Graphic design is a massive part of everyone’s life that we sometimes don’t even notice. They’re on the apps we use on our phones, the packaging of the drinks we consume, and so many more. If you’ve ever wondered how to create graphics, here’s a step-by-step guide.
Step 1: Define Your Goals
Before creating your graphics, you need to identify your goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with the graphics you’ll be making? Are you aiming to educate, entertain, introduce, or persuade? After determining these, you can start understanding who you’re designing it for.
Know your target audience, needs, interests, and pain points. With this information, you can design relevant graphics that they’re sure to engage with. This will also help you craft designs that convey the right message appropriate for your target market.
Step 2: Collect Your Resources
Start collecting the things you will need to create your graphics. This can include images, fonts, brand colors, and text (if applicable). If you don’t have them yet, this is the time to gather them.
You can find images, videos, and other graphics from the following:
- Free stock photo websites – here, you can find a wide selection of images for free. A few examples of this are Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash.
- Stock photo websites – while the above offer images for free, you can get more specific and unique photos for a fee. Some recommended sites are Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or iStockphoto.
- Your own photos – you can always choose to use your own images. They should be high-resolution and relevant to the design you’re planning to create.
- Professionals – you can hire a photographer to take pictures for you. This can be an easy way to get high-quality images but can be costly.
- Font download websites – you can find the most suitable fonts for your designs from these websites that offer free and paid fonts. Google Fonts is a good example.
- Backgrounds – like stock photos or font websites, there are plenty of websites where you can get free and paid background images.
Step 3: Choose Your Software
After gathering your resources, it’s time to choose what software to use. There are many available and selection will depend on the following factors:
- Your skill level – beginners should choose a software that has a low learning curve. Canva is a good option for newbies and those with only the basic know-how in creating graphics. On the other hand, Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard, but primarily for advanced users.
- Your design requirements – the software you choose will depend on what graphics you want to create. Consider an app’s capability to handle raster, vector graphics, or both.
- Your budget – graphic design software range in pricing. There are those that you can use for free, while others need you to pay subscription fees. GIMP is an excellent example of free software, but if you’re willing to pay, Adobe Photoshop can be a great option.
Step 4: Start Your Design
Now that you have all that you need, it’s time to start the magic of creating graphic design. Below is an overview of how you can begin to:
- Draw a rough sketch: Create a rough sketch to help visualize the design. You can also arrange the layout while on this stage to ensure that every element is properly positioned and balanced. You can either do this on your software or paper that you can scan later.
- Add in the basics: After the rough sketch, add the basics. This can include the images, shapes, and text.
- Explore different layouts: Experiment with which layout will look the best by playing around and rearranging design elements.
- Add colors: To create graphics that stand out, make sure to follow the color theory, which you can find here.
- Add fonts: Again, you need to experiment to find the best and ideal layout for them.
- Get feedback: After creating the design, get feedback from others. This will help you better understand what needs improvement and what’s already working.
Step 5: Edit Your Design
Review the feedback you received and work on it. Experiment with the changes until you find the graphics you like. You may want to join communities that can critique your work and then edit and refine it as you see fit.
Step 6: Publish Your Graphics
After refining and editing, it’s time to publish your work. Here are a few steps you can take in doing this:
- Get on the right platform – you don’t have to be on every platform to get maximum results. This is why knowing your audience is crucial. When you know where your market hangs out the most, you’ll discover where to publish your graphics.
- Optimize accordingly – once you have selected the platform to publish your graphics, know the proper dimensions and optimize your work by following these specifics.
- Promote your graphics – after publishing, you need to get people to view them. Create strategies to market your brand, such as posting on social media, adding them to your website, or boosting your brand using free and paid ads.
- Track your progress – check the results of your efforts by tracking and monitoring your progress. Use analytics tools to measure the results and see what you need to change, improve, and retain.
Additional Tips and Tricks to Create Amazing Graphics
To enhance your graphics creation journey, you can follow these simple steps to make them look more professional and effective:
- Use high-resolution images: ensure that your pictures have the highest quality possible.
- Use clear and concise written content: your text should be straightforward and easily readable.
- Be consistent in your branding: ensure that your colors, fonts, and writing style are always consistent.
- Optimize for viewing on mobile: make sure that your graphics can be viewed on mobile devices.
- Use white space: whenever possible, add white or negative space to make the design more readable while adding visual appeal.
- Consider using minimalism: avoid cluttering your design to make it more eye-catching, elegant, and effective in conveying your message.
- Stay updated: keep your skills and knowledge current by staying updated on trends and technologies.
- Consider accessibility: create graphics that are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Take note of factors such as color contrast, font sizes, and alternative text for images to improve your design’s accessibility and inclusivity.
Final Thoughts
Many entrepreneurs think about how to create graphics to save time and money. However, it isn’t as simple as ABC. This step-by-step guide may seem straightforward if you have the time and energy for it. Otherwise, to ensure you’re getting only the best graphics, you need to work with Penji.
Watch our demo video to learn more about what we do. You can click this link to get our pro designers working on your visual assets.
