3 Reasons to Become a Graphic Designer and How to Start with Masters Design Lab

There are more than enough reasons why graphic design is essential for businesses today.

Businesses can increase their brand visibility and communicate faster with their target audience with the right graphic design. In fact, according to Hubspot, visual content boosts social engagement. It helps that “90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed faster in the brain than text.”

When put together, more visibility plus better communication equals higher chances of conversion. For businesses, an effective graphic design may be worth millions of dollars. And for graphic designers, the increasingly digital world unlocks tons of opportunities for a successful career.

This article walks you through the benefits of dipping your toes into the burgeoning world of graphic design, the skills you’ll need to succeed, and where to learn them.

Is Graphic Design a Good Career? 

If you’re looking for a field that has a positive job outlook, flexible working options, and can give you the potential to work in diverse industries, then graphic design is a good place to start. Let’s take a closer look at these points below.

Positive Job Prospects

There are numerous possibilities for a graphic designer. To be precise, the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects approximately 23,900 job openings a year for graphic designers from 2020 to 2030.

Graphic design is also one of the top 10 in-demand tech skills for freelancers in 2022, as revealed by freelancing platform Upwork. These show that you’ll never run out of options to explore if you have the right graphic design skills.

Versatile Skillsets

A wide range of industries needs graphic designers. From the largest tech companies with dedicated teams of graphic artists to smaller startups with one in-house designer—they all need someone with the ability to help establish strong branding and drive marketing goals.

Below are just a few of the roles that a graphic designer can have within an organization, along with their average annual salaries in the US.

• Advertising Designer: $52,604
• Branding and Logo Designer: $56,011
• Marketing Designer: $70,557
• Art Director: $84,931

Flexible Work Opportunities

If you’re looking for a career that you can do from anywhere, graphic design jobs fit the bill. You can work remotely as part of a team or be an independent graphic designer working on your own. As long as you have the right tools and skills, you can be a graphic designer from anywhere.

Top Graphic Design Skills You’ll Need to Get Hired

So, how do you break into a field that offers such benefits? Let’s take a look at the most important skills and traits that you’ll need to have as a graphic designer.

1. Strong understanding of design principles. Design principles include contrast, balance, color, white space, and pattern, all of which are vital in creating well-balanced and effective designs. Employers look for graphic designers with a deep understanding of these foundations and who can apply these to their work.
2. Proficiency with graphic design tools and software. Graphic designers should also be proficient with commonly used tools and software. Today, most graphic designers use a combination of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
3. Creativity. This is one of the core skills of a graphic designer. In their day-to-day, they may need to regularly come up with fresh designs and think outside the box.
4. Communication. Graphic design is more than just coming up with visuals. To be a good graphic designer, one must be able to listen to the client, understand what they want, process feedback, and present their work effectively.
5. Empathy. Empathy plays a strong role in helping graphic designers better understand clients’ needs. This can translate well into the design, ultimately fulfilling clients’ briefs and satisfying their demands.
6. Attention to detail. This skill can mean the difference between a good graphic designer and a great one. A detail-oriented graphic designer will notice subtle color differences, whether the logo is slightly too big or if the copy has the exact tone the client is looking for.

How to Become a Graphic Designer Without a Degree

If you have other personal and professional responsibilities, you may not have the time or resources to spend three or four years studying at a university to obtain a design degree. Fortunately, you can still gain high-quality design education for a fraction of the price and earn an industry-recognized diploma at Masters Design Lab.

Masters Design Lab is an accredited online educator that offers certificate and diploma programs in graphic design, all of which focus on teaching fundamental design skills and how to apply them in real-world settings. The programs also zero in on helping students navigate the tools of the trade, including the commonly used Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Facilitating their learning are some of the best designers in the world led by Academic Advisor Michael Leblanc and Master Graphic Design Lecturer Dan Perri.

Masters Design Lab also offers a combination of self-paced courses and engaging live sessions to deliver an effective learning experience. The design school blends an outstanding curriculum with hands-on mentoring and inspiration from excellent designers.

To learn more about the key features of Masters Design Lab, click here.

Is Masters Design Lab Worth It?

Masters Design Lab has helped many people realize their dreams of making a living out of their passion for graphic design. Among them is illustrator and graphic designer, Lucie Goroyan.

“I’ve always been an artsy person, but I thought I couldn’t make a living with it. That’s why it took me so long to finally make my dream come true and become a graphic designer,” she said.

She has worked at Picsart, an online editing platform, for the past five years.

Lucie’s path toward becoming a graphic designer was not straightforward. She started at Picsart as a moderator and then became a researcher before becoming a content curator. In this role, she began to perform creative tasks, improved her photography skills, and created different assets for various projects. After this, she moved into the role of a graphic designer.

To sharpen her skills, Lucie enrolled in Masters Design Lab. She chose the design school because it combined the convenience of online classes with the experience of attending live sessions. She also preferred it over other online courses because Masters Design Lab graduates receive a diploma, which she felt would strengthen her resume.

For Lucie, Masters Design Lab can benefit everyone, regardless of their background in graphic design. Lucie is enjoying her course at Masters Design Lab and loves being a graphic designer. “It’s the best job in the whole universe. You get paid for being creative,” she shared.

Become a Graphic Designer with Masters Design Lab

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer, Masters Design Lab offers three programs with 25 courses that will bring you closer to a successful career in graphic design. Want to learn more? Feel free to request more information from Masters Design Lab here.