Author : Rank Castle

One of the most popular professions for creative people who know how to notice the beauty of our world is a designer. You can create logos, design graphic interfaces, and do other creative work, earning solid money. But creativity alone is not enough because a designer must also be well versed in theory. For example, for easier work with computer graphics, you need to know color names by hex and other information you can find on VistaCreate. But we will tell you more about this profession.

A designer is not an artist

Let’s start with the most basic misconception. The profession of a designer uses a certain set of methodologies and rules. It is unacceptable for a designer to wait for inspiration because there are real customers, deadlines, and themes prescribed in a brief. Of course, the visual component is also important because designers work with visual aesthetics: selecting fonts, drawing illustrations, and so on.

To some extent, it is a part of self-expression, but you should remember that a designer is not involved in art. Artists have a right to do whatever they want and no one can judge them. But the designer can be told that a certain solution does not solve the problem, or it is not convenient or not attractive to the user, and, finally, does not meet the brief.

Directions in the design

If you have already decided and are sure that design is your vocation, you need to know about the main directions in the design.

UX design

UX design is the design of straightforward and user-friendly interfaces. UX design is based on an in-depth study of users to provide them with solutions matching their desired experience. UX affects the interactive digital environment, and therefore the term is often used in the context of the Internet and mobile devices. The task of the UX designer is to create a multifunctional interface, taking into account the peculiarities of user interaction. Such professionals also have to deal with analytics, design interaction with users, create a structural diagram of the page, and so on.

Such a specialist should have the following skills:

• taking interviews and defining requirements;
• CJM user research map;
• conducting usability testing;
• working through user scenarios;
• working with metrics.

It is not easy to master all these skills, but UX designers are usually well rewarded for their efforts, so it is worth it.

UI design

UI (user interface) design includes work on the graphical part of the interface, namely animations, illustrations, buttons, menus, sliders, photos, and fonts. The UI designer defines the color palette and location of objects in the interface: whether it is easy to hit the “Buy” button with your finger, whether the menu works properly or not, is the feedback form convenient to fill out, whether the text is so contrasting from a smartphone, what message the site displays when an error or a successful purchase, etc.

Such a specialist should have the following knowledge and skills:

• creating highly detailed layouts;
• making design concepts;
• development of user interface elements;
• adapting the design for different platforms and devices;
• creating interface animation.

The primary task of such a designer is to create the necessary mood and the right feeling for using a product, service, or application. A person working in this field should know the basics of typography, composition, colorism, and interface design.

Product Designer

An interface designer is a special case of a product designer, someone who works with the visual interface specifically, with a design system, in other words, with everything we can click. The primary task of such a designer is to increase customer profits and improve user interaction with the product. This can be done by researching users, performing design thinking, hypothesizing, testing, turning ideas into prototypes, then testing again, etc., until the design meets the code, although further tests cannot be avoided.

Such a specialist should have the following knowledge and skills:

• “design thinking”;
• market research and benchmarking;
• designing the user experience, i.e. the UX;
• prototyping layouts;
• creation of interfaces and visual communication;
• building an application map and creating interaction scenarios;
• drawing up the technical requirements for the product and submitting it for development.

It is also very important for a product designer to be able to work in a team.

Graphic design

Graphic design is a more classical discipline dating back to the pre-digital era, long before the advent of web design. You’ve probably heard words like identity and corporate identity somewhere, but you haven’t given it much thought.

The identity of the brand – is its face, something making the brand recognizable and demanded. It can be a logo, typography, color palette, or branded packaging. It is a specific set of attributes, parameters, and characteristics the brand is identified with. The graphic designer can help sell an idea or product. The creation of corporate identity, branding, and packaging are in increasing demand lately. The graphic design industry is changing very rapidly, and a specialist must be able to perform many tasks and have skills in many areas.

Such a specialist should have the following knowledge and skills:

• creating posters, booklets, handouts, and newspapers;
• creation of visual communication — working with coloristic and elements of recognition;
• development of signature style;
• creation of infographics and visualization of analytical data;
• preparation of files for printing, the layout, and for the printing press.

The primary task of a graphic designer is to visualize ideas using graphics and give the product/service/company a special, recognizable style.

Motion design

Today, animated graphics are one of the fastest-growing content marketing channels. It is easy to both attract and inform the viewer at the same time. A motion designer is a person who creates mesmerizing movie animations and stunning YouTube connections. The designer in this area creates animated graphics on the Internet and television, in advertising, cinematography, mobile applications, interfaces, and video games.

The profession of a motion designer combines a huge number of skills, knowledge, and abilities. Such a specialist should have the following knowledge and skills:

• working with animation and videos;
• knowledge in graphic design, such as composition, typography, color theory, and so on;
• working with plug-ins to create visual effects;
• working with 3D graphics;
• creating visual effects in Adobe After Effects;
• using tools to create visual effects (VFX) in videos.

The primary task of a motion designer is to convert static images into animated ones, as well as interact with sound design and text and combine them in the overall video properly.

Game design

A game designer is a specialist working with scenarios, characters, location design, and UX in games. Many artists with an art degree go into game design to apply their talents, for example, by drawing sketches of characters and levels.

A game designer deals with game experience scenarios and draws sketches of future game characters. When you launch the game, you see a menu of options, and during the game process, you can open your luggage of artifacts and get the necessary ones. All of this is an interface, and it is also invented by the game designer.

A game designer should have the following knowledge and skills:

• creating the story and composition of the game;
• building the design of the game space, level maps, and route maps;
• prototyping the game and creating game interface templates for UI designers;
• analyzing game statistics and participating in the development of the game’s promotion strategy;
• drawing up design documentation.

The primary task of a game designer is to lead the entire game development process from an idea to its implementation. This requires going into all components of the game, formulating tasks for the team correctly, and developing rules and laws the game universe lives by.

Why is the field of design growing so rapidly?

The Internet has become the point of entry, it is developing at a crazy pace along with technology. Some products and services are working on the Internet exclusively. For example, money transfer applications, online shopping, libraries, messengers, and social networks — everything you encounter every day. As technology advances and new services emerge, new standards of user interaction are constantly being developed to compete with the market leaders. The task of a designer is not to come up with something similar to existing services, but to create something attracting new users.

The game industry has also contributed to the development of design. Games have long been more than just fun. In 2019, the total turnover of the game industry exceeded the film industry in terms of volume. There is a great demand not only for IT developers but also for designers in the game industry because the graphics and interfaces have a great influence on the impression of the game.