So, you're thinking
about getting into graphic design, and you're wondering how to begin. To start,
I would suggest you undertake six key steps, and I would recommend you do them
in the following order.
Step one, learn and
research.
Step two, collect.
Step three, be inspired.
Step four, practice.
Step five, seek
education.
And step six, apply your
skills.
Now these steps can be
taken at any stage in your life. If young, still in school, and looking to get
into graphic design, you can follow these steps. If you're older, perhaps
you're thinking about a career change, you can also follow these steps. In this
video, I'm going to talk about step six, apply your skills. So, after
completing all the previous steps, one through to five, you should be ready to
take the last step. By step six, you should now be ready to apply your skills and
start looking for jobs in the design industry. You should not have a portfolio
that represents your skills and a CV to represent your experience and potential
to get your first job. So, at this point, you have a choice with which
direction you want to go in.
Do you want to work
full-time, part-time, or work freelance for yourself or through agents? Now
graduates and newcomers to the industry typically seek to work full-time. Full-time
offers a more stable position, where income is regular and there is a chance to
learn from senior designers and build the experience necessary to progress a
career. At the start of your career, building experience and gaining industry
knowledge is crucial. So, for this reason, if you're a graduate or newcomer, I
would recommend you seek a full-time role. Upon graduating, I worked full-time
for a number of years. Not only did I learn a lot from senior designers, but I
learned a lot about how the industry works. If you can find a design agency and
apply to work there as a designer, you can get your first step on the ladder. And
at this point, that's what you really want.
From that point on, you
will be paid to be a designer and you will have the opportunity to learn. If
you're graduating, then you will have a degree and a portfolio of work. Having
that degree and portfolio will help you. Depending on the job you're applying
for and your level of experience, you may be looking to apply for junior to
middle-weight roles. Now if you're not a graduate, perhaps you're looking for
that career change, you may not have a degree or higher education, but don't
let that stop you. This may only prevent you from getting more senior roles in
the industry at the start, but if you have some qualifications from some
evening classes, workshops, along with some work examples, this could get you
an internship or into a junior role in the industry. To get that full-time
role, you may have to attend multiple interviews and be able to talk
confidently about your work. Sell yourself and compete against others. Now the
other option is to go freelance for yourself or with agents. This is a little
more risky than full-time, as work is not as stable. Working freelance, you will
have the challenge of finding your own clients and potentially organizing your
own financial administration. This can be a big burden, especially when you
should be spending that time learning and being creative.
However, there are
benefits to being freelance. The pay is higher, and if you use agents, they
will find work for you. Though as a freelancer, you also don't get the time at
an agency to learn from other senior designers. As a freelancer, you're
expected to have senior skills, with lots of experience to be able to do a job
proficiently and swiftly. After all, that's why they are paying you more than a
full-time designer. For this reason, it's common for designers to become
freelance later in their career, when they become a lot more experienced and
acquire contacts. I would recommend you spend a few years full-time to develop
your skills, learn about the industry, make contacts, and become the best you
can. After a few years, you may find yourself ready to go it alone and go
freelance. To go freelance with agents, you will have to attend multiple
interviews with various recruitment agencies to showcase your work and
yourself. They will build a profile of you, of your creative skills, and your
personal qualities and level of experience. Once they have a profile of you, they
can then offer you to various clients they have on their books. To go freelance
yourself is a lot harder. You will have to do all the work yourself. Find
clients, and do all your self-administration. So whichever path you choose, from
the moment you get your first job, you will have to apply all the things you
have learned. You will gain vital experience, build a reputation, and gain
contacts which will take you further into your career as a graphic designer. In
some ways, this is the beginning. You will be about to embark on a new
adventure, where you will need to quickly learn a whole new set of skills that
you were probably not taught in school or university. So that's the sixth and
final step on how to begin as a graphic designer. Today, there is an abundance
of ways you can find a graphic design job, both on the internet and offline.
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