10 Important Tips on How to Gain Confidence as a Graphic Designer

Sometimes it’s hard to make up with losses when you lose a project. We all take the occasional confidence knock from time-to-time. But to see continued success in the graphic design industry, it’s important to know the right techniques and implement it confidently.

In this blog, we will have a look at ten things one can do to gain confidence as a graphic designer by implementing right skillset. These tips can work for experienced designers, as well as new designers looking to break into the market. Following these points can overcome any hurdle in graphic design projects.

1. Develop a Niche

The design market can be a crowded one. Don’t try to know everything. Develop a niche. If you are a great photo or an illustrator, go with it. Or maybe your specialty is print or developing a branding strategy.

Market yourself in a way that matches with your skill-set, and take on projects that make you work on things in which you are good at.

2. Acquire a New Skill

While finding a role is a great way to work on things you know well, gaining confidence along the way, learning a new skill and updating yourself can go a long way as well.

There are many graphic design institutes in India which offer various diploma and certificate courses in graphic design which can help you acquire new skills. Pick up some new graphic design software by joining online graphic design course in Photoshop, CorelDraw, Illustrator, InDesign etc. Identify something that interests you when you are looking for something new to try.

By developing a new skill, you will get better in all aspects of your work. You might even find that it makes you work more efficiently and creatively.

3. Be Honest About How Much You Can Do

One of the biggest and common problems in designers is that they commit on wrong things. “Sure, I can do that.” “Yes, I can have that in three days” Sound familiar?

Don’t make false commitments about your work to do more than you can handle. Be realistic about how long something will take to finish an assigned task. Be upfront about time and cost considerations with your boss or clients.

4. Take Feedback

It is important to give and receive feedback on a regular basis. Getting that feedback from design peers can be more honest about the design than from clients.

Sometimes clients may not like your designs because it does not match their ideas of what is desired, or it conflict with the brand requirements. But that does not mean a design is bad; it just means it did not match with their requirements. That’s when looking for unbiased feedback can be helpful. The design might be nice, even if it did not work for a particular client.

Join a meetup group in your city, post conversations on online forums or even chat with other designers and share ideas on social media. Receiving genuine feedback's is good for helping you grow as a designer. 

 

5. Be a Part of Fun Activities

Doing same kind of work can be monotonous and stressful. By picking a project of your choice and interest will make you feel more in control, and in turn, confident. These jobs may not always be the highest paying. These can include work like creation or updating of a personal portfolio, blog, or business card design for a friend. This kind of fun activities make you feel great especially when your confidence might be shaken.

6. Design with an Aim

Your every design should not only be remarkable but also have a reason for each design decision you make and be able, and willing, to back it up. Become well-versed in design and its principles, so you can explain the logic of why something is pleasing to the eye. And to master such theories it’s always recommended to join a graphic design institute which focuses on commercial art and visual grammar classes.

  

Designing to make something attractive is not particularly useful. But making specific choices that contribute to a certain project can go a long way. By explaining such theories to a client, you will become more confident in your knowledge of design theory, and able to support your choices. 

 

7. Set Timelines and Work on It

At the beginning of every project, set realistic timelines and goals. Check on frequent intervals how much you have accomplished and don’t be afraid to celebrate success. These small victories can make you feel like you really are getting somewhere on a project. 

 

Slowly and steadily, set and work toward long-term goals. Where do you want to be in ten years? What kinds of projects do you want to handle? Where do you want to work and live? Always try to look for jobs and projects that will help you get closer to the things which you find important.

8. Update Your Portfolio

Designers tend to judge themselves by the last completed project. If it goes well, things are good; if it goes unwell, it’s leaves a bad mark.

By keeping an up-to-date and complete project portfolio, you can regularly keep track of successes and things you are proud of. It’s a good idea to get on a portfolio update schedule so that you can see your own accomplishments on a regular basis. Make a point to add your best new projects to your portfolio on frequent basis. You can also join a professional graphic design institute which not only offers best graphic design courses in Delhi but also focuses on creating or updating your project portfolio.

Also try to be active on a public portfolio platform, such as Behance, where users can comment and favorite some of your work. 

 

9. Participate in Design Competitions

Most designers don’t complete a project thinking about contests, but creative and design competition can be another great way to help build your confidence.

They also help you plan, work toward deadlines and better pay attention to and follow specific rules. This planned structure can be a good exercise for graphic designers that sometimes think a little outside the lines. And a win always makes anyone feel good. 

 

10. Get Rightly Paid 

Nothing boosts your confidence like getting paid for your work. Whether you work in a company, have a strong client base, or design on a freelance basis, getting paid is a sure sign of success.

The creative business can be a indecisive one, and failed projects sometimes come with cut rates and refunds for work. Take a minute to applaud yourself for every project that gets finished on time and paid in full. Use your successes and failures as examples of how to work moving forward.

There are a lot of things that can shake a designer’s confidence – a new job, new client, unsuccessful project, conflicts in taste or style with a client – but what will make or break your career is how you recover learn from your experience and move forward.

If you have faced failure in one project, don’t lose hope, get out there and try again. It is good to analyze yourself and understand what you are good at can help any graphic designer get better in their work and gain confidence.

What other things have you tried to boost your confidence level as a graphic designer? Share your tips and techniques in the comments, so that other people can learn from it and implement them.