet when you are ready to graduate.
A college degree is a wonderful thing to have, but sometimes software certification is more important for finding a job. A Flash developer certification from Macromedia can lead to a job much faster than a graphic design degree from even the best university. Software certification can open doors that a degree cannot. You have four years of art school to learn and improve yourself. You will never again have the time and resources to pursue certifications. The best part is that you can probably receive academic credit for anything that you do if you just fill out a little of the correct paperwork.

Michael Long seattle flash designer currently works in Seattle WA. Sponsored by: Indianapolis Art Schools Digital

How To Get A Graphic Design Job After Art School - by Michael Long

After four years of art school and countless portfolio reviews, late nights in the computer lab, and enough espresso to kill an elephant, I made the worst mistake of my life. I graduated. Most art schools make it appear that your degree will immediately lead into a fulfilling career in which you can make your own hours, explore your artistic passions and collect a sizeable paycheck. Art schools perpetuate this myth because it makes them money - your money. The truth is that graphic design is a highly competitive field and only those with both talent and the ability to market their work will have any chance of achieving their dreams.
Many talented graphic designers get discouraged, as they are turned away from jobs that they want. Unfortunately, most design schools do not provide the real world experience.
Graphic designers are hired through online portfolios.
In ten years of graphic and web design I would estimate that I have found 90% of my jobs online. I have often heard young designers complain about the time and energy that goes into building a great web site. You may be reluctant to invest the effort when you could be sending out resumes instead.
Would you hire someone who has never driven a car to fix your car? Why would anyone hire a web designer that doesn’t have a web site? An online portfolio is easy for recruiters to use and they will usually ask to see your work before you can get an interview.
Develop skills that complement graphic design.
Take a look at the graphic design jobs in the paper. You will see words like HTML, Microsoft Office, _Javascript, and copywriting as required skills. It takes time for talented graphic design students to become talented graphic designers. Employers hire to fill needs and solve problems. If you can fill multiple needs and solve multiple problems then the employer will often take a second look. Because design is so competitive, employers are often quick to hire and quicker to fire. Employers rarely fire someone they can’t live without. Make yourself indispensable. If you are the only one in the office that knows how to use a spreadsheet or change the web site then your life span could be a lot longer.
Software skills pay bills
“Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Freehand, PC, Mac” - these are the most common terms in graphic design want ads. Software is the lifeblood of any modern design company and companies need people that know how to use multiple software applications. Even if you are not creating comps for the client you will still have a job if you are the only one that knows how to put them into Flash for the presentation. Computer skills are of equal importance to artistic skills.
Do the job even if you can’t get the job
When I started out, the two phrases I heard the most were “under-qualified” and “inexperienced”. So how do you handle this type of rejection? If you really want the job, then ask for three days to work on part of the project. If the employer really needs a great flash presentation for an auto site then bring one that you created with you on your next visit. Even if you don’t give the employer exactly what they want, they will be impressed with your effort. Everyone respects hard work, initiative and dedication.
Look for the back door
Every company has a back door to the design department. It may be an administrative assistant job or stuffing envelopes in a corner office or a file clerk. If you can get near the graphic design department and make friends, then sooner or later you can lend a hand. Volunteer for the job that you really want in your free time and eventually you will have the job that you really want.
Get over yourself
Art school is a very different place from an office building. At art school you can make a statement, become political, and follow your dreams. These same attributes may get you fired in an office building. I’ve interviewed talented designers who told me in interviews that they have some reservations about working in “corporate America” and would prefer a small environmentally conscious company that supports indigenous rights and vegan dietary needs. Maybe somewhere deep in the Amazon there is a group of graphic designers making $50,000 a year with full benefits, but I’ve never met them. If you don’t want the job then don’t apply for it. Most companies are not going to hire someone who lectures them in interviews.

Michael Long seattle flash designer currently works in Seattle WA. Sponsored by: Indianapolis Art Schools Digital

How To Build a Successful Graphic Design Buisness - by Katrina Rauch

Being in the graphic design business is very competitive - you have to learn to swim or you will sink fast. I’ve been a graphic designer for 12 years and I’d like to share the journey I took to owning and building a successful graphic design business.

One of the first things I recommend to help develop skills and learn tricks that you would never learn in school is to get an internship. I got my first taste of graphic design in high school and by my senior year I was working as an intern for a small graphic design firm and also a print shop. I took an active role in my job to learn as much as possible by asking lots of questions to the senior creative director and also to the head print shop pressman. My skills and thirst for design blossomed from there. I majored in graphic design in college and had landed a very high profile graphic design internship and was taught a vast amount of tricks of the trade by highly skilled designers.

The next thing I would recommend is to read. Read as many books as you can find on graphic design and soak up as much of the industry as you can from the people who know it best. A friend of mine always says that the only thing that makes you stand out from your competition is the knowledge you gain from the books that you read. I am a visual learner, so for me I like to collect books that are informational as well as provide examples. I use design books as inspiration for a lot of the graphic design work that I do.

Having confidence in your ability and being able to apply that to your business is essential to your business success. When I first started my business, I was nervous, but confident in my ability to run my business with class. I plunged right in with both feet by developing a business plan, company name, web site and logo. Once I had the logistics in place I began the tedious task of marketing. Marketing is the hardest part of owning a small business and takes immense amounts of confidence and strength of character to do well, but if done effectively it will catapult your business to success.

Sell, sell, sell. Building a successful graphic design business is all about selling and marketing yourself. You can never stop selling, no matter how busy you are, you have to keep marketing in the forefront of your mind. Every person you meet is a possible client. Every contact you make has a sphere of influence that might need your services, and every vendor you work with might know someone who needs your help. Some practical ways I have marketed my business is by: joining my local Chamber of Commerce, building a strong web site that is correctly optimized, adding numerous reciprocal links to my web site, handing out business cards that function as a mini brochure, joining a leads group, joining special interest clubs, attending business expo’s and conventions, and networking with other business professionals. The key to marketing your business effectively is to become well known in your community by attending any and all networking opportunities you have. Marketing is all about building relationships with others and then capitalizing on the opportunity to sell your graphic design services.

Customer service is key to your success. The clients you gain and the customer service they receive from you is imperative to your success. I’ve learned from my clients that they appreciate a quick response from me all the time. I recommend that you be available to your clients by email, phone and fax at all times. I make a special effort to respond via email to my clients within 2 hours 6 days a week. I try to return phone calls even sooner if at all possible, even if it’s only to say that you received their call and will get back to them a little later. Every client has a sphere of influence and their referral will be dependant on the customer service they receive from you at all times. A prompt response is a good indication of solid design work and will give your client confidence in your services. If your client has a pleasurable experience with you they will happily refer you on to all the people around them. In the beginning, referrals are the quickest way to build your business on solid ground and with minimal costs.

The last thing I’d recommend is to keep your costs to a minimum as much as you can. I’ve built my business by starting out working from my home. The great thing about graphic design is the ability to do the job from the comfort of your home and this is a great way to minimize costs. Operate on a debt free basis, paying for all your business expenses with cash. You can still use older versions of software to build solid designs without your clients ever knowing the difference, and without the constant cost of upgrading. While you are working from home, plan to meet with your clients at a local coffee shop or their place of business. Send design proofs via email instead of printing them out on costly paper. In fact most of my business operates over email. I send invoices, proofs, contracts, and estimates via email so I don’t have to pay for the paper, ink, envelopes, and postage. There are a lot of corners you can cut in order to save money.

I hope this article has helped by giving you some practical ideas on how to build a successful graphic design business with minimal costs.

Katrina Rauch is the President/Creative Director of KaTasidy. KaTasidy was founded in 2002 and is operated out of Denver, Colorado. Visit http://www.KaTasidy.com and sign up for our FREE monthly eZine filled with more helpful business information.

How Graphical images enliven web pages - by Thomson Joseph

Graphical images definitely help enliven your web pages, if they are used properly. There are basically three types of graphic design images available on the Internet these days. They are the GIF (Graphical Interchange Format), JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and PNG (Portable Network Graphics).
The GIF graphical design images don’t lose any detail when compressed or decompressed and are thus perfect for hand-drawn art, icons, logos and headlines. The JPEG graphic design images are more efficient than the GIFs for compressing large images but may sometimes lose details when saved and viewed. The PNG graphic design images are a compromise between the GIF and JPEG formats. They are an excellent choice, but are not accepted by the earlier browsers.
There are a few programs that are best used to create web graphical images like Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Fireworks and Jasc Paint Shop Pro. Color plays an important part in graphical presentations. It is always better to use colors that go well together to produce better graphic art images. Moreover, there are also certain colors that should be used in your graphical designs when you want to signify certain moods or themes of the site. Like for dignity, purple is better and for sites related to technology, silver is the best choice.
When creating web pages with graphics, the file size of the graphical design has to be taken into consideration. If the file is too big, it takes a longer time to download, wherein the visitor to your site will just log off to go to some other site! So prepare graphical designs that are reasonably sized- not beyond 300 pixels in width or height. It is always better to avoid background images while building a web page. This is because this slows the downloading, and in most cases, makes the type difficult to read. It is better to have web pages with graphics that are repeated over again as once a graphic is downloaded, it is stored in the visitor’s cache. So the next time the graphical image is used, it loads faster. Moreover, repeating graphic design image as logos, navigation buttons or through banners adds an element of consistency in the site.
When creating a web page with graphical images, you can easily get free graphical images from numerous websites on the Internet. All you have to do is to visit the website, and you can choose some nifty animated graphical images to liven your web pages and even a service to ‘crunch’ your websites’ graphical images to help them load faster.

Thomson Joseph is a Freelance website designer and Search Engine optimizer at small business web design. To read more about Custom graphic designing visit http://www.digitallabz.com/creative-graphic-design.html

GRAPHIC DESIGNS STANDARDS - by BLUR LOTERIÑA

Do you find it hard to create your own graphic design? Before you can come up with a good graphic design you must first understand the basic principles in creating the design, as well as the factors it must contain.

Design is defined as a plan or pattern formed for the purpose of making or doing something. It explains how things are done or how to come up with something.

A design must have a purpose, or else it will be useless. It must contain enough information. You can use visual languages, such as chart, table or graph, for it to become more understandable. It should also explain the details. Start from the general idea, then, give the specific details. Make sure that each detail is related to the main idea.

There are many types of design, such as a graphic design. A graphic design results from the features of lines, colors, shape, materials or texture.

What makes a graphic design attractive and lively is the color. Here, you can apply the color theory. Every color has its own characteristics, such as visible spectrum, dimension, inherent and emotive qualities. The primary colors are the red, blue and green. If you mix these colors, new hues are created. You can either have lighter or darker colors or contrasting colors. Take the white color for example–it is the opposite of black. Any color can appear lighter or darker depending on the field it is on. For example, when you put pink beside green, pink is the lighter color. But when you put pink beside white, pink will look darker.

Your graphic design should contain design elements, including line, shape, texture and size. A line is a curved or straight mark that connects two points. Shape is a form that has height and width. The three basic primitive shapes are rectangle, circle and triangle. Texture is measured by the look and feel. It is basically the roughness or smoothness of the surface. Space refers to the area or distance between or around things. The size refers to how large or small the thing is.

The principle of composition and layout includes the emphasis of the elements, the balance or the equal distribution of weight, the pattern or rhythm, and the unity or the relationship between each element.

Decide on what perspective to use. There are four basic perspectives; the one point perspective, the two-point perspective, the three point perspective, and the 3d illusion.

For the text, consider the type of font and the style you have to use. There must be consistency in the height and width of the letters.

Be more creative. Make use of the theories. Follow the rules in designing. You will know that a design is effective if you have successfully communicated your idea to your target audience.

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