Discuss the skills and areas of understanding that a professional designer must have to be successful. Include in your discussion the ways in which the designer developed these skills.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Becoming an expert on Photoshop and other design software is an important first step in becoming a successful designer. Just as a successful carpenter must be able to use the tools of her trade, a designer must have expert skills in working with the software that is one of the tools of his trade. However, expert use of tools is not enough to make you an expert designer. To become a professional, you must also develop expertise in additional areas, including marketing principles, aesthetic/art theory, and project management. To extend the carpenter metaphor—a carpenter building a table for someone’s home must understand how the size and shape of the room, the style of the house, and the aesthetic preferences and lifestyle of the client will affect what design would work best for that client.

A designer must understand how to create a project that will fulfill the client’s vision and goals, reach and connect with the target audience, and produce the desired results when output to its final format. In addition, a good designer must understand classic design theory and current aesthetic trends to be able to create solid designs that effectively communicate with the target audience. A good designer must also be able to use her own sense of aesthetics to create successful, original projects. For example, without an understanding of the effective use of white space, a designer might create layouts filled with graphic elements that do not give the composition a sense of space and flow. Without an understanding of what styles are popular with a particular age group, the designer might not be able to create a composition that catches the attention of people in that group. You develop these skills by taking classes in classic art theory, reading trade magazines, working for professional designers, and using what you learn to create new projects.