Educational tracks to working in a design studio
We often receive requests from parents asking if their children can come by to check out what we do to see if it’s something they are interested in, or we will get calls from students that have take a different track and think they might want to switch to design. There are a lot of ways to 1. See if this is what you want to do, and then if the answer is yes, 2. learn how to do it. The first thing you need is talent and the other can be learned – software. Anyone can ultimately learn the software, but the question will become, what can you do with it?
How to get familiar with the industry and learn the skills:
- Internship :
- We firmly believe that this will help you by leaps and bounds. You will see what a real-life pace is, you will gain outside skills around the office like communication, organization and other things that won’t be taught at school. If you are lucky, you will even get hands-on experience with real projects. Internships at smaller studios are highly competitive though, and you will likely need a portfolio just to get a shot at one, so you might start with one of the options below. Our interns already have software & design knowledge and gain real-world experience, here at Watermark.
- Self teach :
- There are so many ways to learn the software (specifically, all the Adobe products + coding) :
- Lynda.com
- http://www.howdesignuniversity.com/
- Full Sail University (online classes)
- And then you can give yourself projects : Design a cover for your favorite band or magazine. Design an ad or packaging for a product you like. These projects can totally be included in your portfolio. We are looking for talent, not a who’s who of who you have designed for.
- There are so many ways to learn the software (specifically, all the Adobe products + coding) :
- Take some classes at your community college :
- Not sure if design is your thing but you think it might be? Take a few classes, no experience necessary! We know our local community college has some great beginner classes that you can dip your toes in, try the software and see what happens. From there, you can transfer to a 4 year school or keep going with community or online classes.
- 4 Year Degree :
- Most of the designers that have or are working at Watermark have a 4 year degree in Graphic Design, but we have considered self-taught designers in the past. It is no longer a hard & fast rule that you need to go to college for design.