Nobody has the proper skill set to do everything well, but everybody has the skills to excel at something. These skills can be an excellent aid in choosing a career path that will not only reward you financially, but one that will challenge you.
If you’ve always been creatively inclined, you might be thinking about starting a career as a designer. However, design work isn’t for everybody, so it’s important to make sure you’re cut out for it before starting on the career path. If you’re considering a career as a designer, here are some of the skills you’ll need.
Creativity
The main thing you’ll need if you want to be a designer of any kind is creativity. While nobody is born with all the skills and knowledge you need to be a great designer, having a lot of creative bones in your body is certainly a big help.
If you’ve always had a natural talent for art and organization—especially the two combined—chances are you have the creativity needed to become a designer. If so, you can build on this foundation by educating yourself about the principles of design.
Problem Solving
It’s a designer’s job to not only design things that look great, but also work great. Most people think of the design of something as how it looks, but that design can also affect how easy something is to use, whether it’s a product, website or home.
As a designer, you need to understand how design can affect usability and design with both usability and aesthetics in mind. The ability to design in this manner is one of the biggest distinctions between good and great designers, so it’s important to understand how to solve problems with design.
Tech Savvy
Let’s face it: there aren’t a lot of things you can do in today’s world that don’t require some level of tech savvy, and design is no exception. Most of the best design tools you’ll find on the market today are made to work with your computer or mobile devices, so you should at least know how to work those devices (and the software) well enough to be productive.
Of course, you don’t have to be a tech expert to be a designer. There are tons of great tutorials online to help you master technology and be in a better position to find DC design jobs.
Willingness to Learn
Design, like most any field, is constantly evolving. A design standard this year could be something to specifically avoid a few years down the line, so it’s crucial that you continue your quest to learn even after you’ve landed a design job. Using the latest design principles and trends in concert with the skills you already have in your arsenal is a surefire path to great design.
So, do you have what it takes to be a great designer? If so, now is the time to get your career started. Designers are in high demand in various industries, so you specialize in just about anything.
