Design, in general, is not only about beautifying things, but it's also about problem-solving, creating a solution, bringing a change, communicating ideas and conveying a message to the person at the other end in an engaging and purposeful manner.
1. When and how did you chose to be a graphic designer?
My journey as a graphic designer began back in my 2nd year of college when I started applying design teachings to practical real-life projects through freelancing. Being a student of India's prestigious design college - NIFT Bengaluru, contributed significantly towards building good aesthetics, an eye for details and a sense of responsible design.
Design, in general, is not only about beautifying things, but it's also about problem-solving, creating a solution, bringing a change, communicating ideas and conveying a message to the person at the other end in an engaging and purposeful manner.
I chose to be a graphic designer because of the growth and creative exploration in this field never end. There's a new thing to learn every day! Being a person who is always on a lookout to explore new things, being a graphic designer offers me a great opportunity to explore my creativity in different aspects.
For instance, my experience of being a graphic designer for an NGO working towards climate action was completely different from the experience I am gaining now working with an Ed-tech start-up! This field gave me immense freedom to step into different domains and that's what I like the best!
2. What is the role and scope of work for a graphic designer?
A good graphic designer can help a brand grow, stand out among competitors, attract and retain customers, convey a message, entertain the audience and what not! by creating valuable connections through creative and engaging content.
2. What is the role and scope of work for a graphic designer?
A good graphic designer can help a brand grow, stand out among competitors, attract and retain customers, convey a message, entertain the audience and what not! by creating valuable connections through creative and engaging content.
Ranging from creating content/graphics/illustrations for social media engagement to t-shirt prints, advertising, promotions, branding and marketing, the scope of work is very vast to explore.
3. Which are some of the tools & software that a graphic designer must be aware of?
There are no set of tools and software that a graphic designer MUST know! It can vary as per the design needs, applications, convenience and proficiency of a graphic designer.
Though there are innumerable design tools available online these days to create graphics easily and time efficiently, I still prefer going back to the classic Adobe software most of the time. According to me, a graphic designer must be aware of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects. These three can do wonders, trust me!
4. How in your opinion has this profession changed over the years?
Graphic designing as a profession has evolved amazingly over the years.
3. Which are some of the tools & software that a graphic designer must be aware of?
There are no set of tools and software that a graphic designer MUST know! It can vary as per the design needs, applications, convenience and proficiency of a graphic designer.
Though there are innumerable design tools available online these days to create graphics easily and time efficiently, I still prefer going back to the classic Adobe software most of the time. According to me, a graphic designer must be aware of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects. These three can do wonders, trust me!
4. How in your opinion has this profession changed over the years?
Graphic designing as a profession has evolved amazingly over the years.
From the 1900s when graphic design was basically a form of expression in the form of posters (I would definitely recommend taking a peek at how Bauhaus greatly influenced modern-day graphic design and typography) to fast forward to today where graphic design has become a huge part of Social Media and Marketing, which boosts engagement, improves user experience and makes advertising more effective.
We have definitely come a long way and the evolution is going to be huge in the coming years for sure!
With the growth of digitalization and advent of the unexpected pandemic, every small and big organization and business are moving towards the digital mediums in order to grow and preserve their presence among people. This is where graphic designers are playing a huge role these days!
5. Do you often have to keep upskilling yourself?
Just like how Adobe keeps adding new features or improvising the old tools and software in order to make the design process easier and fruitful. Similarly, a graphic designer should also keep upskilling themselves, by learning new tools/software and practising, improvising on the already known ones.
With the growth of digitalization and advent of the unexpected pandemic, every small and big organization and business are moving towards the digital mediums in order to grow and preserve their presence among people. This is where graphic designers are playing a huge role these days!
5. Do you often have to keep upskilling yourself?
Just like how Adobe keeps adding new features or improvising the old tools and software in order to make the design process easier and fruitful. Similarly, a graphic designer should also keep upskilling themselves, by learning new tools/software and practising, improvising on the already known ones.
I started with Adobe softwares - Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign etc. but I have been constantly learning new ones like Canva, Figma, ProCreate, Sketch etc. because sometimes we need those external tools that are made available online, to make our work easier.
But Photoshop, Illustrator are still my best friends and none can beat them!
Apart from softwares, it's also important to upskill your knowledge related to fonts, colours, patterns and overall visual appeal. These aspects combined with the basic elements and principles of design play a huge role in creating good graphic content.
6. How can one develop a keen sense for design and aesthetics?
Observation and continuous experimentation is the key!
'Design' and 'Aesthetic' are quite subjective terms. As a graphic designer, it's important to develop a personal sense of design aesthetic in order to stand out amongst the crowd. But it's equally important to understand the aesthetics of a brand/product if one is working for an organization.
Apart from softwares, it's also important to upskill your knowledge related to fonts, colours, patterns and overall visual appeal. These aspects combined with the basic elements and principles of design play a huge role in creating good graphic content.
6. How can one develop a keen sense for design and aesthetics?
Observation and continuous experimentation is the key!
'Design' and 'Aesthetic' are quite subjective terms. As a graphic designer, it's important to develop a personal sense of design aesthetic in order to stand out amongst the crowd. But it's equally important to understand the aesthetics of a brand/product if one is working for an organization.
Being flexible, able to take criticism on design-work and channelling it in the right direction to improvise further can help one develop their skills as a graphic designer.
To develop a keen sense of design and aesthetics, one should keep themselves updated with the graphic design trends through forecasters like WGSN etc. and take inspiration from previously done design projects. I would also recommend aspiring graphic designers to read "Graphic Design Visionaries" by Caroline Roberts.
Trend-Check!
7. Your favourite book and why?
My current read 'Take Me Home' by Rashmi Bansal has kept me hooked for quite some time now and is definitely one among my favourite books.
Trend-Check!
- Pantone announced 'Illuminating' and 'Ultimate Gray' as Color of the Year 2021
- Bold, dominating 'Typography' is going to rule graphic trends in the coming months!
7. Your favourite book and why?
My current read 'Take Me Home' by Rashmi Bansal has kept me hooked for quite some time now and is definitely one among my favourite books.
The book talks about 20 entrepreneurs from small towns of India who share their journey, struggles and achievements in order to inspire youth to never give up on their dreams. I'll definitely recommend this one to every young aspiring entrepreneur and just anyone looking for some motivation.
- Jahanvi Singh (Graphic Designer)
- Jahanvi Singh (Graphic Designer)
The goal has always been to create an impactful design-driven user experience and establish an effective engagement and connection with people while exploring the creative aspects of being a designer.
A NIFT graduate, Jahanvi can talk about design trends without a full stop and is keen on learning and growing simultaneously, because change is the only thing constant in her dictionary!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahanvi-singh-4888a6179
Interviewed By Pratibha Sahani
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahanvi-singh-4888a6179
Interviewed By Pratibha Sahani
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