PolyKarbon Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 I think I might have the wrong person here, but arent you the one who does graphical design? If so, I was wondering if you could help me out. I'm taking some college courses soon through the army (so its free) and I was wondering what exactly you do as a graphical designer, which classes to take, and what the actual job is all about. Thanks for any help and sorry if I have the wrong person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 hey, you got the right person! as far as what i do, its vast. in this field, especially if you want to be a freelance designer, you really want as broad a skillset as you can achieve. this means getting comfortable with several different software programs, several different design styles, and learning some key business skills. i myself do everything from web design and development, to print work for catalogues, business identities (letterheads, business cards, envelopes etc.), vinyl work (graphics kits, signs etc) umm, illustration for logos, merchandise etc etc. also, im getting into flash work and dynamic programming (php mysql) and 3D work for games with Cinema 4D. really, find your nitch and go for it, mine is illustration and web work, so i want to be able to handle any types of projects that come my way by myself, so i just keep learning more and more. some designers, though, just do tshirt designing, or concert posters, or cartooning, nitches can be extremely specific and still be sucessful. i havent narrowed myself down yet though. also, freelancing in this field is all about networking. so get to know anyone you can in this field, stay in contact with them, get some mentors to help you along the way (i have two who i couldnt have done it without lol) as far as specific classes to take, i dont know whats offered to you, but if you let me know ill tell you what to grab onto. youll definately want to know photoshop, i suggest using illustrator to learn the pen tool. once youre in the know enough to know about the pen tool, youll be scared of it, but dont be, start learning it early. any idea what sort of stuff you wanna get into? web work, or print? what else ya wanna know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolyKarbon Posted October 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Whoa. I didn't realize what all was involved. I want to do something that most people don't do, but there is a high demand for. I would really like to learn photoshop really well also. Are there classes specifically for photoshop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 my advice to you would just be to start learning, youll find your nitch along the way. and if youre good at what you do, theres always a demand for it. be diverse in the beginning and at least learn a little about a lot of different areas, and as you progress and build your skills youll be able to narrow down in your field. as for classes, this is where i take all my classes http://www.sessions.edu/ look around at the courses they offer. they offer courses for specific programs (photoshop, flash, dreamweaver etc etc) and also broad design theory classes and graphics business classes. the things ive learned from there are invaluble. all the instructors are not just teachers, they also currently work in their specialized fields, so they are always up on new trends, software and material. and i always love helping newbies learn, im proficient with photoshop, among other programs, so feel free to message me any time, or email me brooke@bewmedia.com if you do well i just may have a job for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolyKarbon Posted October 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Thanks for the help Brooke! I'll keep your email handy. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketpig Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Warning: Graphic design is not easy to break into. There are a lot of people trying to get in and many of them will work for ridiculously low pay. As Brooke said, your best bet is to learn as much as possible. Both print design and web design are pretty much a must nowadays. On any given day, I use four programs: Illustrator, GoLive, Photoshop, and InDesign. I prefer InDesign over Quark, but there are many people out there who would disagree with me on that. I also sporadically use Flash, Streamline, and when I'm up against a wall, Quark and Dreamweaver. And if you really want to learn, find a way to intern at a printshop for 6 months or so. Schools rarely teach you the *extremely* important aspects of pre-press like trapping, bleeds, etc. Hope that helps a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Warning: Graphic design is not easy to break into. There are a lot of people trying to get in and many of them will work for ridiculously low pay. As Brooke said, your best bet is to learn as much as possible. Both print design and web design are pretty much a must nowadays. On any given day, I use four programs: Illustrator, GoLive, Photoshop, and InDesign. I prefer InDesign over Quark, but there are many people out there who would disagree with me on that. I also sporadically use Flash, Streamline, and when I'm up against a wall, Quark and Dreamweaver. And if you really want to learn, find a way to intern at a printshop for 6 months or so. Schools rarely teach you the *extremely* important aspects of pre-press like trapping, bleeds, etc. Hope that helps a little. you are SO right. the biggest obsticle working against us is underpricing. those stupid guru.com type sites that have people doing logo design for $50. its horrible. just never undersell your services, if youre good at networking in the biz, theres pleanty of clients for everyone. and as far as print, if youre doing freelance, i suggest being comfortable with both indesign and quark, just cause some printers use one or the other exclusively. otherwise, use what you like best, like rocketpig. so...rocketpig...you a mac user? got an online portfolio of your work? i love that there are so many graphics people here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotton eyed Joe Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Brooke, I have a print job that I need you to look at. Yeah...just do as many as you can, make a few for yourself and we'll talk about delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Brooke, I have a print job that I need you to look at. Yeah...just do as many as you can, make a few for yourself and we'll talk about delivery. o shit. im on it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketpig Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Yeah, I have a G4 tower and a G4 iBook here at work. I take the iBook home with me when I need to work there. And I have an *ancient* portfolio at http://www.rocketpig.net. I haven't updated the site in ages. Most of it is over 2 years old. And I also do all the photography and web design for http://www.trinityracing.com. Yeah, I'm kinda surprised to see a few designers on this board. We're a rare breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketpig Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 BTW, before anyone tells me, I know a bunch of the gallery links at rocketpig.net are wrong. I'm too lazy to update them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 very nice. ive got a G5 and i just got a new powerbook. i have an ibook too, but, its pretty much neglected all the time now. im in the middle of a redesign of my portfolio site, it needs it BAD. nice stuff you got there, comic book fan i see. when i was younger my dream was to be the person to color them in. lol whatever thats called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketpig Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I believe they're called... Colorists. Heheh, yeah I used to be a HUGE comic book fan but over the years, I've drifted back into reality and into the world of graphic design. And that site is almost embarrassing now considering my newer work. The only part of the site I still like is the pencils gallery. All of that was done by hand on 14x17 paper. Each one took me approximately 20 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I believe they're called... Colorists. Heheh, yeah I used to be a HUGE comic book fan but over the years, I've drifted back into reality and into the world of graphic design. And that site is almost embarrassing now considering my newer work. The only part of the site I still like is the pencils gallery. All of that was done by hand on 14x17 paper. Each one took me approximately 20 hours. haha colorist, yea, thats it. and yea, i was extremely impressed by your pencil drawings. i never did any detailed pencil drawings, i was always more of a painter. i never thought to scan them in or snap pics to put in my portfolio though. hmm i havent updated my portfolio in a long ass time. ive got the look for the new design all laid out, but just got a new client site to do, so its back on the back burner for a bit longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketpig Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I'm always looking for reasons to put my portfolio on the back burner. I've been successful at it for two years now... I'm on a roll! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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