[mgonzal]

I'm interested in learning about graphic design. Obviously I don't want a career in that field otherwise I'd be going to college for it, but I would like to know some about it since I'm clueless when it comes to it. thanks for your help

[macosxnerd101]

You might want to check out the DIC Graphic Design Tutorial Section.

[mb2000inc]

What, exactly, are you looking to do with graphic design?
There's all sorts of goodies to know... the basics with Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, etc...
Then, there's motion graphics (After Effects, and Flash).

I can point you in SEVERAL directions - based on what you want to do.
(I'm also fairly proficient in the above mentioned software by Adobe, and can assist.)

[mgonzal]

Both, actually. I started watching some photoshop tutorials not long ago, I'm trying to come up with a logo for my youtube channel and I want to do it myself. That's the main reason I got interested in Graphic Design.
I also downloaded vegas pro last week, I thought I would be able to learn vegas pro by just messing around with it since I've done a few projects using Windows Movie Maker but I realized there's is a WHOLE lot more to it.
Thank you for replying

mb2000inc, on 16 May 2011 - 01:47 PM, said:

What, exactly, are you looking to do with graphic design?
There's all sorts of goodies to know... the basics with Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, etc...
Then, there's motion graphics (After Effects, and Flash).

I can point you in SEVERAL directions - based on what you want to do.
(I'm also fairly proficient in the above mentioned software by Adobe, and can assist.)

[Lemur]

Illustrator for logo design.

If you're just after logo design then you need to get serious experience in drawing traditionally as well, it's a major contributing factor to making good logos.

A working knowledge of typography is even more crucial, a bad font can destroy any logo. Now as to telling which fonts are better than others that takes years of experience and research. You'll need to pay special attention to kerning though, that if nothing else is immediately practical.

[mb2000inc]

....AND, never use comic sans!

Vegas Pro, is a good tool - though, admittedly, I don't use it all that often.
I'm more of an Adobe person. (Premiere and After Effects) There are all sorts of tutorials out there, dedicated to Motion Graphics and other video stuff.

Logo design is difficult in itself. Animating a logo is much trickier when you have little to no experience with it.

I'm sure some of us can help you with some concepts.

This post has been edited by mb2000inc: 17 May 2011 - 06:21 AM

[Finney_3]

Start by drawing by hand using pencil. The logo design is very tricky. What is the concept or theme that you are trying to create for your channel. I would definitely going with illustrator for designing a logo. I only use illustrator for it. I use photoshop for my other stuff and don't use indesign.

As far as using vegas pro. It very basic and is easy to learn. If you really want to learn motion animation I would work with adobe premier and after effects. After effects is not user friend I think. It something that you have to read on or watch tutorials on. Video co pilot is good for that.

I would youtube and google to crap out of it for some good tutorials and go and learn the basics and build from there. I'm not on my regular computer but I will try to post some of the link that I have used in the past to learn what your looking for. The down fall I have for logo design is that I can't draw for shit. I try to work on it all the time. practice make perfect.

[Splotch]

Here's the majority of what you need to know about Graphic Design:

Fonts:
Sans Serif for video. Serif fonts for print. Treat fonts as silhouettes in your design. Good fonts are hard to come by and most decorative fonts are only good for spelling out the names of the fonts themselves. Ignore font nazis - fonts are considered overused for a reason, they work. True, there may be better fonts out there depending on the context, but don't try to reinvent the wheel if you don't have to.

Color:
Contrast is your friend. Light colors go on dark backgrounds. dark colors go on light backgrounds. You'd be amazed how many people screw this up.

Photos:
Never use a 72 dpi photo for print - 72 dpi is for screen applications. Never go above 350 and expect a Kinko's or some other print shop to bring out a better resolution on a printed image - it just bogs down the RIP process and just wastes time.

Layout:
Balance is not just a term for weights and measurements. Use your images, text and blankspace (or whitespace) creatively, but not chaotically. When you're done. Do something else for 5 minutes then come back and study your design again. Watch where your eye goes first. The artist's job is to explore, express and manipulate metaphor to get your point across - so make sure everything in your design says something about either your message or the audience you are trying to reach.

Feedback and Criticism:
Never get too emotionally attached to a single idea. Even if you've been working for hours on a single section to get the colors just right or and image to look the way you want it to... No matter how right you know it is... it can be thrown away in a heartbeat by your client. The majority of your clients will have manure between their ears when it comes to marketing design. Most of them will want you to design something based on what they want it to look like rather than what their customers will want it to look like.

Photoshop:
Filters should not be used in large quantities, if they are to be used at all (everyone can recognize clouds and lens flares). Also, try not to pay too much attention to people who claim that having the latest Creative Suite is important. After Adobe gobbled up Macromedia sometime around CS2, their innovation between products has been negligible at best.

As a Career:
Overpopulated. Avoid like the plague.

[Chrisx18]

Splotch gave great advice. One thing to remember to is I don't like when people say learning this can take years (No offense Lemur). It just takes some practice. Learn how to use photoshop then learn how to put it to good use. And to do that all you really have to do is look at what other people have made. I also suggest searching "photoshop tutorial SomeRandomWord". When you see the finished product of something that blew you away go view the tutorial for it. It's likely not to be as hard to make as you think.

Good Luck! Graphic design can be extremely fun even just as a hobby

[shadowstep0705]

I want to create a logo, so illustrator will be good?

[Chrisx18]

shadowstep0705, on 05 June 2011 - 12:52 PM, said:

I want to create a logo, so illustrator will be good?

Personally i don't use illustrator. I have used photoshop for EVERYTHING. Illustrator is known to be better for logo design and stuff like that though.

[shadowstep0705]

Chrisx18, on 05 June 2011 - 12:28 PM, said:

shadowstep0705, on 05 June 2011 - 12:52 PM, said:

I want to create a logo, so illustrator will be good?

Personally i don't use illustrator. I have used photoshop for EVERYTHING. Illustrator is known to be better for logo design and stuff like that though.

Is there so much difference between them two?

I only have Photoshop on this PC

[Chrisx18]

I'm pretty sure the main difference is pixels vs vector graphics. aka little dots making up your image rather than a mathematical algorithm. Don't stress over you only having photoshop. Photoshop is fine to make logos in.

[Splotch]

shadowstep0705, on 05 June 2011 - 12:42 PM, said:

Is there so much difference between them two?

I only have Photoshop on this PC

For logo work, its best to use a vector-based software, like Illustrator, Freehand (RIP) or Corel Draw. Photoshop is good for photos and other pixel-related work.

When you are branding something, you will want to be able to resize your logo at a whim for different applications - business cards, brochures, advertisements. Vector images are, by far, vastly superior at this than the pixel images you get from Photoshop, because with vector images, when you resize something, the outline of every shape resizes automatically. If you resize a pixel image too much, you get pixelation (jagged outlines and little boxes).

If you absolutely must use Photoshop for logo work, start at a very high resolution (450-600) and then resize future applications from that file.

[Chrisx18]

I agree with Splotch on the fact that vectors are better for logo because of resizing issues but like he also said just start at a big resolution. And I'm sure you can agree Splotch that if he isn't doing this professionally it's not a must for him to have Illustrator. He just wants to make a logo for his youtube channel not mass produce a logo for a corporation