Isn’t the word Graphic designing has always fascinated us? Don’t we always pretend How cool this job would be? Ever we wondered what keeps them charged and enlightened, aren’t they caffeinated art-savvy?
Yes, actually there’s a lot to think about when it comes to a Graphic Designer, they are living beings to give vision to the visuals, makes things alive with their pleasing Art knowledge. They use their knowledge and vision to present the ideas as well as make the imagination pretty realistic.
You can easily recognize an Art-savvy because they carry an aura, a feel, an attitude as well as a funny gesture which is so full of life.
How do designers work?
A graphic designer really works so hard to achieve his or her profile. It’s not an exaggeration if we say they are mentally sound and are equally good in academics as they apply communication and calculation both in a concept.
A graphic designer as an individual is not enough to work. They share a bond with content writers, art directors, clients, etc. and it is a collaborative effort though, there are many things that designers do all alone
How does it feel like a designer?
From student life to a beginner, from a beginner to little experienced, from experienced to master, our life journey throws several challenges in front of us & actually squeezes us [in a positive note :)] to bring out a creative designer hidden within us.
Sooner or later, while observing things, we start working upon visuals in a certain way and it becomes our working style – a unique style which leaves an impression in all our work.
We never get used to the same things, we always look for different perspectives. We start talking like a designer in our daily life. We are always looking for a new layout for design, the hunt for ‘good font’ never ends and when for once, when life doesn’t give us a challenge, we create a challenge on our own 🙂
So, What is the ‘X-factor’ that keeps a Designer going?
‘Coffee, Isn’t it?’
‘No it’s not always a Coffee! Mm, well yes, coffee is our booster but there’s something else too, which is the actual X-factor.’
‘What’s that?’
‘While people think that we designers really have a fun life, they hardly know what all goes in our life making it no less than a roller coaster.
Creative blocks, super fast changes, never-ending deadlines, constant urge to deliver best and increasing competition is always there to put barriers in our growth.
But despite all this struggle, you know what keeps us going, having an opportunity to design something, using our creative instincts, which can be practically used to make people aware is a stunning feeling- and this is something which makes everything worthwhile.
“Life of a designer can be related to the solar system and that designer is a sun in the center, surrounded by below mentioned things like various planets including comets such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, CorelDraw, Art & Sketching, etc., that produces creative results like the comets produces a visible atmosphere, passing close to the sun.”
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Antoine Dd Saint-Exupéry, French writer and poet
Writing this blog seems to be like documenting my entire day. Let’s head onto the blog and know how a not so typical day in the life of a graphic designer looks like?
Emails, Queries, Pending Check-list
Usually, the day begins with signing into Gmail or Outlook to check if the mail list got a tail length or is there any update from the client regarding changes, or seeking updates, etc. All of this ignites a spark of work and prepares us mentally to go through a long day. According to this, a work plan is made of course to finish some very important task on the same day. Work can’t be piled up so unlike other office jobs, a designer too plans the task to work accordingly.
We have a schedule, A Real Schedule!
Designers always have a hand full of tasks but “a new day comes with new responsibility” is the perfect theory of our life. Every work has a guideline and even a short span task sets a discipline. Like every other professional, we too have a series of timeline so that we can on-board projects on time.
Coordination with Peeps and Clients
Designers always have a team which increases morale and keeps them close to reality, (yes, because Designers are the most impulsive professionals on Earth!) Working along with ideas and details of the given task, designers coordinate with colleagues and clients to understand their demand, requirement, the aim of the project, specifications, advertising standards, Marketing strategy, etc. to prepare an outlook of Mockup. Coordination with the client and other co-workers of the project matters a lot to keep everything in a proper chronology.
Processing the Creative Work
It all starts with a notebook where designers paint all his ideas and choose the best from heaps. The designer is promoted one step ahead to grease up his/her own head with all the collected details and the cerebrum catches a spark to perform wisely. A rough work followed by color then the final layout is given with the help of our favorite applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, CorelDraw, Art & Sketching, etc.
Stuck with the Desk for Long Hours
We spend most of our day stuck at those comfortable desks. Those desks are an essential part of our life because that’s the place where we get all our ideas.
A good designer is a great learner. They put their heart and mind in a project and get emotionally attached to it to nail the result. They understand that it is a time taking process and that’s why their work goes on even when others sign-off.
Even being stuck for longer, designers never ever get a disconsolate frame of mind because they love creative work.
To give desired output, it becomes extremely important for designers to learn to have patience, as they have to deal with critics, unreasonable choices of clients and much more.
Revision till Final Approval
This is the most crucial part of the day. After successful hours of brainstorming and delivering the final output, we wait for that one approval and as you know, Good things never come easily. A graphic designer doesn’t relax until he gets approval.
It’s our mind that can’t stop working till finalization. We present the work to the client to get an opinion on colors, layout, logo, images, typography, placing, etc. and wait for a reply.
Coffee, Music, and Art – the Lifeline of a Designer
Modern day designers cannot think of their life without coffee and music. While the other things are essential too, these two have a separate place.
Graphic designers have to work for longer to meet the deadline and this is the reason that they are burgeoning towards options such as coffee, good music, and art to stay energetic, creative and keep going.
Most of the creative people are caffeinated, Saludos al café (cheers to coffee), and we are also trolled for these habits, but this actually works.
Ending the Day with lots of Pin-Prompts
Once a part of the task or sometimes a complete task is over, we forward it to the Art directors and client for review. If it is ready, we have to prepare a ready to print file, also we have to organize tasks for the next day.
The messy desk full of fluorescent prompts, colorful pencils, blank sheets, pens, etc is all worthwhile when we return to our places delivering our best.
I know everyday isn’t like this, some days coming up with a fresh new idea is the most difficult task and we end up staring at the empty canvas.
We love every moment of our day, no matter how hectic or chaotic it becomes because a GOOD DESIGN IS ALL WORTH!
Why it is important to share this
We have observed people taking these job profiles lightly but this is very important to understand the depth of a work to know how much students put their effort to make a career. This is not to show you “how tough it is to be a graphic designer” but to make you understand that unlike other technical jobs, this one is way more practical, fun learning, creative, and advance option for our career.
Author’s Note
It was all about the days in graphic designers’ life and how they deal with it. Designers are productive because of their collaborative efforts, inventive brainstorming, task execution along with the prerequisites, essential skills such as curiosity, time management, and communication can make the living art, making someone’s dream come true.
It might not be the easiest job but with skills, practice and practical approach along with patience, knowledge, and creativity this is possible and worth learning.
Not just this, in commercial terms too, working as a Graphic designer can give a good lifestyle. Getting paid for being creative is not a bad idea! You just need to choose your weapons right.
And we are here to help you in that. If you also want to spend every day of your life busy transforming visions into visuals, we have got your back! If you are thinking of a career in graphic design industry, then you can also be one by joining the graphic design classes in Delhi at ADMEC Multimedia Institute.
So, this was all from my side. I hope you all liked it.
Stay tuned for more informative blogs with us, till then keep Designing!
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Hope this blog will be helpful for you.
