Advice on how to get into digital design
I have a passion for digital illustrations, designing original concepts and characters. I also have some Interest in UI and have taken a short course. As i have no industry experience, I would love so,e advice on how I can start my career and the best route to take into digital design.
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- @ɐɹoᗡ ɐuu∀ ˥ Hi Lanna,Thank you for answering my question. I guess this does make sense, is there anyway I could mix the two lol?Thanks once again!
- Hi Rhea,Brian below broke it down very nicely, just one thing I would add to that:First things first decide if you want to do UI or digital illustration. To be very clear digital illustration is a way way harder career, it's incredibly competetive and generally less paid.
- @Brian Grant wow! Thank you so much in taking the time to write such a detailed comment full of advice. I really appreciate this and will taking this onboard for my next steps.Thank you again!
- Hello Rhea,There are probably two ways to approach getting into digital design, they would be:
- To find work
- To build a popular brand
The best way to find work is to convince a potential client that you can either solve their urgent problem or that you can offer them something that they desire.A number of companies would see a person with no previous experience as a risk, so you may need to work as an intern for free or at low pay in order to gain the necessary experience.When you have no experience at anything then you can always make up the difference with using “sweat equity” and although it will take time and effort it is the best way unless you know people in your personal network that could give you a trial job somewhere.You could cold call / email companies, this way could be tiresome, but if you approached enough companies with the right proposition you will get some opportunities.If you do not have money to spend on marketing your services then you will have to spend time on building relationships and connections to make sure that you are in the mind of clients.You could also try representation from recruitment agents or specialised agents in the field that you want to work in.You need a great portfolio website of your own ideally, and high quality work distributed throughout your social media platforms as well.Even if you do not have any commercial experience, then you should at least have a couple of projects that look amazing for clients as (concept projects) that attempt to revisit or improve the UI for some of your fave companies, them use your skill to create a great impression.You will also need a good grasp of design software (Adobe CC, Sketch, Figma, etc.) and a decent machine to work with. There are lots of free courses online as well as paid courses to provide you with the necessary software knowledge.In terms of building a brand you should develop a presence on every relevant social media platform, then focus in on one or two and really spend time to build your audience and client base from there, this will take months, maybe years but it is very valuable if done properly.Keep practising and improving your skills, practise your design, typography, layout, colour selection, programming, prototyping, research, mobile and tablet design, and so on. There is always something that you can do to improve your marketability for new clients.Follow companies and designers that you like, interact with them, like their posts, contribute to their pages, take part in challenges and ways to get your work seen by more people, make connections and build trust.Message them, ask questions and do not be scared of rejection. You can only fail if you do not try. Every attempt is another step forward, and even if you do not get the desired result, it is experience for the next time.With all those tips the most important thing is your mind-set of how much you want it, if you want it desperately enough then you will always find a way.Good luck and if you need any more help then give me a shout.
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