Artistic people can succeed in the field of graphic design. Graphic design uses visual elements to communicate a brand’s story, ideas, or messages, so being an efficient communicator is essential. Graphic design is also a marketing tool, so being empathetic is also vital. Graphic designers must understand how their target audience feels, what problems they’re facing, and what visual elements they can embrace. Relatedly, graphic designers should be adept at problem-solving. Not only should graphic designers be able to understand how to reach their target audience, but they must be able to understand how their design assets fit with a particular project’s end goal. Finally, graphic designers should be patient and open to change. Graphic designers receive plenty of feedback and opportunities for improvement, allowing them to become more successful.

Graphic designers must have an endless supply of creativity to constantly develop new and exciting ideas to create innovative, engaging visual elements. Graphic designers should also be adept in storytelling and problem-solving to determine the needs of their target audience and create graphic assets that tell a story to get them to take a particular action. Branding is an essential skill for graphic designers to create visual elements specific to a brand. There are technical skills that can help a graphic designer thrive. Typography, for example, is one of those skills. If graphic designers understand how fonts are made and can pick the right fonts for a project, they can excel. Other essential technical skills graphic designers should have include coding, interactive media, and Adobe creative software (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop).

Fortunately, it has become a lot more affordable to purchase all of the necessary equipment and software to become a graphic designer. First of all, make sure you have a decent laptop or desktop. I recommend at least 8GB of RAM to run the latest popular design software. You will need to have access to design software that consists of the following three things: a Photo Editing Application, a Vector Program, and a Layout Program. There is a monthly subscription from Adobe for the Adobe Creative Cloud that gives you access to everything you need. Many alternative design softwares are less expensive and sometimes even free. Outside of a good solid computer (desktop or laptop) and access to software, the only other thing you need is your passion for learning design theory foundations, giving you the ability to produce relevant, in-demand design projects.