8 Essential Skills Every Graphic Designer Should Possess
Do you want to make a career in graphic designing? Do you keep comparing different logos and websites thinking about how you could have made them better? Graphic designing is a dream job for many creative individuals which is becoming highly competitive with every passing day. For becoming a sought after professional in the field, you will need to master these 8 skills:
1. Visual Ideation: A design is a collection of concepts that when used together communicates a message. All the tools can only help you in creating those messages; you need to come up with the visual concepts first. Be imaginative; tap into your creative resources and develop original sketches and ideas. 
2. Aesthetic design sense: An immaculate sense of design marks your prowess as a graphic designer. This sixth sense is the major skill that separates a designer from the other mortals. With some months of practice anyone can learn tools and software but without the ability to differentiate between a good or a bad design, in the first place, you can only do so much.
3. Typography: It’s one of those rare skills that is essential for both the print and digital mediums unequivocally. Termed as the official language of designing, it usually marks the difference between a good and an excellent designer; it can make or break your design.
4. Design Software: The technical skills play an important role in the execution of any idea. Mastering Adobe suite, for example, is essential as you will be working with software like Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator on a daily basis.
5. HTML & CSS: Web design is increasingly overlapping with the graphic designing. Employers prefer those candidates who have at least basic UI/UX knowledge or web design experience. Basic knowledge of these programming languages helps you in overcoming the shortcomings of the CMS you are required to work on.
6. Color Theory: A color is at the base of every design and the color theory empowers all the designers to use the medium to their advantage. Every color has a certain psychological effect on humans and affects a reader’s decisions subconsciously. The color theory also includes lighting and shadowing along with the effects it produces. 
7. Communication: The ability to communicate is fundamental to everything that a designer does but it’s not just about visual communication. Understanding what a client wants from a design is the key to producing a successful product. Designers also need to be able to articulate their ideas and concepts to the employers or clients fluently and with ease. 
8. Networking: The ability to create a network with peers and seasoned professionals is essential for the development of a designer. You need a team outside your official team. Blogging has emerged as one of the most successful platforms for designers, not just for networking but for creating an online presence. Online portfolios are arguably replacing their print counterparts. 
We hope you find this article useful and continue to build on these skills to become a well-rounded graphic designer. If you think we have missed something, we would love to hear; please, comment below.
Image sources: digitalmediaacademy.org, kindmedia.org, sololearn.com, deviantart.com, successyeti.com
