Graphic Designers - Question for you

dcfaithful

Do you HAVE to be able to draw to do the kind of work entailed in graphic design?

mca47

My ex-girlfriend is a graphic designer and she isn't the best at drawing much of anything.

Ridin The Wave

My boyfriend is a graphic designer and he says its dependent on which side of graphic design you go into. If you go into the creative side, it's more crucial that you can draw because you do ad layouts and such. But if you go digital, you just have to be able to use the programs. Obviously it always helps if you can draw in the field, but not a necessity.

Elbereth84

I work with three graphic designers, and at least two of them have "creative hobbies". One is a drawer & painter ... she displays her pictures in several galleries (actually it's more a side job than a hobby). The other one photographs in her leisure time. She's also good with handricraft work haha ... you know workin with papers, wood, fabrics and so on.

I think it's not a must-have to be able to draw or something ... but it can be helpful of course.

dcfaithful

Cool! Thanks guys. I've been doing photography for a while now, and even though I love it...I've become a little overwhelmed with trying to get my name out there and make some headway. I'm still going to continue to try, but I feel the need to pursuit something else in the meantime and graphic design definitely interests me. I already have a knowledge of photoshop with my photography and all...I am quite computer savvy and catch on to new softwares fairly quickly. and I just always need something to help my creativity flow...

I'm considering enrolling in the program at the local technical college...any thoughts from anyone?

arq

Dude i'm proud of you, go for it, i'm not a graphic designer but i wish i could study it, oooh how sweet is the creative work; you know i don't know how to draw but that doesn't mean i don't try, believe me drawing is something that anybody with discipline can learn. You don't need it as a graphic designer but it helps a lot with the comunication of the ideas, the computer is a tool just like drawing is just a tool to express ideas, so whatever you pick to express yourself the important thing is the idea not the medium.

I'll be waiting to see your progress!

DesignVHL

Hey there, I've been a graphic designer for print and web since 1998. Actually, JEFF was a HUGE influence for me to go into design as a teenager! I'm really passionate about it, design is my life. Most of the successful designer friends of mine that I personally know can draw and/or paint, but not all of them had natural talent. You CAN teach yourself to draw - its about putting in the time and effort and wanting to learn. And as another posted, we do have some other creative hobbies! I personally love painting, drawing, photography and illustration (by hand and digital). There's WAY too many creative things to do and never enough time. :(

Even if you have no interest in learning to draw, there's a place in the field for all different types of talent. Maybe you can't draw, but perhaps your AWESOME at working with type and imagery. Being successful is about how much your into it, and how much you PUT into it. If you want to be a designer, I say go for it! However, I'd definitely suggest going to college for design. Just knowing how to use programs like photoshop or illustrator does NOT make you a designer. Being a designer is about understanding composition, typography, working with photography, aesthetics, color theory, printing processes, file handling and the list goes on. It's also about learning how to break some rules to make them work for you.

I frequent a website called graphic design forum, and its a great place to go for everything design related. There's some great info for new designers and people considering design as a career. I've learned a lot and I have also contributed a lot. The site has many industry professionals on there, and is the best design forum online. We've had TONS of people ask your same question over the years. Here's a recent thread:

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum ... od+drawing

If you have any other design questions, feel free to ask!

And sorry for the long post, as you can see I love what I do.

dcfaithful

DesignVHL wrote:

Hey there, I've been a graphic designer for print and web since 1998. Actually, JEFF was a HUGE influence for me to go into design as a teenager! I'm really passionate about it, design is my life. Most of the successful designer friends of mine that I personally know can draw and/or paint, but not all of them had natural talent. You CAN teach yourself to draw - its about putting in the time and effort and wanting to learn. And as another posted, we do have some other creative hobbies! I personally love painting, drawing, photography and illustration (by hand and digital). There's WAY too many creative things to do and never enough time. :(

Even if you have no interest in learning to draw, there's a place in the field for all different types of talent. Maybe you can't draw, but perhaps your AWESOME at working with type and imagery. Being successful is about how much your into it, and how much you PUT into it. If you want to be a designer, I say go for it! However, I'd definitely suggest going to college for design. Just knowing how to use programs like photoshop or illustrator does NOT make you a designer. Being a designer is about understanding composition, typography, working with photography, aesthetics, color theory, printing processes, file handling and the list goes on. It's also about learning how to break some rules to make them work for you.

I frequent a website called graphic design forum, and its a great place to go for everything design related. There's some great info for new designers and people considering design as a career. I've learned a lot and I have also contributed a lot. The site has many industry professionals on there, and is the best design forum online. We've had TONS of people ask your same question over the years. Here's a recent thread:

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum ... od+drawing

If you have any other design questions, feel free to ask!

And sorry for the long post, as you can see I love what I do.

No worries about a long post, the more info the better. That's funny that you mention Jeff. He's been a defining source of my inspiration to pick up photography as a creative outlet in the past few years...and now I've been interested in exploring graphic design. I do understand that it's not just about knowing software...but I've caught on to photography pretty well, and I love doing it...I've always wanted to have drawing as a talent, or skill...so I think I'm just going to go get a sketch pad and some pencils and let it flow.

arq & DesignVHL thanks for the support! I'll let you know what happens with it.

Elbereth84

arq wrote:

You don't need it as a graphic designer but it helps a lot with the comunication of the ideas, the computer is a tool just like drawing is just a tool to express ideas, so whatever you pick to express yourself the important thing is the idea not the medium.

I 100% agree with that! Before one of our graphic designers starts with her work, we always have a little conversation about for example what kind of graphic I need ... with which elements, which text, which photos and so on. And for that we pretty often make a little handmade drawing ... nothing professional, but rather with a pen and sa crap paper. What I wanna say, you don't need to be a super talented professional drawer ... but it would be helpful if you at least can draw a straight line and a round circle.

And I think the fact that you're a photographer and good with photoshop is a perfect basis for your studies.

dcfaithful

Elbereth84 wrote:

arq wrote:

You don't need it as a graphic designer but it helps a lot with the comunication of the ideas, the computer is a tool just like drawing is just a tool to express ideas, so whatever you pick to express yourself the important thing is the idea not the medium.

I 100% agree with that! Before one of our graphic designers starts with her work, we always have a little conversation about for example what kind of graphic I need ... with which elements, which text, which photos and so on. And for that we pretty often make a little handmade drawing ... nothing professional, but rather with a pen and sa crap paper. What I wanna say, you don't need to be a super talented professional drawer ... but it would be helpful if you at least can draw a straight line and a round circle.

And I think the fact that you're a photographer and good with photoshop is a perfect basis for your studies.

My drawing skills aren't terrible. But I've never taken it any further...never been much of a drawer/painter...always wanted to but I guess I've had this notion that if I didn't ahve it naturally, I could never achieve it. I can manage a straight line and a round circle, that's for sure

DesignVHL

One of these days I'll get my portfolio done. You should see some of my notes and sketchbooks leading up and working with a project - they often start as really loose thumbnails and notes - hence part of the research and concept phase. So yeah, you don't need to be Rembrandt, you just need to be able to communicate your ideas!

Getting a sketchbook and some pencils is a great way to start. Just draw what you see, doodle, brainstorm, whatever. Usually my sketchbooks turn into more than just a sketchbook with writings and chicken scratches, lol.

The one piece of advice I can give you is to not work for free - don't let yourself get taken advantage of - its the one mistake that many new designers fall for - potential clients say "oh i'll bring you more work" or "this will get you great exposure". Every designer deserves to get paid for their work, after all we spend HOURS and HOURS of time on our projects - often times over what you can charge anyways. You just have to price your work based on your quality of work and experience. Hope that helps, and I wish you the best of luck! If you ever need advice, feel free to PM me, and/or visit that graphic design forum I linked you to, it's really an invaluable resource, and great place to go to pick up on the professional best practices. Lots of newbies and design students on there too.