by Gia Foley (Creative Director of Neon Appeal)
Truth: Anyone can do it! FALSE. It's true that some of us are natural creatives, but doing graphics for a business is about more than just being creative. As a graphic designer it's important that you understand core marketing concepts to make your designs effective and clear. And if you hope to have lots of clients, you need to understand color balancing so that the design looks polished but unique - No matter if the project is a bumper sticker or social media graphics.
Truth: Designers don't need to know anything about business marketing. FALSE!
A skilled graphic designer should study the marketing techniques of many industries, because you'll be applying those concepts to your work every single day. The design techniques you use for a bank won't be the same techniques applied to a nightclub.
Truth: Graphic Design is one of the easiest careers. FALSE!
First let me be clear: as a freelance graphic designer, work is NEVER guaranteed. In the beginning, (and sometimes even after you're established), you'll need to constantly be promoting your work, chasing leads, and taking calls/meetings. And even if you do land a client, what if they don't like the finished product? Sometimes they give you a chance to revise, sometimes they just DISAPPEAR. There goes your paycheck, and all the time you wasted working on the project. But the good news is, if you keep it professional, and deliver good work as much as possible, eventually you'll start to get more serious clients who respect the work flow. And some of them may keep you on monthly or even yearly! Once you've built your skills and your portfolio you can choose to stay freelance, or find a company that needs a good in-house designer.
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