Here you will get the best graphic design tips for the beginners. Our experienced specialists have selected the best tricks for you. Check it out to become a professional.
What is a graphic design, and what does a designer need?
Let’s find out who this graphic designer is before we begin our journey into the world of graphic design. This must be done at the very beginning to avoid misunderstandings and disagreements related to the terms. Here we have compiled for you only the most useful graphic design tips.
Graphic designers are specialists who design the environment using graphics, gives the product, service, and company a unique stylistic personality. For example, designers who create layouts for covers and pages, design or select fonts, independently illustrate or create collages from photographs and drawings, and work on a corporate identity.
The profession of the designer requires excellent taste and, of course, creative thinking. He must own the basic graphics programs Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and InDesign. Designers also often need to know the basics of HTML and CSS to design sites in such a way that programmers can bring this to life with code. Also, the designer often needs to have some skills in pencil drawing and typography.
If you are only recently interested in graphic design, then this article is written specifically for you. Here you will find many useful graphic design tips that are 100 percent useful. Our professional experts shared a few tips that they highlighted based on their own experience.
Use contrast correctly
Have you ever thought about how much the colors and their combinations affect our daily lives? It’s no secret that colors attract our attention, focus on something specific, colors even affect our mood, and can cause certain emotions.
It’s a fact that the human brain absorbs visual images much better than text. Still, for the message to reach the addressee, you need to know which color combinations most affect the target audience. And it was to this question that we devoted the first advice, which sounds like this: use contrast, but use it correctly.
Ask yourself, does contrast always mean a combination of black and white? Of course not. Contrast is one of the basic graphic design techniques. Let’s delve into this.
Contrast allows you to organize the design process better. What does it mean? This means that with its help, you can build a visual hierarchy. In other words, so you can show viewers which part of the design is the most important. For this, it is not necessary to use only black and white. Check out the color chart, which, when combined are contrasting. You can easily find such tables on the Internet. Spend your time on it if you want to become a great designer. It’s worth it.
Pay attention to the fonts you use
Everyone knows that typography plays a crucial role in almost any design. How well the designer has chosen the fonts can significantly affect the attractiveness of your project and usually really does. One of the most common mistakes of novice designers is that fonts do not fit together. And this is a hazardous mistake because this fact can alienate the user from all your work. If no one sees your beautiful design, then why is it needed at all? Your task is to attract the user, not push him away. Keep this in mind when you start your new market for a site or application.
Any error can be corrected. In this case, you need to learn how to choose the right fonts. What do the correct fonts mean? Correct fonts are fonts that fit together. Learning to do this is not an easy task. To do this, you need to deepen your knowledge of the basics of typography, practice a lot, and develop the designer’s intuition.
But for starters, it’s enough for you to know that it’s enough to pick up one serif font and one sans serif font. This will make your design harmonious. Everything else will come with experience.
White is your assistant.
Do not be afraid to use white space. This is a sign of good design. You need to learn how to work with it, and as soon as you succeed, you will understand how powerful the tool is in your hands.
White space, if used competently, can significantly increase the readability of the text. But the same thing works and vice versa. In other words, when the page is too loaded, the characters and lines are too crowded. It will only repel users. But our task is to attract the user. Therefore, it is essential to monitor this aspect. But this does not stop the power of white space.
The designer can use the space to tell the user something important. With the help of white space, you can highlight some individual blocks of your website. You can tell the user what to focus on, and then the information will be better absorbed. With proper use of white space, you will have more chances to convey your message to the user.
But there should not be too much white space. If this is too much, then the logic will disappear in the design. Users will no longer perceive the relationship between the elements. And if your goal was to highlight the main thing, then you can make your site information unreadable if you misuse this technique. Therefore, it is vital to know the measure in everything. But that too will come with experience.
In the first stages, you need to try to allocate white space for the main blocks and less space for minor ones. Thus, you will not only build a hierarchy of the site but also make it more stylish.
The importance of hierarchy
A visual hierarchy is an order in which a user processes information according to its importance. The more critical the data, the higher it is located, and the more space is allocated for it.
In interface design, as in any other form of design, this concept should be functional at first glance. If this is not so, then in most cases, the design will be considered uncomfortable. But with the correct use of the hierarchy, the mind can group elements and determine their priority to give them a particular order. If users do not see this order immediately, they notice it on an intuitive level. Therefore this item is essential in any design. This is important because it makes it easier to understand what you want to convey to your users. And it seems that the idea of creating any site comes down to this, isn’t it?
Ensure that the hierarchy of your site is in order, and the user will get what he needs. As you know, a satisfied user is a loyal user. Remember this, creating your next website design.
You can learn more about this topic by visiting a graphic design community. You can also get feedback there. You can also write to us for advice.
Flat design and its advantages
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about flat design is that flat design is simple and still stylish and relevant. This direction is developing rapidly, and it has a large fan base. But why so? Let’s go deep into the flat design and find out why it is so stylish and cool?
Immediately we can highlight that the flat design does not provide for anything extra. And this is undoubtedly its advantage. This style is called flat because all elements are devoid of volume. The absence of textures and gradient achieves this effect. Flat design is based on simple forms with two-dimensional images that users have not ceased to like for a long time.
Also, in the flat design, the contours of the shapes are necessary, or rather, they must be clear and concise. The most crucial thing in flat design is the simplicity of the interface. In other words, the textual and graphic content should remain simple and therefore look very attractive. Thanks to such techniques, the design becomes light and weightless. But do not think that this simplicity is easy to create. It’s not like that at all.
Simplification affected not only the shapes and buttons but also the graphics. Two-dimensional illustrations are commonly used in flat design. Such illustrations highlight the simplicity of all elements, create a single style for your site, and give originality.
The absence of shadows and other decorative details led to the fact that the texts began to be perceived differently. If you are a beginner designer, then you need to know that mostly flat design uses sans-serif fonts for better user experience. And it works. So, more attention was paid to the content and location on the site. And this is another plus flat design.
Another feature of flat design is the color scheme used. Mostly it is a white background, one muted color for the elements, and various color accents. Non-standard colors are sometimes used, which distinguish the site from other sites of similar subjects. You can find these non-standard colors in a color catalog. Usually, in a flat design, pure shades are used, which creates a feeling of freshness and accuracy. Often use only 2-3 colors. Such minimalism is dictated by desire and purpose to achieve a sense of simplicity. How do you feel about flat design? Do you like it in 2020?
The importance of icons
Icons are usually made small, but this does not diminish their importance on the site. Do you agree with this statement? This is true. Among other things, the icons should be simple, clear, and concise. But how to achieve this?
The best icons are those icons that look good in black and white. Convert your icon sets to black and white to test this. After you have checked the black and white version, you can proceed to add color. This option is also valid.
Remember that any icon containing more than two objects runs the risk of being incomprehensible since it cannot hold attention. This should not be forgotten, because often this can ruin the impression of the whole site. If your site has incomprehensible icons, then you should better work on them, because even such a trifle can scare away users.
What happens when your user clicks on the icon? Is the whole screen consistent with the style of your icons? If the answer is no, then you may need to review some of your decisions.
Pay due attention to the icons of your website. Make them simple and straightforward. The user should not have doubts when he clicks on the icon. Create a website design with care for the user, and the user will appreciate it.
Draw outline
The best idea should appear on paper. This is what helps any designer. And especially such sketches are valuable in periods when you have no inspiration. If this happened to you, then you need to review your old sketches, and you will find a couple of good ideas that will save you in your work without inspiration.
Know that you do not need to be an artist, and the sketch does not have to be perfect. On the contrary, draw as you want, what you want and what you want. You can even use wallpapers for this purpose. Draw the main thing. The outline is an integral part of the designer’s work. And the sooner you understand this, the easier it will be on your way.
Do I need to be able to draw well to become a graphic designer? No, this is not necessary. Do I need to have a great imagination? Yes, you need it. Without a good vision, you cannot become a designer. Drawing sketches of composition and the arrangement of different elements develop imagination and helps to practice skills. This will help the development process go much more smoothly. Draw some sketch variations, so you have a choice.
Software as a way to graphic paradise
Without graphic design software, you are unlikely to succeed. Therefore, take the time to study this software. This is a fascinating topic about which many articles have been written. Make it a habit to read such articles. This will help you become a professional.
Some well-known programs such as InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator will cost you a fortune. But if you are going to be engaged in design on an ongoing basis, you can change your principles and invest in it. You can also buy a temporary subscription, which will allow you to understand how close this type of work is to you. Improve faster than technology improves. This is what will lead you to a graphic paradise, where high salaries and work bring pleasure.
Graphic design and getting started
At the beginning of the journey, the first thing you need to do is build a plan for your training. You need to know exactly where you will start and how you will end. Break it down into stages. You should know how much time it will take for each of the steps. You must understand how you will measure the success of this training.
Graphic design is a vast field that takes a lot of time to study, possibly more than one year. But it’s worth it. Graphic design is a profitable business. It is in graphic design that you will find the opportunity to fulfill your potential. Get involved in graphic design to add another edge to your resume.
This article of graphic design tips is explicitly written to help you with this. One has only to start, and you will not be able to stop, because graphic design is a fascinating area.
