• The Facepunch Graphic Design Thread
    2,517 replies, posted
Also, woo graphic design thread! Even though I'm not as interested in graphic design versus game/enviornment design, it is something I studied, have "better than average" knowledge about and have done stuff for :v: I should post some of my stuff I recently presented about a month or so back at my design portfolio show. I don't think it's mindblowing, especially since all my designs cater to a niche instead of being universally approachable, but it is something.
[QUOTE=Autumn;31049199]what kind of portfolio do you have at the moment? and do you have any design qualifications?[/QUOTE] I don't have any design qualifications or anything like that, I'm not planning to study design or anything either, I just do it on the side of everything else I'm currently working on a proper portfolio site, but here's my temporary one: [url]www.taimur.me/work.html[/url]
I'm just getting out of high school and I'm not that good. [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3430278/plannerfinal.png[/img] Planner design [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3430278/sixstringsamurai.jpg[/img] I was trying minimalist movie posters. [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3430278/scan0005.jpg[/img] I made this for some nonprofit organization's contest, I only had Paint.net at the time unfortunately. What do people disagree with :V
[QUOTE=Chilean;31049464]I'm just getting out of high school and I'm not that good. [url]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3430278/plannerfinal.png[/url] Planner design [url]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3430278/sixstringsamurai.jpg[/url] I was trying minimalist movie posters. [url]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3430278/scan0005.jpg[/url] I made this for some nonprofit organization's contest, I only had Paint.net at the time unfortunately.[/QUOTE] The movie poster is really nice, a bit too minimalist for my taste but that's just me
It's actually a lot less minimalist than the ones I was inspired by. Take this for example. [Img]http://www.onelargeprawn.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/titanic.jpg[/Img]
[QUOTE=Chilean;31049640]It's actually a lot less minimalist than the ones I was inspired by. Take this for example. [Img]http://www.onelargeprawn.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/titanic.jpg[/Img][/QUOTE] Doesn't there come a point where minimalist essentially means 'lazy' :v:
[QUOTE=Alcapwne;31048994]He specifically wanted a yellow background, with the word in a script font - a circle would have looked better than a square or whatever other yellow background I could have done, and was a lot easier - fiverr gives $4 per job[/QUOTE] You're not even trying to be creative and find a solution to it. Don't build up your portfolio with tons of quick shit. Fill it with few goods. Just be sure to have a portfolie that reflects what you can do in a normal work time (not stuff you worked on for months, but stuff that took you a week or two). [editline]11th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=KorJax;31049112]If you have CS5, it has a really awesome ability to create shapes on the fly via the "Shape Builder" tool. Look up videos on YT to see how it works. It's great though - basically its pathfinder except you control it all intuitively using mouse selections and holding down control/alt if you want to add/subtract from a shape. Super quick and easy to combine shapes, subtract them, etc to make new ones. That tool and the Variable Width Tool for lines are easily the two best things about CS5 illustraitor. Made my school graphic design work so much easier to do.[/QUOTE] Never heard of the Shape Builder. But yes, goddamn, Variable Width Tool is sex.
[QUOTE=dgg;31050310]You're not even trying to be creative and find a solution to it. Don't build up your portfolio with tons of quick shit. Fill it with few goods. Just be sure to have a portfolie that reflects what you can do in a normal work time (not stuff you worked on for months, but stuff that took you a week or two). [editline]11th July 2011[/editline] Never heard of the Shape Builder. But yes, goddamn, Variable Width Tool is sex.[/QUOTE] I'll put more decent stuff in my portfolio once I do some decent stuff, but I'm not gonna spend more than an hour on a $4 logo :v:
[QUOTE=Alcapwne;31050643]I'll put more decent stuff in my portfolio once I do some decent stuff, but I'm not gonna spend more than an hour on a $4 logo :v:[/QUOTE] Then stop doing 4 dollar logos. They do you no good and they do the company no good. They get shit logos and you get shit portfolio and pay.
[QUOTE=dgg;31050695]Then stop doing 4 dollar logos. They do you no good and they do the company no good. They get shit logos and you get shit portfolio and pay.[/QUOTE] But I won't get any other work unless I have something to show prospective clients, will I?
what sort of prospective clients are you thinking about? because without any sort of qualifications you're going to struggle to be taken seriously
[QUOTE=Alcapwne;31050800]But I won't get any other work unless I have something to show prospective clients, will I?[/QUOTE] Most likely not. So do some personal work for fictional companies. The logos you produce now are produced fast and without much thought behind the process and choices. They will not reflect good work and if they should ever ask you about it you will either bullshit about it in too obvious ways or sound way way way too unprofessional. OR you can offer doing free work for more prospective clients. Possibly get in a deal where you will work and only take payment if they are happy with it (basically being allowed to be dumped without a penny after hours of work).
[QUOTE=Autumn;31050847]what sort of prospective clients are you thinking about? because without any sort of qualifications you're going to struggle to be taken seriously[/QUOTE] I'm not really sure, people on freelance sites I guess I was under the impression that your experience etc. matters more than qualifications in the design industry?
[QUOTE=Alcapwne;31050952]I'm not really sure, people on freelance sites I guess I was under the impression that your experience etc. matters more than qualifications in the design industry?[/QUOTE] Qualifications and experience (depending on what kind we are talking about) can go fuck themselves. They tip the scale in ties and is as such very useful to have but not absolutely necessary. What matters is one thing and one thing only. Good well thought out products. You can be self-learned and be one of the best because you aren't influenced by what should be right, but rather what you think is right. But what you think is right is subjective so learning basics and guidelines is a very very very useful. But yeah, good works and being able to make them in a relatively short time is all you really need. Not studying just because you don't necessary need it is stupid though. Bonus points are bonus points and you can get more contacts, be it students or teachers, which can help you work yourself up in the branch. Well actually. Good works and lots of contacts is the key.
[QUOTE=dgg;31051011]Qualifications and experience (depending on what kind we are talking about) can go fuck themselves. They tip the scale in ties and is as such very useful to have but not absolutely necessary. What matters is one thing and one thing only. Good well thought out products. You can be self-learned and be one of the best because you aren't influenced by what should be right, but rather what you think is right. But what you think is right is subjective so learning basics and guidelines is a very very very useful. But yeah, good works and being able to make them in a relatively short time is all you really need. Not studying just because you don't necessary need it is stupid though. Bonus points are bonus points and you can get more contacts, be it students or teachers, which can help you work yourself up in the branch. Well actually. Good works and lots of contacts is the key.[/QUOTE] Ah ok, thanks for the advice Whena and if I actually get decent, where would I find jobs if I don't work for an agency/company?
I've posted this stuff on these forums elsewhere but it might as well find a home in this thread too: [B]Brand Identity Manuel I designed and made:[/B] [IMG]http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/KorJax/P1020025.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/KorJax/Zionics/P1020004.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/KorJax/P1020020.jpg[/IMG] [B]Book design I made:[/B] [IMG]http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/KorJax/P1020200.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/KorJax/P1020203.jpg[/IMG] [B]Personal Logo Design:[/B] [IMG]http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/KorJax/logoCS4-19.png[/IMG] There's also some other stuff like a poster on the preflighting process, a brochure on the Futura font and a poster done in an Art Neuvou style but I've not taken web-formatted screenshots of that stuff yet, plus my Illustrator/Photoshop/Indesign suite is really on the fritz for me right now... All of them keep closing with no error as soon as it loads, even if I just open the program. Right when I was about to finish work on a church logo as I have motivation to do so :(
Qualifications don't mean shit if you're working for yourself. I've never even been asked about a degree. If I had went to school for design to get a piece of paper that says I learned how to design I would have wasted 4 years of my life and thousands of dollars lol.
[QUOTE=Alcapwne;31051137]Whena and if I actually get decent, where would I find jobs if I don't work for an agency/company?[/QUOTE] Emails or personal visits to nearby graphical design studios. Then there is sites here and there on the internet that I don't personally know anything about.
[QUOTE=Alcapwne;31050952]I'm not really sure, people on freelance sites I guess<br> I was under the impression that your experience etc. matters more than qualifications in the design industry?[/QUOTE] it does. me coming out of university with a bit of paper saying i have my degree in graphic design means next to nothing. the portfolio that i come out with, and the year of experience in the industry that i will have, means everything. but to get that quality of experience i need to come to a university that can prepare me for it. it's kind of a vicious circle for you... without qualifications/teaching you won't get a good portfolio, and without a good portfolio you won't get any good experience, which means you won't be able to improve your portfolio... which means you won't be able to get any jobs.
[QUOTE=Autumn;31051494]it does. me coming out of university with a bit of paper saying i have my degree in graphic design means next to nothing. the portfolio that i come out with, and the year of experience in the industry that i will have, means everything. but to get that quality of experience i need to come to a university that can prepare me for it. it's kind of a vicious circle for you... without qualifications/teaching you won't get a good portfolio, and without a good portfolio you won't get any good experience, which means you won't be able to improve your portfolio... which means you won't be able to get any jobs.[/QUOTE] ah ok, so should I basically give up or is there a way to break into the industry in my position?
1. how old are you 2. what are you doing currently i.e. studying something else, working full time?
Design is one of the few industries that you can be successful in with no degree, on the assumption you have a kick ass portfolio. Thing is, 99% of people don't have a kick-ass portfolio unless they have studieid design from a half-decent program to learn the in's and outs and how the industry works. It is one of those things where you don't go study design because you need the paper (though it certainly helps people take you more seriously before they even look at your portfilio), but because you could use the "foot" in the door to doing more intensive design projects. Such as, the brand identity manual I designed was the product of several months of work. Granted a lot of that was instruction, critques and revisions, but I never would have done a "long term" design project like that if I didn't do my class on it. There's just a lot of design experience you can take out of doing a degree vs just bailing on college entirely, which is where it is useful. Even for me, who is more interested in doing level design than graphic design. It taught me to have much more dicipline in my work and be able to view things from an "educated eye". I also would have never taken stuff like sketching on good ol' pen+paper before designing on the computer seriously if I didn't go for a degree, which is extremely important to getting solid ideas down so you don't waste your time redoing everything.
[QUOTE=Autumn;31051642]1. how old are you 2. what are you doing currently i.e. studying something else, working full time?[/QUOTE] 1. 16 next month 2. currently have summer holidays after having finished GCSEs
^ yes yes yes yes yes *shakes your hand* [editline]11th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Alcapwne;31051708]1. 16 next month 2. currently have summer holidays after having finished GCSEs[/QUOTE] okay you've got aaaages! :D what are you planning to study at college?
[QUOTE=Autumn;31051727]^ yes yes yes yes yes *shakes your hand* [editline]11th July 2011[/editline] okay you've got aaaages! :D what are you planning to study at college?[/QUOTE] Either Maths or Maths & Computer science at university, that's what I'm aiming for at the moment anyway
so then if you plan to go into maths/computer science as a career, why do you want to do a bit of 'graphic design' on the side?
[QUOTE=Autumn;31051842]so then if you plan to go into maths/computer science as a career, why do you want to do a bit of 'graphic design' on the side?[/QUOTE] Mainly because I enjoy it, plus an extra source of income at the moment is good
but you realise as a non-professional 'freelancer' getting good work, good paid work will be difficult to come across? plus like KorJax said, you'd need a kick ass portfolio, which you're going to struggle to get on your own. [editline]11th July 2011[/editline] doing stuff on fiverr is great for now, little (fairly simple) jobs for a little bit of cash, nice and quick and easy, but it's not going to be like that if you want to get real professional work
[QUOTE=Autumn;31051943]but you realise as a non-professional 'freelancer' getting good work, good paid work will be difficult to come across? plus like KorJax said, you'd need a kick ass portfolio, which you're going to struggle to get on your own. [editline]11th July 2011[/editline] doing stuff on fiverr is great for now, little (fairly simple) jobs for a little bit of cash, nice and quick and easy, but it's not going to be like that if you want to get real professional work[/QUOTE] oh :( so is there any gonna be any chance of moving on from fiverr stuff if I get a lot better?
hey, i'm not saying there's no chance! never say never, right? :v: but you just need to be aware that it's not going to be as simple as using works that you've done for fiverr, putting them into a portfolio and then walking into a design studio for some experience. don't give up though! if it's something you enjoy and people end up picking you for work, then go for it.
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