{"id":33572,"date":"2019-02-11T20:08:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T00:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=33572"},"modified":"2023-07-11T16:28:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-11T20:28:42","slug":"what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Should Know Before Becoming a Graphic Designer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got an eye for artistic design? Pursuing a career in graphic design can allow you to unleash your creativity and make a pretty penny while you\u2019re at it. That said, establishing yourself as a successful graphic designer is a lot easier said than done. You\u2019ll need to follow the best tips and tricks for launching a profitable design business<\/a> if you don\u2019t want to end up floundering like the other failed freelancers. Before setting your sights on artistic success, make sure you read up on these little-known pointers on the graphic design industry.<\/p>\n

\"before-becoming-a-web-graphic-designer-what-should-you-do<\/p>\n

Start as a Side Hustle<\/h3>\n

If you take anything away from this article, let it be this: don\u2019t quit your day job to dive head first into a graphic design career. We repeat, building your business will take a ton of time and effort, and chances are you won\u2019t see a paycheck you can live off of for quite some time. College grads with a degree in design, you should try to try to gain experience working as an intern at a marketing agency before living the unemployed lifestyle starts compounding on your student loan debt<\/a> (Pro Tip<\/b>: You should have done this while you were still in school!)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t waste your time applying for jobs that you\u2019re under-qualified for. Focus your efforts on building your portfolio of work by listing yourself for hire on freelance sites such as Fiverr and Upwork. The projects (and paychecks) will be small, but at least you\u2019ll start generating examples of your talent that you can showcase to potential employers.<\/p>\n

Become Your Own Brand<\/h3>\n

The first step a potential employer will take when considering you for a graphic design project is typing your name into Google and seeing the results that pop up. Before this happens, you should establish yourself as an influencer <\/a>by building a personal brand.<\/p>\n

Your brand is what makes you unique; it\u2019s that finishing touch on all your designs that make it obvious that you were the creator. To establish a brand, you\u2019ll need to create a website on Wix or WordPress where you\u2019ll display your portfolio, speak to your skill set, and clarify your source of inspiration. This is your shot at a first impression to make employers confident that you are, indeed, the one for the job.<\/p>\n

Gear Up on Essentials (and Skip the Extras)<\/h3>\n

Make no mistake\u2014you\u2019ll need to invest money into some startup equipment to make yourself look like the professional you aspire to be. That means buying the best laptop for graphic design, installing critical editing software like Adobe Photoshop, and a project management platform to stay on top of deadlines.<\/p>\n

For now, shy away from spending money on the non-essentials. You don\u2019t need a flashy business card or professional payment system while you\u2019re just starting off!<\/p>\n

\"before-becoming-a-web-graphic-designer-what-should-you-do<\/p>\n

Manage Your Time<\/h3>\n

Going back to that note about deadlines, a career in graphic design depends on precise time management. That means working flexible hours, sometimes outside of the standard 9:00-5:00 window, if you need to get into gear in order to finish a project. Missed due dates will be your worst enemy, so budget your time accordingly. Building a beautiful website<\/a>, for example, might take much longer than a promotional flyer; it\u2019s imperative that you allow for these time differences within your schedule. And don\u2019t let working from home in your PJs turn you into a distracted procrastinator!<\/p>\n

Learn from Your Mistakes<\/h3>\n

As you first start taking on graphic design jobs, chances are that you\u2019ll underestimate the time needed to finish a project or, in your thirst to gain new clients, might overbook yourself past capacity. This is part of the learning curve and to be expected, but make sure to avoid making the same mistake twice. Whether it\u2019s a scheduling slipup or a poor retail design<\/a>, you\u2019re bound to experience a few setbacks along your career path. Take them as opportunities to learn and improve for next time!<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, being a successful entrepreneur <\/a>depends on a vision, a passion, and a plan of execution. Stay organized, stay driven, and stay flexible as you make your way into the graphic design industry. With a little grit and tenacity, you might just be the next Andy Warhol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Got an eye for artistic design? Pursuing a career in graphic design can allow you to unleash your creativity and make a pretty penny while you\u2019re at it. That said,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5989,24],"tags":[626,5907,5891,276,5885,399,445,262,988,5898,688,3297,5210,210,686,444,5887,118,687,5911,4093,419,1718,9700,1013,115,3024],"yoast_head":"\nWhat You Should Know Before Becoming a Graphic Designer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Got an eye for artistic design? 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Pursuing a career in graphic design can allow you to unleash your creativity and make a pretty penny while you\u2019re at it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, & Creatives by Andy Sowards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/andysowardsfan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-12T00:08:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-11T20:28:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/before-becoming-a-web-graphic-designer-what-should-you-do-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"655\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Sowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@andysowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@andysowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Sowards\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer\/\",\"name\":\"What You Should Know Before Becoming a Graphic Designer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/what-you-should-know-before-becoming-graphic-designer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/before-becoming-a-web-graphic-designer-what-should-you-do-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-12T00:08:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-11T20:28:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415\"},\"description\":\"Got an eye for artistic design? 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