6 things that young designers should know

Credit: Graphic Design Services

1. Teacher (and we mean teacher!) Photoshop

You will use a lot of different tools in your design process, and each designer has his favorite applications. But there is a program that you should know like the back of your hand if you want to be successful: Adobe Photoshop. This digital imaging program is so powerful and versatile that you can not only do most of your work with it, but you will probably be asked to do so.

If you do not feel comfortable with Photoshop, you are self-taught or you learned on another platform, you must make an effort to catch up through practice and online courses, workshops or video tutorials. Do everything you need to stay updated and improve your Photoshop skills continuously.

2. Look for inspiration (not imitation)

Although, of course, you can feel inspired by the world around you, as a professional designer, there are proven methods to stay inspired. There are many online resources with powerful and insightful coverage of the creative world. The Adobe Create magazine, the medium platform and the 99designs blog are just some of the great sources of inspiration. The Internet is full of creative resources waiting to be discovered by avid young people like you.

They say that imitation is the most sincere form of adulation, but in a graphic design that only leads to plagiarism and not original works. It can be difficult for young designers to be inspired by the work of others without inadvertently copying them. Instead of copying the result, analyze the piece or style that caught your attention and identify the factors that make it so attractive to you. The key is not doing exactly what others did, but doing their thing in a similar way.

3. Be aware of trends, but be you.

In our technology-driven world, visual content evolves at an ever-increasing speed, making the designer's work as exciting as it is demanding. To prevail in this business, you need to be up to date. Using your library of sources of inspiration to keep up with visual trends is an intelligent and wise movement.

However, do not sacrifice your design style simply to follow the latest trends. Your individuality as an artist and your integrity as a designer is what will make you unique in a group of young designers. The secret is to adapt (not just adopt) trends that complement your personal style, and the needs of your client, individually and with signature.

4. Keep it simple

When you have just graduated from the design school or in your first days of independent work, it is normal to feel excited to show your skills and want to create amazing images. And you can do it completely without having to throw away all the techniques you've learned and every idea that has occurred to you in a single design.

Trust your instinct and the word of experienced designers who say that the most solid designs are those with a clear and coherent concept, a defined theme and only one or few techniques executed efficiently. In other words: do, do not exaggerate. Keep it simple.

5. Always aspire to achieve visual harmony.

To achieve the great designs you need (and want), you must maintain visual harmony as your north. Your project should not only be concise and well designed, but you should also want it to create a pleasant experience for the viewers.

How do you achieve that? It is much simpler than you think, being "simple" the keyword. For example, work with your color palette by choosing complementary or low contrast tones, choose for no more than two typefaces, and make sure font styles complement each other fluidly.

The most important thing is to use the content hierarchy: do not equalize the crucial copy with noisy backgrounds or crazy sources, do not clean your main theme with multiple accessory graphics, etc. Identify the relevance of each element in your design and work with it. According to that importance, it helps you make sure that you are respecting the hierarchy.

6. Say yes to media resources

Average stock is a true lifeline for creative work: the sooner you accept it, the better. Royalty-free media, including photos, vector illustrations, templates and more, can be the perfect complement to your graphic designs.

Stock charts are an excellent resource for inspiration and creativity. For example, did you know that some of the most viral memes are actually reused stock photos?

There are also more concrete benefits: multimedia files are available immediately, which speeds up response times. You can customize them as much as you want, to give them your original touch. In addition, they are high resolution, suitable for any user