A Handy Guide To Learning Graphic Design In Your Spare Time

Does the concept of designing graphics on a computer sound exciting to you? You’re not alone. Graphic design is a massive industry. Creatives look to forge careers in the industry all the time.

But what if you don’t have the time (or money) to quit your day job and go to college to learn graphic design? By this point, you might feel like you’re never going to learn! Don’t worry because there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Thanks to the Internet, it is possible to learn graphic design in your spare time! So if you’ve got a couple of evenings spare each week, for example, you can build up your skills in no time! Intrigued? Keep reading to find out how!

Get the right software

I will assume that you already own a PC or Mac with a semi-decent spec. Or, to put it another way, a computer that’s less than three years old. To start designing images on your system, you need to have the right software for the job.

You will doubtless know the industry-standard software used in graphic design is Adobe Photoshop. These days it is subscription-based software rather than the older buy-once purchasing model.

The good thing about this move to subscription-based software is that you don’t have to pay a lot of money to use the software. In fact, the monthly price is cheaper than a night out at your local restaurant!

Of course, there are some folks that have a limited budget. If that sounds like you, the good news is there is some free software you can download. For example, there is GIMP and even the online editor, Pixlr.

Learn the basics

To begin with, you need to understand the relationship between shapes and colors. Open up your favorite image editor and start experimenting! Learn what each toolbar button does in your program, and work with the paint bucket and line drawing tools.

If your image editor looks like a scary prospect, the Rage Maker download will help you to learn about basic shapes and colors. And, you can also create some cool rage comics at the same time!

When your image editor doesn’t look so scary, you can take your skill level up a notch by opening and editing photographs. It doesn’t matter whether you use photos of yourself or some found on the Web. The point is to learn about the effect shapes, and colors have on stuff.

Get some inspiration

Websites like Behance and Deviant Art are packed full of people’s image portfolios! Go and check some of them out. The point of this exercise is to get some inspiration for your own image projects.

Looking at those sites can help you find out more about the different styles graphic designers use. From pop art to art deco, you’ll be sure to discover your favorite style soon!

Find some fonts

The final tip I can give you today is to think about the fonts you might wish to use with your future projects. You can use the ones on your computer or free ones from places like Google Fonts.

Typefaces are an important part of many images. If you want a job as a graphic designer, you will need to learn how to find and use fonts.

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