Top 10 Myths about a Graphic Designer - Synapse India

04 Mar 2014

“Sometimes a designer is treated nothing less than a Genie of Aladdins Lamp. With a perception that he or she can do or make anything look so fabolous. But, Graphic designers are also human with full of practical application to their talent.”

As a graphic design instructor, and as a professional designer, I hear the same things over and over again. I’m not sure where the rumors started, or how they continue to grow, but I thought it was time that someone set the record straight.

Here are my Top 10 myths that I hear in and out around my team :

misconceptions about graphic design

1. Anyone can be a Graphic Designer

Graphic Design is not just some mumbo-jumbo where playing with photoshop entitles a person to call himself a graphic designer. Being a graphic designer is a lifestyle. We need to be up-to-date with the latest design trends and technology. We have to do extensive studying and research before presenting a design proposal to clients.

2. Design is only done on the computer all the time

Most student designers tend to undervalue creating rough sketches on paper because they would rather design directly in the computer. But what they don't know is that the greatest design ideas start off with a sketch and letting them flow through in a sheet of paper.

3. Graphic Designers are natural born creatives

There is no such thing as a natural born creative. Everyone starts in a clean slate and throughout their formative years - being exposed to the right influence and environment - they develop this knack of creating extraordinary things that makes people go "WOW! I wish I have thought of that idea"

4. Fixing design as fast as a flick of the Wrist

With the help of computers, designers can excute their work faster and with mor efficiency, but asking for a designer to do a design or fix a desing in just a matter of hours is a fallacy. No good design comes from rushed work because designers carefully make plans and researches before starting a desing product.

5. Total Reign over the design

It may sound too good to be true if a client let us designers do what we wanted to do, but in reality no client is like that. Sure they would be lenient but they wouldn't let you have all the decisions with the design. Working in the design industry is a collabrative process between the designer and the client to achieve the desired output.

6. Education Stops after Education

Students think that once they have graduated they will no longer need to listen and to study. They will just rely to what they have learned in school or just wing it. The truth is, even after graduation they still need to study, attend seminars and read books because in the fast paced world of design they have to keep themselves updated from time to time.

7. Customers are always right

Unfortunately, unlike myth #8 people think that clients are always in total control of the output just because graphic designers are paid to do their demands. Graphic designers make use of styles and techniques to create a design and apply what we have learned from school, books and seminars in order to make a good & effective design in each project.

8. Graphic Designers knows everything

Having the ability to read minds sound great but unfortunately such skill does not exist. As graphic designers we love to hear what people wanted for their design but there are those who give out completely vague and sometimes indecipherable instructions. The design process would be easier and less painful if clear objectives were given.

9. Graphic Design can make you rich, FAST

As much as we want it to be true, getting rich with graphic design is never easy. More ofter than not only 10% of the profit goes directly to out pockets and the rest goes to paying the bills, putting food on the table and using it as a capital for another design project.

10. Graphic Design is EASY

One of the biggest misconceptions about graphic design is that it is easy to be a graphic designer. Just because we graphic designers sit in front of the computer most of the time, people have thought that designing is easy and less stressful.

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