Learning Graphic Design

[ysaiy]

Hey all, just a quick question for those of you who are knowledgable about graphic art/design. I am trying to increase my skill level so that I can make a nice personal and professional website in the next year and 1/2. I am extremely particular and don't feel that I could get what I want by paying someone else to do it, plus I would like to learn some skills for myself. I don't want to enter the field of graphic design but would like to learn enough so that I can function on my own. Do any of you have recommendations for doing this? Should I purchase a book and practice at home? If so, would you recommend any textbooks or other types of books? Would you recommend a software package that isn't extremely expensive? Should I enroll in a course? I will be in the nyc area and would like to begin learning in the summer or fall. Any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you.

:heart :heart :heart

[Dreamyb]

go on ms. ysaiy!

i feel you on wanting to learn so you're able to create on your own.

since i'm interested in this as well i'll bump it up for you 8)

[BlakStaar]

Designing a website sounds like a fun idea, graphic design is something I'm interested in as well. I don't have any tips but hopefully Honeychild sees this b/c I know she's talented in this area.

[Dreamyb]

bump

[ysaiy]

thanks for bumping this ladies! i'm going to see what resources are available to me in the upcoming months. maybe i will send honeychild a note and ask her to respond to this forum.

:heart :heart :heart

[SavageGurl]

Hmm..if you just wanna learn some stuff, go to www.lynda.com (http://www.lynda.com)

Lynda Weinman is awesome for training in the Multimedia field. I use her for refresher or update courses.

its cheap and well worth it.

[SavageGurl]

oh, youll wanna learn Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX...and you should also know a digital imaging application...Id recommend Photoshop 7.0 or CS

[seek_first]

I, not being the totally creative person, use other people's sites to get inpsiration and ideas. Just do a search on professional web design and click away. If you want the nuts and bolts of how to do stuff, I suggest you go visit Webmonkey (http://www.webmonkey.com) for that info.

[honeychild]

lynda and webmonkey are definitely excellent resources for learning if you're a DIY sort of chick like me... also, macromedia (makers of flash, dreamweaver) offer free 30-day trials of their software... great for trying out design and page building principles, learning which kind of software you have an affinity for. savagegurl's recommendation of photoshop also is pretty necessary... but i'm not entirely sure they offer a free trial. go to adobe.com to see.

design is FUN but there's definitely a learning curve. your plan to work on this and study for a year and a half pretty much ensures that you're allowing yourself time to learn software, develop a sensibility, and let your site evolve over time. good luck!

oh, and also check out the school of continuing education at NYU. maybe a summer course?

(thanks for the shout, blakstaar!) 8)

[Seoul]

bump

[AfrikaIzin_My_Hair]

I needed this thread because I've been trying to learn Photoshop for years, but I haven't had the patience to just sit down and learn about layers and whatnot first before I started creating a masterpiece :rolleyes