I should probably have titled this article “What I wish I knew as a newbie designer.” Anyway, I’ve been doing this graphic design thing for a little over a year now, and I know now, a few things that could have made my learning process better, more vibrant, even faster.

我可能应该把这篇文章的标题定为“我希望我作为一个新手设计师知道的东西。” 无论如何，我从事这种图形设计工作已有一年多了，现在我知道，有些事情可以使我的学习过程更好，更生动，甚至更快。

When I started last year, I didn’t know exactly what it was I wanted to do in design, neither did I understand what design meant. You know, the whole point of design is to solve problems. I feel like this is where some of us get it wrong. I know I did. So try not to see problem-solving as a reaction to something life-threatening or severe. It can be as little as helping to communicate through a medium that is easier to understand. Or, solving the sitting problem every short person faces when they sit in chairs that hurt their thighs because their feet cannot reach the ground. That is design. It’s the thought behind a product, and it’s also the product itself. Design is what makes things work. Design be things. E be things.

去年刚开始的时候，我不完全知道我想在设计中做什么，也不知道设计的含义。 您知道，设计的重点是解决问题。 我觉得这是我们中有些人弄错的地方。 我知道我做到了 因此，不要将解决问题视为对威胁生命或严重后果的React。 它可以帮助通过更易于理解的媒体进行交流。 或者，解决每个矮人坐在椅子上会伤大腿的椅子时所遇到的坐姿问题，因为他们的脚无法触地。 那就是设计。 这是产品背后的思想，也是产品本身。 设计是使事情起作用的要素。 设计就是事物。 易事 。

So, here are more than a few tips to help you out.

因此，这里有很多提示可以帮助您。

Google everything. Ensure you check out all the articles that come up on the first search page. It will give you adequate information to help arrive at the right answers. And so, before you even start anything, ensure you read up on everything you can about design. Also, if you have started and still feel like something is missing, go back to consuming information. I didn’t do this initially, and so, I stumbled around for a while. Read up on the different branches of design and what learning would take, the history of design, present, and past designers, etc.

谷歌一切。 确保您检查出第一个搜索页面上出现的所有文章。 它会为您提供足够的信息，以帮助您找到正确的答案。 因此，在开始任何事情之前，请确保您已阅读有关设计的所有内容。 另外，如果您已经开始并且仍然感觉缺少某些东西，请返回使用信息。 最初我没有这样做，所以，我偶然发现了一段时间。 阅读设计的不同分支以及学习的内容，设计的历史，现在和过去的设计师等。

Do not underestimate the importance of a good laptop. When I say good, I mean one with good battery life, adequate processor, and preferably a dedicated graphics card. I don’t know so much about laptops, but ensure you start with a good one if you can. If you can’t, make do with what you have and I am sure in due time, you will be able to upgrade.

不要低估一台好的笔记本电脑的重要性。 当我说好时，我的意思是电池续航时间长，处理器适当，并且最好是专用的图形卡。 我对笔记本电脑了解不多，但是请确保您从一台好的笔记本电脑开始。 如果您做不到，请利用已有的资源，我相信您会在适当的时候进行升级。

Now, on where to learn. I don’t like to recommend youtube as it is a platform without structure, and beginners can easily get overwhelmed if they do not know what to look for exactly. This is why I initially suggested research. Find out what it is you want to learn and the best people who teach it excellently for free (that is if you cannot afford to pay for it yet).

现在，在哪里学习。 我不建议您使用youtube，因为它是一个没有结构的平台，如果初学者不知道确切查找的内容，他们很容易就感到不知所措。 这就是为什么我最初建议进行研究的原因。 找出您想要学习的内容以及免费出色地教它的最好的人(也就是说，如果您还不能负担得起的话)。

For free video resources, can check out The Futur, Dansky, and Envato Tuts+ on Youtube. If you can afford to pay for courses, Domestika, Skillshare, Coursera, Udemy, and so on have fantastic beginner courses on the history and principles of design, UI & UX, how to use design tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and many more essential topics.

对于免费视频资源，可以检查出的未来的危机 ， Dansky和ENVATO TUTS + Youtube上。 如果您能负担得起课程的费用，那么Domestika，Skillshare，Coursera，Udemy等等，都有关于设计的历史和原理，UI和UX，如何使用设计工具(例如Adobe Photoshop和Illustrator等)的出色的初学者课程。基本主题。

Try not to enroll in too many courses. Trust me; you will not finish anyone if you do. Ensure you complete at least one course or video tutorial before you move on to the next one. Remember to learn the principles first. Mastering the principles will save your life and improve the quality of anything you create.

尽量不要参加太多的课程。 相信我; 如果您这样做，您将不会完成任何人的工作。 在继续学习下一门课程或视频教程之前，请确保至少完成一门课程或视频教程。 记住要先学习原理。 掌握这些原则将挽救您的生命，并提高创建的任何产品的质量。

Choose your software. There aren’t so many to choose from, but yeah. Choose your tools and learn how to use them. The most popular paid tools are in the Adobe Creative Cloud. Free resources include Figma, Inkscape, and Gimp. When I started, I began watching tutorials on youtube that taught how to use the different tools in the software.

选择您的软件。 没有太多选择，但是是的。 选择您的工具并学习如何使用它们。 最受欢迎的付费工具在Adobe Creative Cloud中。 免费资源包括Figma ， Inkscape和Gimp 。 当我开始时，我开始在youtube上观看教程，该教程讲授如何在软件中使用不同的工具。

Also, do not get swallowed into the hole of consuming but barely creating. As you learn any new thing, practice. Over and over. You can even copy from the work of others, but ensure to acknowledge your source when you share it on the internet.

另外，不要将自己吞入消耗但勉强创建的漏洞中。 当您学习任何新事物时，请练习。 一遍又一遍。 您甚至可以复制他人的作品，但是在互联网上共享资源时请务必确认。

I read somewhere that to become a pro in any field, find the three most successful people in that field in your country, your continent, and globally (you don’t have to follow this pattern exactly, but you get the point). Read everything you can about them, their processes, what inspires them, how they got to the peak of their careers, read their books, and so on. Sift through the mountain of information and take away what you feel is most important. Remember not to lose yourself during this process. It may be difficult at first, but the more you create, the more you will find out what you like and don’t like. Also, the more you discover your style. Don’t sweat it, just enjoy the process.

我读过一篇要成为任何领域的专家的书，在您所在的国家，您的大陆以及全球范围内找到该领域的三个最成功的人(您不必完全遵循这种模式，但是您明白了)。 阅读关于他们的所有信息，他们的流程，激励他们的方式，他们如何达到职业生涯的顶峰，阅读他们的书，等等。 筛选大量信息，带走您最重要的信息。 记住不要在此过程中迷失自己。 刚开始时可能很困难，但是您创建的次数越多，您就会发现更多您喜欢和不喜欢的内容。 此外，您会发现自己的风格。 不要汗流it背，只是享受过程。

This one is crucial. Share your work. Talk about it. Your progress, your failures, your discoveries, resources that have helped you, and so on. I know this is easier said than done, but you can try. I find that experts are mostly kind to beginners, especially those who publicly and humbly share. But, try not to do it for people. Okay, this sounds hypocritical. Look, share your work for the accolades. Share it for the critiques and corrections. Share it so that people will know what you can do and will do. This will prompt them to recommend you for opportunities. Every design opportunity I have gotten was from the ripple effects caused by sharing and talking about my work on social media and with people. So, share and talk about your work.

这一点至关重要。 分享您的工作。 说说它。 您的进度，失败，发现，对您有所帮助的资源，等等。 我知道这说起来容易做起来难，但是您可以尝试。 我发现专家们对初学者特别好，尤其是那些公开和谦虚地分享的专家。 但是，请不要对他人这样做。 好吧，这听起来伪善。 看，分享您的成就。 分享它进行批评和更正。 分享它，使人们知道您可以做并且将做。 这将促使他们向您推荐机会。 我获得的每个设计机会都是由于在社交媒体上以及与人分享和谈论我的工作而引起的连锁React。 因此，分享并谈论您的工作。

Pace yourself. Your work will never look great or even solve any problems at the beginning, and that’s fine. Allow yourself to suck. Again, pace yourself and celebrate every tiny milestone. You deserve it.

快节奏。 一开始，您的工作将永远看起来不会很好，甚至不会解决任何问题，这很好。 让自己吮吸。 再次，调整自己的步伐，庆祝每个微小的里程碑。 你应得的。

If you like to read, I’ll recommend you read design and non-design books. Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler is an excellent resource for designers. Show Your Work and Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon are also excellent books. You see, books broaden your mind and thinking, and they help you ideate and create better. Also, scour websites for articles, 99designs, Creative Bloq, browse through the work of design agencies from all around the world — the likes of Pentagram, Buck, Ueno, Collins, and many more.

如果您喜欢阅读，建议您阅读设计书籍和非设计书籍。 对于设计师来说，Alina Wheeler设计的品牌标识是一个极好的资源。 奥斯汀·克莱恩(Austin Kleon)的作品展示和艺术家偷窃也是一本好书。 您会看到，书籍拓宽了您的思维和思维，它们帮助您构思和创造更好的东西。 此外，对于冲刷网站的文章， 99designs ， 创意BLOQ ，浏览设计机构来自世界各地的工作-将喜欢的五角星 ， 巴克 ， 上野 ， 科林斯 ，等等。

Finally, most people will tell you to find a community. (I particularly admire the work DearDesigner, Asa Coterie, Usable, and a couple of others are doing in the Nigerian design space.) Communities provide support by helping you grow and exposing you to relevant information and opportunities. The problem is, there’s an 80% chance that no one will notice your existence initially. Don’t worry. Just focus on the information and resources shared and listen to the conversations had. Contribute if you think you know enough. One thing I can tell you is this; don’t try to get anyone to notice you. In my case, what I did was to share my work on the internet and after some time, a few people started noticing. You know what, there are no rules to this thing. You will figure it out.

最后，大多数人会告诉您找到一个社区。 (我特别佩服的工作DearDesigner ， 阿萨小圈子 ， 可用 ，和其他几个在尼日利亚的设计空间正在做的。)社区提供帮助你成长，你暴露相关的信息和机会的支持。 问题是，最初没有人会注意到您的存在的机率高达80％。 不用担心 只需专注于共享的信息和资源，并聆听对话即可。 如果您认为自己足够了解，请贡献力量。 我可以告诉你的一件事是： 不要试图让任何人注意到你。 就我而言，我所做的就是在互联网上分享我的工作，一段时间后，一些人开始注意到。 您知道吗，这件事没有规定。 您会发现。

I am still a growing designer, I avoid using the pen tool and I still have to be reminded to use a grid, but right now, I am focused on learning as much as I can, and I try to enjoy the process. One thing I am sure of is, good work will always get noticed. If not immediately, then eventually. Don’t pressure people to notice your work. Frankly, it is off-putting. You do not want to be that guy. Follow designers you admire on social media, and if you like, engage their posts. If you have questions for them, ask respectfully, and if they do not reply, pele (sorry). Maybe they did not see it.

我仍然是一名成长中的设计师，我避免使用钢笔工具，并且仍然需要提醒我使用网格，但是现在，我致力于尽可能多地学习，并且尝试享受这一过程。 我确定的一件事是，出色的工作总是会引起人们的注意。 如果不是立即，那么最终。 不要强迫别人注意您的工作。 坦白说，这令人反感。 你不想成为那个家伙。 在社交媒体上关注您欣赏的设计师，并根据需要参与他们的帖子。 如果您对他们有疑问，请恭敬地提问，如果他们不答复，请贝利 (对不起)。 也许他们没有看到它。

You’ll be alright, you know. Just keep doing good work. Keep showing up and, most importantly, enjoy the process.

你会没事的，你知道。 只要继续做好工作。 不断出现，最重要的是，喜欢这个过程。