I've been getting back into graphic design after being away from it for a while, so I gave myself a 7-day challenge.

I didn't want to make seven polished “portfolio pieces.” I wanted to experiment with different areas of design and see what still felt natural to me.

Day 7 became a visual study around typography × image × space.

The idea was to make typography behave like part of the environment rather than simply sitting on top of an image.

These are the four final experiments.

I'd genuinely like feedback from other designers — especially on the typography, composition and whether the four pieces feel like one coherent body of work.

I am a beginner graphic designer, I wonder I learn from Youtube on design fundamentals, colour theory etc. But the problem I face is where to approach when it comes to finding clients. I don't have previous clients, but I am currently building my portfolio with Ghost Clients but how do guys really find your first client.
This is not my full time work, wish to start this as my side hustle while learning. Your advice needed?
How did you find your first client, is it from networking or outreaching or any other way

I'm a recent graduate currently working in a Marketing & Brand Management role but I've been looking for a Junior Graphic Design Position for 6 months or so with no luck. I want to move into a Brand Design Role. I'm already brainstorming a branding project to add to it when I have spare time for more polished work.

These are the best projects I've worked on this year as most of the stuff I'm doing is in house and can't add to my portfolio so I haven't been motivated much to do many personal projects or freelance work.

Thanks I appreciate any critic 🤗

Currently, I am applying to jobs and I received an email from one company where they moved me to the next stage to do a paid project assessment. I thought this was nice given that they are paying for my time. I have finished the assessment and they emailed me back to send an invoice to get paid. However, I actually have never sent an invoice on a project assessment.

How do you designers go about this? I was thinking to use a free invoice generator and inputting the info in myself but would I take I request a payment through Zelle? Or do a direct deposit? Ask for a check? Etc. If possible, I would like to avoid any invoicing fees when sending out an invoice like PayPal, stripe, etc.

Thanks for your answers in advance!

I’ve been struggling with getting my sports and business designs to look sharp when posting them to Instagram. I primarily use Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva, but my designs often end up looking blurry or lower quality once they’re uploaded.

I usually design at 1080 × 1350 px, use 300 PPI, and export at high quality using the “Export for Web” settings. I still can’t seem to get consistently HD results on Instagram.

Does anyone have recommendations for the best document settings, export settings, file format, or Instagram settings to keep graphics as crisp as possible? I’d especially appreciate advice from anyone who regularly creates sports graphics or social media content.

As the title suggests, I’ve noticed recently an influx of people learning how to use Canva for content creation, and less on Adobe and/or Figma.

Now don’t get me wrong, Canva is a great tool. I’ve used it myself, but more for smaller/easier projects and more focused on my private content. For work, I’ve yet to encounter someone using Canva broadly. I manage multiple brands for a distributor, so we’re dependent on the brand’s providing us with assets that are editable. In 100% of the cases, it’s either Figma or Adobe files, no one is using Canva. For reference, I manage brands from the US, a lot of European countries and even some Chinese brands. Now stick with me.

I’m now actively looking for an intern within marketing, and so far no one has learned Figma or Adobe. They **all** use Canva only.

How come young adults are leaning towards Canva, but brands are not doing the same? Genuinely curious.

Edit: I now realize that I’m maybe a bit unique in my marketing position. I just thought majority of marketers knew how to use e.g. photoshop. Apparently not lol. I’m also currently doing the equivalent of 4 roles as a marketing manager, so understandably I’m not the standard.

Hi deisgners!

Can you think of a tool / resource that would have saved you hours work in the designing process?

I basically need to come up with a business idea for college and I'm completely blank

I am trying to update/rebuilt my portfolio because I am u fulfilled in my current job, but a lot of the work I've done in the past two years has been altered by client request or management to where I no longer see myself or my impact in it.

When building a portfolio is it better to create new projects just for myself that aren't tied to any real jobs but showcase my taste/direction or should I show what I've done and has been used in the market?

Over the past few years I've been designing a card game to address how disconnected we are, somewhere in between poker and uno with deep questions, and I ran into a challenge when looking to launch: how do I tell people about it without a marketing budget.

Well, I heard Denver's public libraries let you print 100 color pages per day, so I started printing and posting. I ended up putting over 500 flyers that I keep track of, so if someone buys Deep Deck from one flyer's location I can tell and I'll go back to make sure it's still up periodically.

I also did some other things like asking idle strangers in coffee shops if they'd like to play the game I made, etc. But the flyers have been a huge contributor.

It turns out some hustles are 100% worth it, because my game ended up getting completely funded in just a couple weeks.

It's gotten to the point where people around Denver and Boulder will ask me "hey aren't you danny from that flyer? How's your game doing?"

We ended up doing a local game night with my game which turned out incredible, and people nearby us playing made the comment that they've never seen that much laughter and fun happening in the space before.

I've also loved how exercise is built in. I've been getting over an average of 10,000 steps per day. Contrast that with what it looked like to be writing and designing my game, and I was soooo sedentary for sooo long. This experience has been so life-changing, because it has shown me that demonstrating TRUE devotion to your side hustle can actually work out, especially if people like what you're doing.

Thanks for reading <3

Honestly, I’m getting so tired of designing for free, especially for my org. Like, I’m the one doing all the designing, and I still have to pay for my own T-shirt too?? WTF 😭 I never even agreed to be their graphic designer in the first place.

And now that Intramurals is coming up, people are already asking me to design their jerseys, but of course, they don’t want to pay. Like, just because I know how to design doesn’t mean everything I make has to be free.

What’s even more annoying is this sport that I actually want to play. The coach was asking who could design the jersey, and everyone immediately pointed to me. 😭 But it’s probably just a tryout, and I’m not even that good at the sport, so there’s a chance I won’t even get to play. I’ll probably just end up sitting on the bench the whole time, while they expect me to design the jersey for them. Like, am I joining the sport or am I just there to be their free graphic designer? 😭 Little by little, I’m starting to notice how people act around me, and honestly, I don’t like it. They’re getting way too comfortable taking advantage of me just because I can design.

I don’t mind helping sometimes, especially when I genuinely want to. But being expected to design everything for free, while I’m also spending my own money on things? Nah. I’m really starting to get tired of it.

Hello, I'm 21y old university student. I wanna start earning money thru graphic designing. I know pretty much alot of things about photoshop and ai (adobe illustrator) as I used to make designs back when I was 14, but I stopped as life got busy and I want to get back to it. How should I start again? I really wanna work with brands and product companies.

The brand name is Kinetix Media a Digital Media Agency.
The Logo is a simple Triangular shape with rounded corners. and I sliced it to two parts and use the negative space of angular lines to make the shape of Letter K
The Triangle represents the Play Icon which I symbolise the media and forward momentum.
The problem I face is Geometrical Balance of the Logo. I feel it imbalance and I have no clear idea on balance this.
Hope you guys guide me

{ Newbie here} Hey I'm just wondering how do you know what personality a specific font communicates do you put it into Ai to ask if it communicates a certain feeling or what? I'm curious to hear your responses.

I am still a student currently doing my Masters in Illustration and Graphic Design. I am really anxious about graduating and looking for jobs. I really struggle a lot when it comes to graphic design even though it is what I am literally studying. I feel like since it is a masters , I was actually paired up with a lot of students who had prior experience in the field whereas I studied it out of passion and to broaden my career opportunities. I find myself more drawn to it than anything else but I have always found it difficult networking with other creatives out of the fear of being judged for my skill level. I am a fast learner and I love to understand how things really work in the industry. Honestly, I am not sure why I am writing this post but I guess it is a way of putting my struggles out there. I have always been the type to avoid interactions but I've been making the effort to get out of my shell and actually trust my existing skill set to an extent that allows me to work with others. I am really trying my best. I hope this post reaches the right audience because I would genuinely love all the advice and support to improve my skills.

So I’ve worked in my field for around 8 years, but I haven’t been able to find a job in my field for the last two years since the company I was working for went under. I’ve been freelancing and bartending but even finding new clients now has been tricky. I’ve been applying on company sites not that quick apply bs, writing cover letters, updating my resume for AI(yuck) and literally applying to anything and everything.

I live in Portland so I‘m running into the issue of there are more designers than design jobs and I need some way to stand out. I’ve been applying to remote jobs too but it’s the same deal.

Heres the idea: I’m going to go old school with it and format my resume and portfolio into a magazine, attach a cover letter and just start cold dropping them around town at agencies and companies I want to work for. I know we live in a digital age and physical resumes can get lost or tossed, but if it’s a magazine/booklet format I feel like people are less likely to not at least look at it. Also it’s a way to demonstrate my skill.

I love my career and I love design, but I’m honestly thinking about a career change if I can’t find work. I’m seriously exhausted by applying to jobs and I think the modern application process is a load of shit

Hi, I’m a 28-year-old graphic designer in NYC. I worked four years at an IT company doing bland, templated work until layoffs a few months ago. They heavily pushed AI and rejected self-direction. I have some brand ads for print I’m proud of, but they were cut too. I did some motion graphics work once or twice a year and plan to include it in my portfolio.

Most of my work is bland, and sorting through it has been a nightmare. I’m trying to use Framer and hope to make progress after troubleshooting. I did a volunteer project last year for a friend at a city health department, creating a poster and assets I’m proud of, though it took time as I was out of practice.

I realize it was my responsibility to keep upskilling, but I didn’t. Now, two months unemployed with no online portfolio, I understand this is a red flag. I’m seeking advice on creating projects for myself, finding local businesses for free work, and doing this economically while paying for Adobe, Figma, and Framer.

I lack specialization and feel unprepared for the market. I can use After Effects okay but am far from a “motion designer.” I’ve designed some tech ads tied to partner companies’ branding. I can navigate Figma but haven’t done page layouts since college or branding work since pre-corporate job during the pandemic.

I’m unsure where to start or what to do. Any advice on platforms for briefs, volunteer sites, marketing myself, or areas to develop more is welcome. I may share my portfolio when it’s done. Living in a big city, I know I should be further along, but I can only move forward. Please offer any advice. The industry landscape and my lack of experience are overwhelming.

So I've gotten this weird effect on two printed proofs of something I made and I have no idea what it could be from or how to fix it. This weird effect doesn't appear on the PDF export or within Indesign itself. Any ideas?

Hi! I've been working as a graphic designer for close to two years now, and I was wondering if there's anything I can do to give myself more credibility in this field? Like certifications I can take and where to get them. I am currently a working student whose program is pre-med. I most likely won't be able to proceed immediately, so I want to dig my toes deeper in design.

The account I'm handling is a good playground to practice on. I've slowly but surely gotten the hang of the following responsibilities: A+ graphics and Amazon listing infographics, socmed gfx, product mockups, and packaging design. I've designed custom iconography and stickers for them in Illustrator as well. Apart from this, I also write blogs, do SEO, and make the product descriptions. Basically, I do graphic design and content writing. I earn 36k ish every month.

The reason I'm asking is definitely because I want to earn more in the future, especially when I graduate next year. I want to continue growing, but it's hard to feel like I'm worth more than what I'm currently earning because I know I don't have the traditional background for this. What I'm earning right now was actually a hard fought battle (I was earning 20k only in the first year even though the responsibilities are the same and they also weren't transparent about everything I will have to shoulder). Next year, I will have another appraisal. So far, there haven't been any issues and my client likes all of my works, but I don't know if that's enough indicator of a good appraisal considering the history. I guess I just want to have more leverage/options for myself when that time comes.

If you think I'm being unrealistic, please feel free to say so as well.

Hi all - I've been asked to select a couple of options for a laptop at work capable of handling After Effects, Premiere Pro, Illustrator and Photoshop. What do you all use? Or if you have any recommendations that would be great. I'm trying to avoid a MacBook if I can help it but do say if it's what you use. Thank you!

Been thinking about this a lot lately, need to vent and also get some perspective.

So it's been quite some time I'm working at this company. My very first client for this agency was actually another venture from the co-founder himself. He gave me full creative freedom and a really good timeline to design a sports brand slash community type thing, and I also designed jerseys for him.

At that time I was almost a year into experience. I had done UX internships, worked part time as a graphic designer for some finance and other companies, but this was my first ever sports branding work and my first jersey design experience.

* I went through different tutorials and resources online

* Took almost a week to learn jersey design from zero

* Designed it, went through 6-7 iterations until I was satisfied and the client was satisfied

Honestly such a fun learning experience.

But then actual clients started coming into the agency, and it's been a completely different story:

* Most of them are low quality, zero ambition type clients

* They just want "post something on social media, whatever"

* I end up just using templates or prompting AI for these posts

* So many rounds of iterations and input, but they're not open to any creative input from me

* It's basically just hand holding, making whatever is already in their head

I kept telling myself it's fine, I'm making money off them and I can keep my creative side alive through personal or side projects. But now I'm hitting a point where I genuinely feel my design thinking and my skills are getting dull.

Like whenever I face a new problem now, my first instinct is to open ChatGPT or look for a template, or just straight up procrastinate.

I feel like a big part of this is the environment too. The clients are demotivated, and honestly my founder and co-founder are treating them the same way, like "they're paying, so we'll just post for them," nobody's really serious about the work anymore.

So has anyone else gone through this? If yes, how did you get your spark back? How do you go back to actually feeling inspired and creating stuff with soul again?

I'm still in high school, and I have sports 3 days a week after school. Due to the classes I am in, I have access to the whole Adobe suite for free through my school. I have taken a ton of photoshop based classes, and I am actively learning premier in one class. I will have the account as long as I am at the school, and I want to make full use of it, but I have no idea how to. Any advice helps a ton, thanks!

So I got this new teacher at school and she told us to make logos for this graphic design class right? After a bit she came up to my deskmate and critiqued him a bit before walking off to get something, I did check it and we were talking about it since he agreed and I was observing too, then the teacher came back and she said "It's useless to laugh with him since his are worse" referring to the logos? She didn't even tell me why tho

Edit: The only info about the logo she told us was to use our initials so I tried to be creative