Another interesting article about the qualities needed to be a graphic designer..
To be or not to be a Good Graphics designer that is indeed a vexing question as Mr. Shakespeare once said. Well he probably wrote it actually. With any technologically overwhelmed profession there are probably only a very few available positions that carry with them the elevated status of a super hero with matching salary. So it’s indeed a case of slings and arrows to bludgeon your way into the upper echelon. Let’s have a look at the 7 qualities you need to be a good Graphics Designer NO… let’s rephrase that and let’s go for broke and be a Great Graphics Designer. I mean why settle for Good when you can be Great and a super hero and retire at 37! Notice how the number 7 keeps cropping up something to do with Nostradamus I shouldn’t wonder!
All Graphic Designers are equal but some are very much more equal than others. We thought we would just slip in a curved ball here to keep you reading because well, lets face it, Graphic Design is not exactly the most enticing subject to be reading about is it. So you can imagine what it’s like writing about it. So now we have established that there could be a pecking order it’s imperative that we, I mean YOU, aim to be the head Rooster. And that is no easy task. I mean you’ve got all those boring and impatient Clients and all those Creative Directors and then there’s the Canteen lady to contend with as well, with her weak coffee and lame comments about the color of your tie!
Ok time for some real meat, and horror of horrors, that Designers’ nightmare the Bullet Points! 7 I think we said would do just fine. It’s difficult to put qualities in any order of importance since one Designers’ “must have” quality could be a complete “no no” for another. There has to be some consensus here don’t you think? So what we’ll do is put them in Alphabetical order and then there won’t be any argument! As it so happens probably the one quality that reigns supreme and conveniently begins with A is Artistic ability so here we go.
Artistic Ability
Being of the Artistic persuasion doesn’t mean you have to draw like Picasso! Sketching or doodling can easily be turned into a masterpiece by your Computer!
Audience
We are not talking here about a meeting at the Vatican, desirable though that would be on the CV of a prospective Great Graphics designer, but of the Target Market. A Good Graphics Designer must be aware of the Audience that is being aimed at, so that the designs can be steamrollered accordingly. Sorry that should have read integrated! Integration is good and wholesome.
Communication
Many artistically inclined designers, like any creative personage, sometimes find it excruciating to put their ideas across verbally…hence the need for graphic ability. So when a presentation is imminent to that irritating customer or client, I think client sounds better, and will of course mean a higher fee at the end of the day, you might need to employ an interpreter with at least one semester of Oxford English under the table. Communication skills should be a must if you are to reach Head Rooster status
Change
We live in a world of fast moving change. Change is a pain for some and a challenge for a Good Graphics designer; let’s forget Great for a moment and become good to start with. That won’t overtax the artistic and creative brain to the point of melt down just yet, so that’s agreed then! Change and the ability to absorb the changing whims of clients and the changing specifications of your project at a moments notice, is an essential part of your Good Designers Starter Pack.
Clients Needs
Yes I know clients are such a drag, especially when you are working on a new logo for the biggest social media site in the Universe and need all your creative energies focused on this. But…and it’s a big but, some clients actually do pay for your output occasionally and put croissants and fair trade coffee on your breakfast table, so let’s be fair and at least listen to clients needs and wants. You can brow beat them with jargon later and they probably won’t realize you are going to do what you want anyway.
Deadlines
Deadlines are an unfortunate part of all life on this sphere called Earth! They affect every living thing, even good Graphic Designers. It’s just not possible to function without them. Clients have deadlines, the Creative Director has deadlines, even the Tea Lady has deadlines. So get used to it! If you want eventually to aspire to greatness as a Designer then Deadline should be your middle name. Tough though it is, you have to put your Fly-fishing trip on hold and work all weekend most of the time and it’s not because you are time management challenged. It’s those pesky Clients again, who else?
Strategy
The good Graphics Designer has got to come to terms with becoming a strategist. Apart from its sounding good in your vocabulary, developing ideas and amalgamating the strategic plan of your Client into Your ideas and concepts is clearly an important quality if you want to reach the summit. Clients will bend to your expert and superior knowledge as a strategist and you will fly with the Eagles. Since we are restricted to 7 bullet proof qualities we’ll cheat and add a couple more here under guise of Strategy. Teamwork and Technology don’t always make good bedfellows but don’t leave them out in the cold. After all you have to work with your Team every day and you probably also use a Computer.
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