By Joshua Palmer
While nearing the end of my college career I have come to find that all of the graphic design courses I’ve taken thus far play pretend. Professors setup projects that allegedly mimic the, “real world experience” and allow students’ young, eager, and creative minds shamelessly run wild with design nightmares. This leads me to the biggest challenge I’ve faced outside of the classroom: productivity and successful message delivery.
In a true professional setting, deadlines are tight and working productively is key. The problem I have recognized lies in the lack of methods, tools, tips, and tricks, being taught to students which aid in successful and prompt graphic design.
Maybe the issue is that art and design are too closely related in the standard college curriculum. Personally I’ve found one core difference- where art is up for interpretation, graphic design should be definite. Does the product convey its message successfully? The answer should be yes.
Think about it – when was the last time you visited a website or downloaded an app where you had to figure it out? I am almost certain, like the rest of us, you spend no more than two minutes before giving up and moving on. This is a perfect example of why graphic design is not meant to be deciphered. Let’s agree to leave that to the painting and drawing majors.
As a graphic designer you are a creative problem solver.
There are at least two key concepts you have to keep in mind to maintain a steady and productive pace,
The first is functionality and the second, anesthetics. If you’re doing everything correctly, the two will compliment each other. Design will hold together the functionality and vice versa.
So where does one acquire these graphic design tools for success? Well, here’s the slightly unfortunate truth- it takes time, practice, and a lot of trial and error.
What I’ve found to be helpful however, is surrounding yourself with talented creatives. KnockMedia has been an amazing environment in which I have been able to develop many skills the classroom has left out. On a daily basis I work with other creatives to construct the best possible solutions for our client’s functionality and design troubles and together we produce amazing results.
To view some of our work, click the link below. If you like what you see shoot us an email we would be happy to help!