How To Become A Graphics Designer In 2016.

How I Became A Graphics Designer In 2016

This was something I have been wanting to do my whole life but never really got around to it until late 2015. In 2015 I launched a Tech YouTube Channel which is what put me on the map and I designed all the art work for the channel. I thought to myself, I'm sure there is a market waiting for someone like myself to come on the scene and create this kind of graphic art work for their YouTube Channel or website. So after some time I launched www.Raxx425.com as a Graphics Design website and I have had major success with it!

When I started

When I started a little over a year ago I had zero experience with how to use Adobe products so, how did I become a graphics designer you ask? The answer is simple....I learned. I used YouTube as my college and went to school scouting videos across the platform for any and every problem I ran into while doing my own work. Eventually I became proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and After Effects. When I started doing this it was mainly to learn how to manage my YouTube Channel faster because at the time I was using windows movie maker to edit my videos. As you know the windows movie maker program was horrible for this and I knew I had to learn how to use professional grade software to get this done faster.

After several months of creating my own thumbnails and channel art work thats when it hit me. I can create this stuff for people who need it and sell it! And thats exactly what I did.

I have had clients mostly referrals from my YouTube Channel wanting me to create art work for their YouTube Channels and some clients from the webspace. I was actually shocked at how easy it was to become a graphics designer and there was no lightning bolt that struck me or magic wand that I waved to do it. I already had the experience and I decided to stop sitting on my talent and do something about it.

Don't Procrastinate Just Show Up!

This is by far the hardest part for a ton of people, but you never really know what you're capable of or what will happen if you never show up! sometimes that all it takes, is to be in the right place at the right time. I just got out there and started showing my work and taking clients and fast as I could and then they started to come to me. You don't have to be perfect just do it, sometimes you learn things as you go. There will be times that you'll have a difficult client that will want you to part the Red Sea, just take it as it comes and learn what you need to get that client done.

Create A Portfolio ASAP!

This is going to be the fastest way to get potential clients attention, so get a portfolio built as soon as possible. This was one thing I kind of lagged on at the beginning and I did a lot of my own work to show and you should do the same. You are your own best client! So get some ideas and inspiration online (pinterest and behance are great for this) and start creating a portfolio to show your work. My largest and most viewed portfolio is my YouTube Channel because people see it everyday and every video is loaded with my own custom graphics. If you are good at story telling and motion graphics then this will be a great opportunity to get more of your talent seen.

How To Price Your Graphics

Theres no set rules when it comes to putting a price on your graphics work. Some people charge by the hour some charge by the amount of detail and some charge different prices by the customer. I started out with set prices on each item for example: YouTube Banner $100, YouTube Intro $200, Social Media Banners $50 ect. But then I realized that I was actually making less doing this than I should. Now I charge a different price per client depending on the clients budget and the amount of detail the client wants in his/her graphics work. Which brings my next topic.

Always Ask How Much The Client Is Willing To Spend

There's absolutely nothing wrong with asking a client for their budget. This is where you have the potential to make more money when you need to. If your client is a business or corporation then it's likely they have a larger budget. So you might say well that's unfair because you may charge Joe Shmoe less than you charge a business client, and there's good reason for it. Joe Shmoe probably has a lesser budget and probably wants simple work done whereas a business client is likely to want several things done on a much higher difficulty level. Don't undersell yourself, judge each client by what their budget is and the kind of work they want done. Also take into consideration how long it's going to take you to get this project done.

Always Give A Realistic ETA

Communication is key in every case! Hear out your client and listen to what they want and give them a realistic ETA, if it's something that might take a week for you to get done, tell them it will take a week. Do not fault on this, because it will damage your reputation as a graphics designer and if you're new you can't afford to make mistakes in this regard. You want to be as open as possible about what you can do and if the project they are giving you is possible for you.

Don't Under Sell Yourself

A long time ago I saw a sign in a Tattoo shop that said "Cheap Tattoo's Aren't Good And Good Tattoo's Aren't Cheap" I apply this to my graphics design business everyday and haven't regretted it yet. As I said before, charge by the budget and by the detail/time it will take and don't take a ton of cheap work just to get clients. Taking cheap or free clients can be good at first just to build a portfolio but don't stay too long doing this because you want to make the most out of your time and work. Once you have built a decent portfolio it's time to start making real money from your work!

Conclusion

As I said, there is no set rules or formula to becoming a graphics designer. This is just my story and the principles of my business thus far. If you need advice you can contact me through my website via email or through my YouTube Channel. You can also follow me on social media, I would love to hear from you guys and would love to give advice if you're just starting out.

Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you soon!