Visual Design Solutions: Principles and Creative Inspiration for Learning Professionals

Chapter 3Work Like a Designer

“The fewer design decisions that seem arbitrary, the better.”

— Bob Gill

The Framework

THIS CHAPTER answers these questions:

• What tools do I need to practice visual design?
• How can I design with a team?
• How can I speed up the design process?
• Where can I find ideas and inspiration?
• What graphic format should I use?

It's one thing to make a commitment to becoming a better designer and another to practice it in a work environment. The work environment introduces the pressures of meeting deadlines and staying within a budget. Team work introduces diverse viewpoints, which can add new ideas to the mix as well as miscommunications that result in design inconsistencies. Being creative on demand can exhaust the imagination.

In this chapter, you will learn ways to overcome these challenges. You will also discover some best practices for fulfilling the visual design role at work.

Build a Graphic Design Toolbox

If you marvel over the brilliant graphics you see in design books and magazines, there is something you may not realize. Most of the talented designers who create these graphics are using professional tools, whereas most amateur designers are not. Professionals often have a high-end monitor to display accurate colors, they may use a digital tablet and pen to work with precision, and they are using professional graphics software that is loaded ...