Graphic Designers - advice please!

MisChief

MisChief

MisChief

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Hmmm not sure where this should go so I'll just post in General Discussion :o

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I'm hoping there are some Graphic Designers here who can give me some advice on how I can get into Graphic Design please :p

I work as a team assistant (yes, exciting job..!) but I'm currently in a position where I can possibly expand my role and do more of the things I like, which is creative work such as designing newsletters, creating static banners and editing artwork etc.

I have Photoshop CS4 on my laptop and know the basics through self learning, but I will need better equipment and better knowledge on how to use photoshop as well as learn how to use InDesign.

I need to put together a 'proposal' for my boss with things like:

- what hardware I will need (better spec laptop / macbookpro / graphics tablet?)
- what software I will need (subscription to photoshop CC and InDesign CC?)
- what short courses I need to go on (I've found 2 day introduction courses for both Photoshop and Indesign at £522 each)
- how much will it cost for service/support on the hardware (as our IT dept only supports their own equipment and not externally purchased items)

Any tips and advice on how/where to get started will be much appreciated :)
 
Get yourself as a big a monitor as you can get. Tried using InDesign on a laptop for a day once. Painful.

Wouldn't bother with the £522 courses. Most of it will be available online for free.

Find a magazine layout and mimic it. You will learn about kerning, leading, feathering, bleed, etc
 
Specs all depend on how intensive the work is. A mid range laptop (i5?) would be sufficient for most people. From what I've found depending on the work involved photoshop can run easily on its min required specs or bring a dual xeon workstation to its knees. Regardless of laptop hardware a large high quality screen and docking station would be a huge asset.(or maybe 2 screens).

What is your current laptop? Does it feel sluggish using photoshop in the usual manner?

I still use cs6 I still don't use half the features available so you could save an awful lot of money by getting an older version. I haven't used creative cloud so can't comment on its value for money.

I wouldn't bother with courses as anything they can teach you is available online and 2 days is not going to teach much. For that sort of money I'd put it towards the hardware instead.

Should require anything the IT group can't do already.

(I'm not a pro but I do use photoshop for my work an awful lot)
 
Dell's 30" UltraSharp monitors are a dream to work on for this kind of stuff, the only thing I can think of that is even more pleasant to work with is a Wacom Cintiq.

There are a wealth of tutorial websites out there for Adobe CS that I've learned pretty much all I know from over the years, but I've also made an effort to work with my company's design team over the years to learn best practices with InDesign; maybe something that is a privilege than a reality for most, admittedly.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Wacom Intuos
Massive screen, or dual monitor
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Click to expand...
This.

I'd go for the subscription model for photoshop & InDesign.

As a method of learning, I'd attempt to-recreate a number of examples you can find on-line, with each hurdle you come across I'm sure you can find a number of examples on youtube which will be able to guide you.
 
My sister also uses Illustrator a lot. Now you're up to 3 packages, you may as well sign up to Creative Cloud. It's worthwhile.

It's also good because it means everyone on CC is using the same version, there's no compatibility issues.
 
I don't want to sound overly harsh here but the first thing I have to say and this is coming from a designer is that knowing how to use the software does not make you a designer.... obviously we can't judge if you're any good without seeing the work you can do etc but it's a topic that is raised a lot.

I'd recommend you look at courses that teach you the fundamentals of design and the correct program for the task at hand.
 
Thanks for the replies guys!

I'm currently using a HP ProBook 6475b and I've also got a 22inch monitor. It can't handle some of the files I need to open and photoshop just slows everything down. I'll probably need a macbook pro or something because I wouldn't be replacing my existing laptop - a lot of work applications are only supported/compatible with my current laptop (or laptops provided by our IT dept), so a macbook will only be used solely for creative work and I can connect it to my monitor or buy a bigger monitor.

It's not a requirement to attend the courses, it's just that I'm a bit unsure about learning online because I don't feel I can learn properly that way. I'd rather be sat in a room for 2 days so that I can give it my full attention and ask questions if I need to.


My friend suggested I attend these two courses:
http://www.mediatraining.ltd.uk/courses/course.php?courseId=509
http://www.mediatraining.ltd.uk/courses/course.php?courseId=515
 
Why a MacBook? I like them don't get me wrong but you can get a bigger bang for your buck from another hp laptop. I would assume by staying on the windows platform that the it department could still support you.

I've got an ageing hp 6930p that is adequate for low power work. Their newer systems look like they pack quite a punch.
 
Mynight said:
Why a MacBook?
Click to expand...
I don't know :o I have a friend who is a Graphic Designer working in the same company (but she works in a different function) and everything I mentioned above was suggested by her.

I thought I'd post on here and see what other options I have, so if you guys can recommend other hardware/courses then I will look into those options too :)

Ideally I'd want a 17" laptop so that I don't always have to use a monitor and it also means I can work from home as well.
 
You don't need a macbook for this at all, yes you would fit the design clique but that's about all you would gain. :p

Creative Cloud is about £50 a month for the full package.

I would agree with lsg1r as well, what kind of understanding of graphic design do you have at the moment?
 
anticonscience said:
I would agree with lsg1r as well, what kind of understanding of graphic design do you have at the moment?
Click to expand...
Umm.. I don't really know anything about graphic design to be honest, hence asking on here :p I'm not looking to become a graphic designer (not right now anyway), at the moment I just want to do some creative work as part of my job just so I won't be doing boring admin stuff all the time. Then I guess I'll build on from there and see where it leads me...
 
Since any laptop selling site is a competitor to ocuk its hard to show direct comparisons. However this;

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=LT-122-MS

@ £1079 is cheaper than the base level MacBook Pro and would absolutely flatten it performance wise. Personally I think its prettier as well. It's got a light up keyboard!!! Sold!! :D

The only downside it has is its not a "retina" screen which look great however personally I think its better to design on a screen that's the same quality as the vast majority of your viewers are going to see it at(not sure if that's standard practise).
 
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