What do designers need to know to stay informed and relevant in their practice today? As technology, social context, and ways of learning and working continues to change, designers have to constantly be on top of the current trends and concepts in addition to developing their method, theory, and techniques.
To be able to understand the current marketplace, designers have to go back in time to understand the history of art, design and its impact on economic, social, and technological developments.
Designers who understand the big picture and can learn to do one thing well often succeed in their design careers. Studying how ideas and concepts get translated into form and understanding the origins and history of your design field will help you make sense of the market today.
Even though there is a massive push towards all things “AI”, this article is not about using artificial intelligence in design. There may be a legitimate place for AI in design, but the beauty of human creativity will always be part of the artistic styles, concepts, and techniques in the world of graphic design.
For graphic designers, visual representations carry a lot of meaning. To be able to explore this connection, the designer should be able to look at graphical representations of the past and the present to understand why things look the way they do now. From here, images and typography get put together to create a form that can be used to convey a message to the targeted audience.
The landscape of design is changing. The US Bureau of Statistics reports that there will only be about 3% growth in the traditional graphic design arena. On the other hand, design around social media apps and networked communications is expected to rise between 20% and 30%.
As graphic designers begin to change shape, jobs, and expectations are changing as well. Let us take a look at the shape-shifting field of design and how designers can keep themselves up to date.
1. Practice concepts – Layout Design, Composition, and Visual Representations
If you went to a design school, you probably already know the Gestalt principles for layout design. Understanding composition and applying layout principles such as rhythm, balance, movement, scale, color, value, shape, texture, and space will help you hone your art – form.
This is a foundational skill that every artist and designer should develop if he or she intends to stay on top of her game. As graphic designers, your education doesn’t end when you receive your degree. To hone your craft, you have to keep your interest in continuous learning alive.
There are a lot of amazing tutorials available online. Consider taking design courses at your local art institute or community college. Another great source of inspiration comes from books. Invest in subscriptions for graphic design magazines and art-related zines. This will help you broaden your horizons and go more in-depth in the fields you are interested in.
Art and design evolve with time and only through the continuous practice of using these design elements along with typographic forms, can designers can push boundaries in the world of graphic design.
2. Design Methodology
A design method is a way of doing things and all the repeatable steps involved in making. This can be further broken down into processes – research, ideation, prototyping, iteration, and presentation. This method can vary depending on the project, your client, and your audience.
The first step is some version of research. This stage is often difficult to define. It involves reading, learning, making, and sharing the information you have gathered. In essence, it is nothing but making the learning visible. Research can often help you define a problem. When you are working with a client, this helps you question the underlying assumptions and help find a definition that you can both agree on.
The ideation stage comes next. You can use different mediums to communicate an idea. Concepts can be presented in the form of a sketch, or writing To carry an idea forward you would have to make the intangible tangible in some form. Prototyping helps you do this. It helps you test out an idea while iterations help you make it better. The job of a designer is to problem-solve.
Having a good design methodology in place will help you solve problems and come up with an idea in ways that you did not previously imagine. Developing a design methodology will help designers select and find relevant methods for specific design situations.
If you are looking into refreshing your approach to problem-solving, look into reading various articles on design methods and approaches written by your peers and professionals in the industry. Now more than ever, designers are willing to share their ideas, approach, and systems that work for them.
3. Theory
The theory is often considered the opposite of practice. This is not entirely true. In fact, it comes from practice, and can further help define the future of design practice.
To explain their process and the reasons behind their design decisions. It helps us question our process, role, and responsibilities as designers in the industry. For example, it helps us question the tools we use and why we use them.
Our ethical responsibilities in the field of design. This, in turn, will help designers tackle and question the universal truths in design. There are many ways to inform your design process- you could refer to reading material
4. Technique
Designers have to know how to successfully manipulate type, images, and graphics using relevant software tools. To execute a design work, designers have to be willing to constantly learn and relearn the tools that help shape a graphic.
If you are competent in this field, it will take you less time to learn new software. Techniques are not limited to virtual things. Honing your writing and speaking skills will help you communicate your ideas better. This goes hand in hand with other skills like listening and negotiating.
Designers should invest their time in learning not just the design tools but also other communication and productivity software like Evernote, Google Calendar, QuickExcel, and Slack.
5. Be Social
In addition to all of the above, some of the other ways to stay on trend and grow are to be active on social media, read design blogs, share and engage in design forums, watch podcasts, talk to your clients, and observe trends in the industry. This shared learning will help you understand your process and help you develop your own unique voice.
Final Thoughts
As technology continues to evolve, designers should be skilled and knowledgeable enough to design around these shifting circumstances. Technology is not going to be viewed the same way it is today. It is not going to be just a tool for the designer in the future.
Designers will have to get accustomed to the fact they will be designing for a data-rich landscape that is responding to everything they do. It is important to have a skillset in areas besides design. Designers would also have to have the necessary skills to make connections between, people, and things and navigate their way through complex systems where every group has their own agenda.
Insightful post on the future of design and staying relevant as a graphic designer! The discussion on emerging trends and technologies provides a valuable perspective for those in the field. The emphasis on adaptability and continuous learning resonates well in an ever-evolving industry. The tips on incorporating new tools and staying inspired are particularly helpful