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From Painting to Animations: Adobe Illustrator for Graphic Designers

With so many design programs available on the market, it can be hard to decide which one to choose. Adobe Illustrator is a popular program for graphic designers, and for good reason: Its powerful features and intuitive interface make it a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of projects.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the best ways to use Illustrator to create graphics for your projects. From painting to animations, you’ll be able to create stunning visuals that will help you stand out from the competition. So if you’re looking for a versatile design program that can help you create professional graphics, look no further than Adobe Illustrator.

Getting Started With Illustrator

If you’re new to Illustrator, this guide will help you get started. With this software, you can create stunning vector graphics which you can use in your projects.

When you’re starting out with Illustrator, it can be helpful to think of your designs as paintings, especially because many of the software tools mimic these art tools. With Illustrator’s powerful painting tools, you can quickly create high-quality illustrations. In this section, we’ll take a look at some of the most important painting tools in Illustrator and how to use them.

One of the most important tools in Illustrator is the pencil. The pencil lets you draw freehand or use paths to create precise lines and shapes. You can also use the pencil to fill regions with color or texture.

Another powerful painting tool in Illustrator is the brush. The brush lets you paint with various colors and textures. You can also use brushes to create outlines and highlights.

When you’re ready to start creating vector illustrations, it’s important to understand the different types of shapes that Illustrator can create. Illustrator has three basic types of shapes: lines, curves, and areas. Lines are simple geometric shapes that you can use to create drawings and logos. Curves are more complex shapes that you can use to describe relationships between two points. Areas are used to create shapes like circles and squares. Once you understand how to create basic shapes with Illustrator, you’ll be ready to start designing your own illustrations.

Working With Layers and Transparency in Illustrator

Layers are some of the most important features in Illustrator. They allow you to structure your illustrations in a way that makes them easier to edit, and they play an important role in creating complex graphic designs. In this section, we’ll take a look at how to use layers to create realistic effects and textures, as well as effective transparency techniques.

First, it’s important to understand the layers system in Illustrator. Every object in your illustration is composed of one or more layers. A layer is simply a collection of objects that you can stack on top of each other to create a new, more detailed graphic or effect. The topmost object (the Layer 0 object) is always visible, and you can choose which objects are included in a layer by selecting it with the Selection tool or the picker tool.

As mentioned, every object in an Illustrator illustration is composed of one or more layers. When you first open an Illustrator file, the document will be open in Layers view. Layers are displayed hierarchically, from the top down. The first layer in the document is called Layer 1, and each subsequent layer is numbered from 2 onwards. Note: If you’re working on a project that contains multiple files, all of which have been saved as EPS files, the Layers view will show each file’s individual layers.

One of the most important aspects of any graphic design project is to think about the user experience. When creating artwork for the web, it’s important to take into account how users will interact with your design. With this information in mind, you’ll have a solid foundation on which to start creating beautiful graphics for web and print projects.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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4 amazing graphic design project ideas

You know you need a graphic design portfolio. But what projects should you put in it? Get inspired with four graphic design project ideas.

Great artists don’t just talk about the art they make — they show it.

For graphic designers, that means putting together a strong portfolio that showcases your best work. Think about it — reading “designed coffee shop logo” as a line item on a resume is much less impressive than seeing the logo in full color. 

But if you’re new to graphic design and don’t have much professional experience under your belt, you might not have much work to showcase in your portfolio. And even seasoned designers may get the itch to take on new projects that demonstrate a bit more range.

There’s no need to wait until a client commissions new work to build or revamp a portfolio. No matter what stage you’re at in your career, exploring new graphic design project ideas will get the creative juices flowing and help refine — and show off — your skills. 

Popular types of projects to include in a graphic design portfolio

Like any art, graphic design encompasses projects of all shapes and sizes. For this medium, that means anything from business cards to book covers to the visual aspects of web design. The more variety your portfolio includes, the easier it is for potential clients to get a feel for your aesthetic, skill level, and process.

Here are some graphic design projects most commonly featured in portfolios:

Brand identity 

Creating a brand identity involves using design elements to craft a unique visual identity that tells a brand’s story and sets it apart from competitors. These elements include:

• Color — Designers use color psychology and color theory to develop color palettes that speak to a brand’s personality. 
• Typography — The art of creating and arranging text, including choosing font pairs and styles that are visually appealing and match the brand’s identity. 
• Iconography — Designers use iconography (the art of creating icons) to communicate meaning through images, like a button representing a shopping cart to guide users to their pending purchases.

Graphic designers are the minds behind logo creation, lettering, font selection, and every other visual aspect of a company’s brand kit. By including brand identity projects in your portfolio, you demonstrate your ability to create a cohesive and memorable brand image across all elements.

User experience and product design

User experience (UX) design relies on technology, psychology, and user research to design interfaces that are intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable to use. These interfaces guide someone’s interactions with software, apps, websites, and even physical products like alarm clocks, refrigerators, and coffee makers. UX design teams often include visual or graphic designers who ensure the product’s visual elements enhance the overall UX and fit the company’s brand identity.

UX is one piece of the larger product design process, which involves ideating and developing digital or physical products that solve a problem for the target audience. While graphic and product designers have two distinct roles, the former play an integral role in the design process. For a digital product, this might mean laying out the visual aspects of an app’s interface with the company’s brand identity in mind. For a physical product, a graphic designer might create mockups that show stakeholders what the finished product will look like. 

Including both UX and product projects in a graphic design portfolio can demonstrate your skills in creating user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing products.

Storyboards

Storyboards are a series of illustrations or images that depict a plot or sequence of events. They’re often used in film and video production to plan and visualize scenes. Including storyboards in your portfolio can demonstrate your ability to convey a message effectively through visual storytelling and create a cohesive, compelling narrative.

Illustrations and graphics

Print and digital media often include illustrations and graphics to share information or tell a short story. This includes poster design , editorial illustrations that bring a piece of writing to life, and infographics that help readers visualize data or information. Including a variety of illustrations and graphics in your portfolio proves you can create eye-catching visuals that effectively communicate the desired message.

Use Webflow's visual development platform to build completely custom, production-ready websites — or high-fidelity prototypes — without writing a line of code.

4 inspiring project examples

Now we’ll put the concept of showing versus telling to the test with a roundup of real project design ideas worthy of any portfolio.

1. Poster design

Designer Alberto Brilli used Adobe Illustrator to create a graphic design concept for an exhibition showcasing Romanian artist Constantin Brâncuși. The design capitalizes on Brâncuși’s art legacy, with each poster featuring a letter from the artist’s name alongside one of his gold sculptures. Rather than adding the concept to his portfolio as a still, two-dimensional image, Alberto used web design to help visitors visualize what the concept would look like in the real-world setting he designed it for.

2. Brochure design

Designer Cristiaan Jackson applies the same level of thoughtfulness to every element, from color to typeface to layout in this brochure. Cristiaan’s attention to detail informed her “ The Earth is Sick '' composting guide, which challenged her to present important information without using pictures to draw attention to the brochure’s content. Cristiaan used her knowledge of typography and color to turn large blocks of text into art, choosing shades of brown and green for the color palette and draping strings of words to mimic the structure of roots. 

Cristiaan shares her work on her portfolio website and uses it as a space to talk through the thought process that guides her designs. She includes her collaborators, design tools, and challenges to help potential clients understand her approach and abilities.

3. Product packaging design

As a student, product designer Cherelle Hibbert created a fictional coffee brand called Zula , using design tools and principles to create a coffee tin and its accompanying mortar and pestle. Cherelle then switched into graphic designer mode, incorporating traditional East African colors and patterns into the label in a nod to the Eritrean coffee ceremony that inspired the product. This step elevated the project from a well-designed tin to a polished, comprehensive concept enticing discerning coffee drinkers to try Zula.

With the help of Adobe Photoshop, Cherelle edited the logo into a realistic branding advertisement perfect for inclusion in a design portfolio. Like Cristiaan, Cherelle explains the thinking behind her designs, offering portfolio viewers a window into her decision-making process.

4. Illustration 

Illustrator and designer Rachel Riordan of Lucky Bones Studio has been drawing since early childhood, a commitment to craft that shines through in the logo and illustrations she created for Tilted Glass Brewing Co. Each piece relies on color and vivid imagery to tell a story, like the label for the brand’s Dark Prince IPA, which conveys themes of death and rebirth through the whimsical illustration of a crowned skull, fungus, and insects on a backdrop of navy and muted pink blossoms over a pale blue sky. Rachel’s portfolio is simple and uncluttered, spotlighting her intricate illustrations.

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Webflow is the leading visual development platform for building powerful websites without writing code — the perfect solution for graphic designers who don’t have the knowledge (or the time) to build a portfolio site from scratch. Try our free 21 day design portfolio course and start sharing your graphic design projects. 

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7 Graphic Design Projects to Cure Your Creative Block

We rounded up the best graphic design projects to jumpstart your creativity.

When you’re dealing with creative block , you can find your flow again by discovering work that truly inspires you. We often find ourselves scrolling through graphic design sites to see what’s new and exciting. From commissioned work to personal projects, browsing another creator’s graphic design portfolio can be a good way to spark the idea you’ve been waiting for.

We rounded up some of our favourite graphic design projects that will hopefully inspire you to get working on your next portfolio piece.

This list isn’t only for graphic designers —illustrators and photographers will find some ideas worth testing out, especially when it comes to experimenting with print.

Seven Graphic Design Practice Project Ideas

Graphic design practice projects are great for refining your skills, helping you get unstuck from a creative rut, or help build a portfolio to land your next project.

From an unusual travel guide book, to a creative coloring book, and a politically-minded postcard set, here are seven graphic design projects that will make you excited to tackle your next creative venture.

1. Unexpected pop culture inspiration

When designing a cover for architecture magazine AA, Paris-based designer Josephine Ohl found unexpected inspiration in classic films.

The theme of the issue was New York, Tokyo, and Paris, so Ohl decided to represent each city with a creature: King Kong for New York, Godzilla for Tokyo, and a rooster (a traditional French symbol ) for Paris.

She created the images separately and silkscreened them onto the cover for a unique, handmade look. Taking the cover in this fun direction was an unexpected move that makes the magazine stand out.

Pop culture references like these make for instantly recognizable and relatable imagery, and they also add an element of playfulness to a design concept.

2. A unique printed book

Toronto design studio Fook Communications shows off a range of skills with their work . Their work on a publication focusing on Canadian foodd showcases their skills in branding, copywriting, photography, videography, and more. Adding a printed project to your online portfolio website is also a good way to showcase your product design skills. A physical piece like a guide book adds texture and variety to your online portfolio, and demonstrates your diverse abilities as a designer.

3. A creative coloring book

Portugal-based designer Mariana Malhao’s online portfolio is full of playful projects, but this coloring book definitely stands out. Malhao has lent her design skills to a range of projects, from jewelry to ceramics. This coloring book represents her uniquely playful style in a creative way.

Including fun projects like this one in your online portfolio shows that you’re able to come up with strong ideas outside of a set design brief, and that you excel at thinking outside the box.

Design projects don’t have to be serious—creating something for kids is also a great way to show your skills. This doesn’t have to be a printed project. A comic or conceptual drawings for a toy could also be a good example of your more playfully-minded design expertise.

4. A reinterpretation of a classic work

Graphic designer Chelsea Majuri made a creative edition of Walter Benjamin’s classic text The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction .

Majuri’s version of the book is made up of fifteen booklets, which each contain one of the essay’s informative chapters, making the writing both approachable and enjoyable in short windows of time,” as the designer explains. Majuri has added repeating patterns custom-designed by herself, as well as etchings by Rembrandt. These design choices relate to the ideas about reproduction of artworks expressed in Benjamin’s writing.

This project is a great choice for Majuri to show that she thinks seriously about design, as well as a good opportunity to showcase a well-made printed product. Creating a custom edition of a favorite book is a simple yet challenging way to show off your design skills. A redesign of a classic album cover could be another fun option.

5. Postcards with a message

Designer Aly Dodds created a set of charming hand-illustrated postcards that focuses on femininity and the power in speaking up.

Dodd says that she created this set of postcards to provide a platform for “babes of all genders everywhere to stand up to their elected officials and demand the protection of women’s reproductive rights.”

Advancing a cause you care about can be a great source of inspiration for a personal project.

Another way you can re-create a project like this is to make your own set of greeting or thank you cards. A hand-written note goes a long way, and it’s a fun graphic design activity that you can bring to life and use.

6. Posters illustrated with the alphabet

Graphic designer Hugo Jourdan used nothing but the 26 letters of the alphabet to create a series of 26 striking minimal posters . The results provide great inspiration for how to use limited materials to create something interesting.

7. A product label that uses brand materials

American designer Wake Coulter got creative when creating a brand identity for ØsterGRO, a large urban farm on a Copenhagen rooftop. In search of a design that “visually evoked the colors and typography of Danish farmstands,” Coulter decided to use potato prints in his work. The result is a series of labels and brand materials that represent ØsterGRO’s identity in a fun and timeless way.

We love Coulter’s use of unexpected materials as inspiration and a tool for this work. Hopefully it inspires you to think outside the box too, and look at ways you can use the subject or the brand in an unconventional way to create something that stands out.

Inspired By These Graphic Design Projects For Your Portfolio? Here’s What To Do Next

Now that you’re out of your creative rut with these graphic project ideas, it’s time to put these ideas to work. Whether you’ve created digital design projects or physical pieces, make sure you capture photos or create mockups you can show off to demonstrate your skills and creativity.

If you don’t already have a graphic design portfolio website to share your recent projects, build one today with Format.

Format is a website builder designed with creative professionals in mind. We make sure we have the technical stuff covered to create beautiful, functional websites, so you can focus on putting your best graphic design work forward. Select from dozens of ready-to-use website templates that are 100% customizable to suit your unique style and share your creative journey.

Best of all, you can try it for free today without inputting your credit card information. Let us help you get your portfolio seen by the right people, and build a beautiful website in a matter of hours.

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21 Projects for a Graphic Design Freelancer

By Lailah Paredes | January 25, 2020

Quick Links

Every business needs a graphic design freelancer to take care of visuals. Creating compelling and attractive graphics will make you stand out from other businesses who simply blend into the background. Customers are more likely to remember your brand if you regularly show them something new and interesting.

Graphic design is one of the most persuasive marketing tools for companies who are into ecommerce trade.

Creativity is a talent. Combining it with strategy and technology is a skill. There are a lot of tasks a graphic design freelancer can do for you other than just designing beautiful imagery . They are the experts who establish the credibility of your business. 

You need a graphic design freelancer to take your business to the next level.

Why Outsource?

Running your own ecommerce business is much more challenging than listing your first product. Primarily, you will find that not every aspect of your business is within your expertise.

The importance of delegating tasks to other people will dawn on you as you feel the workload increasing. Once you sense that the growth of your business is being compromised by everyday tasks, it’s time to think about outsourcing.

Why Hire A Freelancer?

There’s a reason the freelancing industry has thrived over the years. The advantages brought about by the freelance workforce have become significant to business owners.

Freelance experts have developed skills and gained experience, making them more reliable than fresh graduates applying for office work. Because they can work remotely and on a per-project basis, however, their rates are relatively lower than a regularly employed person. They have flexible work hours, too, which makes them more productive than the average worker in a fixed eight-to-five office setting.

Freelancers are independent experts who place a high value on communication and work ethics. Their professionalism is second to none, which makes them awesome to work with. Based on market trends, more and more competent professionals are choosing to become independent contractors and developing their own freelance business.

21 Graphic Design Projects to Outsource

Graphic designers provide a range of services that can not only take time off your hands as a business owner but also enhance the image of your brand through high-quality visuals. The solutions they offer contribute mainly to your company’s marketing efforts.

If you are an ecommerce entrepreneur and you are planning to get someone who can take care of the visual media of your business, this comprehensive list will help you explore the ways a graphic design freelancer can help promote your brand.

Basic Graphic Design

Let’s start with the basics. These are the main projects a graphic designer handles. Most of the time, business owners hire freelance experts to do designs that are direct representations of their brand. These product images are often used to attract buyers and make them remember you.

1. Brand Logo

Deciding on your brand’s logo is more complicated than you think. It embodies how you do business so it must have all the meanings you want to convey to your customers. The task of the graphic designer is to put it all into one meaningful work of art that will become the trademark of your company.

2. Product Logos

When you go into retail, you will be selling different products under one brand name. Because businesses want to stand out, they create separate identities to address varied sets of buyers; thus, creating a range of product logo designs. A graphic designer creates product logos differently from brand logos , focusing on the specific features of the product (or service,m as it may be).

3. Website Graphics

An interactive website requires more than just text to tell a story. It requires equally informative and appealing visual elements to invite visitors to stay, browse through, and finally buy your product or service. A graphic design freelancer is a person who can build the open door to your business’ success.

4. Packaging Design

Have you ever purchased one product over another just because you loved the design on the product box? The packaging of a product is quite important as it affects the impression buyers will have of your product. Packaging design involves an extensive process of enticing the senses of passersby to make them buy the product. This is one task for graphic designers that need skills and experience.

5. Buyer Persona

Often, a business builds a buyer persona with whom its customers can relate. This is in the form of a character, either a real person or an animated figure drawn by the experts. This project involves a lot of research and brainstorming with your hired graphic designer.

6. Mobile App Graphics

As we move into the mobile era, mobile apps are becoming more and more crucial to improve the overall shopping experience of consumers. Mobile apps are designed differently from websites as they cater to users who are always on-the-go. It is up to the graphic designer to add visuals that are simple yet help users fulfill their objectives — and yours (i.e. buy a product).

Digital Marketing

Marketing is a powerful instrument for the success of your ecommerce business. The world is getting more internet savvy. Hence the need for promoting your brand on different online media channels has become more essential. These are several projects you can assign to a graphic design freelancer to help in your digital marketing efforts.

7. eBook Graphics

More than 60% of online shoppers nowadays are concerned about the authenticity of products and services more than anything. Most business owners write eBooks on a specific subjects to build their influencer status. As with every content marketing strategy, the text should be accompanied by impressive images and graphics that will keep readers interested as you convince them that you are a trustworthy brand.

8. Social Media Graphics

Probably the most popular marketing medium for ecommerce businesses today is social media. A graphic designer with expertise in social media marketing is the best fit. Given his/her skills and experience, you will be able to use various types of graphic content across platforms where you can maximize your reach.

9. Email Marketing Graphics

Most likely, the email marketers that you will hire to build campaigns for you do not have a background in graphic design. Eye-catching images within your emails increase the chances of them being opened and the links followed. An experienced graphic designer will drive more conversions and click-throughs to your email marketing campaigns.

10. Infographics

Infographics are high-quality visuals that combine information, imagery, and marketing. Some graphics used include icons and images, and the work involves laying them out neatly in a boxed format. A seasoned graphic design freelancer who can create effective infographics will help boost conversions and increase brand awareness for your ecommerce business.

11. Web Content

There are many things to put on your website aside from your company logo and basic information. Graphics are needed on landing pages to deliver the optimum representation of your brand. It enhances the visual appearance and user experience of your potential customers.

12. Blog Graphics

Blogging is used by ecommerce businesses to drive traffic to their website and establish authority. However, with the competition for page rankings, you need supplementary visuals to get your blog posts noticed. Photos, and/or illustrations make them easier to read and encourage reshares.

Printed Materials

Printed media is a traditional and proven approach to reaching potential customers. Sometimes, with too many brands competing with each other, emails are saturated with a plethora of online advertisements that consumers are likely to ignore. Using print ads is therefore remains an important tactic to give your customers a brand new experience.

13. Business Cards

You may think that printed business cards are a thing of the past, but they are still a powerful medium to get new leads, exchange information, and get your name known in customer and business circles. In this age, most people store their cards digitally, but there are many events at which a simplified printed version comes in handy. This is resolved through a catchy, professional look from an experienced graphic designer.

14. Brochures and Pamphlets

There are instances when you need more than just a blog or social media post to showcase a new product in your store. Coming up with a brochure or pamphlet, both printed and digital, is a great way to feature your latest collection of products. Apart from using high-quality product photos, you always need a neat layout design to make them readable and attractive.

15. Flyers and Posters

Flyers and posters are great ways to catch the attention of customers. A graphic designer should know what fonts, colors, and illustrations to use for your posters to be noticed. The digital versions can then be used and repurposed for additional uses online.

16. Book Covers

There will come a time that you will publish your own books as an ecommerce influencer. When that happens, you will need a great graphic design partner. Like any marketing material, book covers should be designed carefully and professionally to attract readers.

Beyond Basic Design

Apart from their fundamental proficiency in creating a powerful visual messages for your brand, graphic design freelancers are also capable of other creative works to amplify your marketing strategies. These additional services are helpful in promoting your brand’s image.

17. Layout Design

Laying out images together will text in a limited space is a challenge if you do not have the expertise of a graphic designer. An experienced freelancer should be able to do great layouts on any kind of medium. Their objective is to make everything look good together without losing important information meant for the audience to understand.

18. Enhancing Images

There is more to graphic design than just basic designing. Some graphic design freelancers will have the skill to improve the quality of images using Photoshop and other design tools.

19. Animation

In an experiment done by Animoto, a video marketing company based in the US, it was found that short video ads get more clicks on Facebook than simple image posts. This is becoming a trend in ecommerce. You will notice that businesses are now using animated visuals with  royalty-free music  for their ad campaigns, and they hire professional animation designers to take care of this for them.

20. Consulting

Businesses need to adapt to the ever-changing ecommerce landscape . All your materials will need a revamp at some point. Before making any changes, you may need to consult a professional graphic designer to help you come up with fresh ideas and designs. Use their experience and niche expertise to your advantage.

21. Graphic Design Agencies

Depending on the size of your company, you may find that you need more than one freelancer on a project in order to get efficient results. Another strategy entrepreneurs use is to hire a graphic design agency that will supply a variety of design services for your growing ecommerce business over time.

No design is random. Every element that comes out from imagery is carefully crafted to fit the image of your brand. Creativity, strategy, and technology… to make all of these work, you need a creative professional to translate your branding into the perfect visual representation.

Talented creative freelancers with years of experience in design tools such as Photoshop or InDesign will become the visual assets of your business.

There is a lot of competition when you enter the ecommerce trade. You need compelling visuals to stand out from the rest. Sometimes, one project requires the expertise of different designers. The best part of hiring freelancers is that you can hire niche experts to do different tasks, and only when required.

Basically anything that needs more visual appeal is a task for a graphic designer. Think about hiring a graphic design freelancer for your online store today. Visit our blog to know more about the services that other ecommerce freelancers can provide to further scale up your business and boost sales. Join FreeUp and get access to the top 1% of talent in the ecommerce industry.

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Article: 11 Graphic Design Projects You Can Easily Do It Yourself

11 Graphic Design Projects You Can Easily Do It Yourself

These are the list of graphic design projects that are very easy to do-it-yourself, then make them as your portfolios or even a business. Let's find out!

Created by Natalia Sada | https://www.behance.net/gallery/90812663/Luz-de-Barrio

Graphic designers tend to get a very complex project. However, graphic design is not particularly expensive and complicated to do. Everyone can try some of the projects as Do it Yourself or DIY ideas. It is particularly a great introduction for the passionate artist-wannabe or those who want to taste the career itself. 

Another good reason to do so is the chance to build up a portfolio. In graphic design, a stellar portfolio can help designers secure many jobs. At the same time, it is also a great way to help them gain more experience to do ranges of ideas. While DIY might only serve as free time graphic design projects and do not provide income, it does offer practice. 

The easy to do it yourself work itself is not particularly hard. At some point, it tells the sense of how the trends have changed to the more simple, free, and minimalistic detail. Doing the graphic design DIY will be a great warm-up and a way to envelop the new start. So, without prolonged intro, here are some DIY ideas that you can do in your free time:

1. Logotypes 

No one cannot say graphic design without a logo project. A logotype is one of the logo styles that focus on the use of typeface. Just as the logo, logotype work as a company or organization signage. Being a vital part of marketing and brand identity, marketing or PR teams tend to ask the help of graphic creators to do the job. 

But isn't it a complicated DIY project to do? Indeed, it is a hard project to nail, especially if you work with clients. However, it can be one of the easier DIY ideas that you can do as a practice. The design project demands the worker to make a graphic that represents the company. It needs a certain degree of understanding and research to convey the meaning. 

In other words, a logo must be considered appropriate for the company. It is called appropriate if the project can precisely imitate the company. So, how to do the DIY? Again the graphic design project can be complicated and need a lot of practice. As a Do it yourself idea, you can use the logotype work as a way to gain more experience and portfolio. 

There is nothing called a bad logo, only a bad decision. Playing around with color and typefaces is the primary key. The DIY graphic design also mainly uses the sense of KISS principle that stands for Keep it Simple, Stupid. It means that the majority of logo design uses minimalistic, understandable, and clean style to capture the millennial or modern audience. 

Following the changing trend and ideas also make the do it yourself idea more captivating to do. There is no end to making the design, so you can get more creative and make whatever logotype model. Putting your DIY logotype result also helps you gain more portfolios. Maybe some companies might see your job and eventually hire you to do the graphic project. 

But is it appropriate to call it an easy do-it-yourself idea since the process is very complicated? As a graphic design DIY project, you don't need to make it over-complicated. You can use free tools that help create vector images and create your logotype. The internet is also filled with stock icons with ranges of typefaces that give you endless possibilities.  

Created by Andrew Footit | https://www.behance.net/gallery/124316241/Storica-Typeface

Everyone knows how important banners are in the design realm. From the digital banner to the physical one, you will find that banner will never cease sooner or later. It is part of the promotional media for companies that always appear. And the good news is, banner projects are almost always a constant job for designers. 

Talking about banners, the work can envelop the social media cover or the printed one. In graphic design projects, you can find many PR or marketing professionals who are always looking for it. They tend to ask designers to make a graphic banner that represents a product or service. It is also a very good DIY practice for designers. 

In the case of easy Do it yourself graphic design, banners pose an almost low challenge. The idea is that you don't need to wait for a client to ask. You can make a fictional company and its service and do a DIY project based on it. To make one good DIY banner, you have to make them with several simple rules. 

But overall, it is an easy project to fill up our portfolio. Be creative with the DIY design, take a look at the other graphic design models, and make yours. Do be afraid to post it and share it on your social media as a portfolio. The idea is to learn and practice. Over time, you will find yourself knowing the proper trick in DIY and making a high-quality banner.  

Created by Kintal Creative Studio | https://www.behance.net/gallery/69625067/ASJN25-Event-Branding

3. brochures.

There is a reason why brochures will be your perfect do-it-yourself graphic design project to do. The first one is the high demand. Just like banners, you will find this project as one of the most demanded work. The process is pretty much the same as a DIY banner, which is to promote and tell about the upcoming event. 

In many cases, brochures are edited in a rush due to the short time to the upcoming event. To master the quick graphic design work, you can use it as DIY projects. Again, you can make a fictional company with the upcoming event. Try to make a brochure with a lot of ideas, elements, and design. Creating many designs will eventually help you get used to the project. 

At some point, you can also challenge yourself with some DIY challenges. Try to make a brochure for the same event with different themes. It may sound like a hard project for Do it yourself, but many programs allow you to do so. They offer templates and tutorials to make brochures, which make the graphic design DIY worth doing. 

Created by Andrea Bianchi | https://www.behance.net/gallery/78444849/RiAperto-festival-Branding

4. infographics .

If you are looking for a little bit of a challenge in graphic design projects, try to do an infographic. As a do-it-yourself idea, you can say that an infographic will force you to get creative with visuals and data. You will have to make an image that can envelop every piece of information and make it easier to look at, even though the DIY is harder to make.

At some point, infographics are a DIY design project that is pretty much loved and hated by marketers. Thus, they tend to throw the responsibility and as designers to make it. As it is complicated to make, you can use it as a DIY idea to sharpen your creative thinking. Do you need to wait for a client? No, you can use a lot of online information to make an infographic. 

Take the opportunity to use the do-it-yourself project as a practice. There is also a lot of information, such as graphic design branches, that you can explain into a communicative infographic. The thing is, infographics are not a DIY project that demands a designer degree. Everyone can do it with some online free tool. That is why it is one of the best DIY to try.    

Created by Adolfo Arranz | https://www.behance.net/gallery/37869347/Infographics-The-importance-of-the-rough-sketch

Icon design is pretty much one of the best DIY ideas to do in your spare time. The do-it-yourself project will never lose its popularity since it will always be needed in many media. You can call it a presentation, mockup, or website. One thing that makes icon graphic design interesting is the constantly shifting trend and ideas. 

You can find many customized pieces with ranges of design in the inter, from the simple small to the more elaborated details in it. Professional graphic designers can eventually charge heavenly for this project. So, why don't you try and make it a DIY project? It is simple and easy, as long as you know how and what program to use. 

Another good charm in doing so is the ability to gain cash from sharing your work. Some online platforms allow graphic designers to post their job and sell it. It also works with the DIY icon. Considering how people can buy and use icon pieces on the internet, you can also do so to do your personal DIY graphic design project. 

Take a fundamental example of using online apple and worm images. From the two samples, you got to make a very fun icon that shows a worm-eating apple. It is also easy to do the DIY ideas since you have a range of programs available, such as Canva or Vectr. Put the result as one of the portfolios, and tell people about your ability to create the do it yourself icon.  

Created by Dima Groshev | https://www.behance.net/gallery/124016351/Design-principles-for-perfect-icons

6. ui mockups .

Since the use of online media is rising, you will find that web design gets more attention. It helps web graphic design projects get more spotlight and demand. One thing is for sure, designing a whole website is not easy to do it yourself idea anymore. But you can take a small portion of the work, such as creating a UI or UX design for your DIY project. 

So, the idea of this DIY project is pretty much introducing you to the new trending graphic works. If you look at the graphic design sharing platforms, many UI mockup designs are made for fictional companies. It is one of the ways people make a portfolio by creating non-job-related work. It can also come as a form of do-it-yourself idea to do.  

Doesn't it need some particular skill to master the graphic design project? Indeed, it is. One needs to learn and master how to make a communicative user interaction and experience design. It includes details from the web page to the other pages. But it also does not need expensive prototyping tools. So, you can do it as a simple DIY design project. 

How so? Try to learn from the fundamentals that designing a web page can be started from a concept. You can take it as a do-it-yourself idea to make your future web design. Play around with a vector graphic editor, add icons, web elements, design, and work with the alignment. It can be done in the most simple design and detail for your DIY graphic project.  

Created by Mhm Muradi | https://www.behance.net/gallery/117565325/iPhone-12-pro-clay-mockup

7. business cards.

Business cards are another do-it-yourself project that even kids can do. As a professional graphic DIY work, it demands a professional hand to make a compelling product. It should appear communicative with a range of possibilities and details to include. But, it is also a great DIY project to sharpen your design prowess. 

How so? Business cards, in particular, do not demand overly complicated designs. It is a graphic project that can be done by everyone, even with little design knowledge. At the same time, business cards are also easy to make using many programs. You can use the simples do it yourself work through Microsoft word or creating a more pro one with Illustrator.

Those who love a manual DIY idea can even make it manually. Yes, by using the basic pen and paper idea. Remember that the do-it-yourself idea is not always for the client. It can be part of your portfolio-building ideas, which include creating as much design as possible. So, how to make it? The answer is easy, and you can use free graphic editor software. 

The key point of creating a DIY business card is the size. The common size is around 3.5 inches by 2 inches or 1050 x 600 pixels. It's pretty much it. You can simply add names and details to make the most grounded design. If you find software that offers templates, do so. There are many ways to make a breathtaking DIY business card. 

Created by Noodlemaker | https://www.behance.net/gallery/91501459/Grandvity-Visual-Identity-System

8. social media graphic .

If you are a social media manager, you will need to learn how to make social media graphics. The two projects focus on creating a specifically designed cover photo for the profile. It is a graphic design project that you can make as a do-it-yourself idea. Do you need to hire a designer? No. What if you are a designer? At least DIY can be one of your portfolios. 

The thing about social media graphics is the overall image dimension. The platform sets the graphic element with a predetermined size, so it can fit the space properly. Everyone can put anything as their cover. But to make the DIY project have more meaning and function, make sure you can make them stand out and highlight the product. The artwork will be worth for customer engagement.  

Created by September 5th | https://creativemarket.com/septemberfifth/4431955-Writers-Social-Media-Pack-Stories?u=kreafolk

9. youtube graphics .

Youtube graphic is also one of the graphic design projects that work as a do-it-yourself idea. It is a great idea for YouTube creators or graphic creators that want to spread their wings to the field. The DIY project itself is pretty much work, just like the social media cover. It is the face of the channel that serves memorable and stand-out information. 

So, to make it easy to do DIY, you need to pay attention to the channel image. The proper size for the design image is around 2560 x 1440 pixels. But the best dimension is around 1540 x 427 pixels since it helps make your cover visible across devices. For you who want to try it as an idea, try to use a pre-built template from many online graphic editor programs. 

Created by PremadePixels.com | https://creativemarket.com/PremadePixels.com/5829634-Epic-Youtube-Thumbnail-Templates-Set?u=kreafolk

10. coloring book .

Surprisingly, another DIY idea that can help designers to practice is coloring books. You can find some books that include a more complicated picture for adults, a more creative book model, or the unique one. The idea of using this do-it-yourself project is to practice your color selection. At some point, the project can end up as a serious idea that attracts the audience's attention. 

Created by Lana Samokhina | https://creativemarket.com/lana.samokhina/2094584-Cities-coloring-set-12-pages

11. photo collages .

Collages are always one of the practices on graphic design projects, which are worth doing as a DIY idea. It looks pretty simple but can serve as a powerful marketing power. The idea of collages itself is to combine a few images into one collage or frame. The cool thing about the do-it-yourself project is that you can do many ideas and make it unique. 

One thing that makes college gain particular appreciation is the ability to choose images that go well together. Creating a mesmerizing collage needs skills in color selection, harmonious style, or photography details. When the graphic DIY project is done right, it can be one of the stellar buildings for a designer portfolio. It is also easy to do it yourself with handy image software.  

Created by Israel G. Vargas | https://www.behance.net/gallery/50096301/Robert-Capa-Tribute-collages

Final words.

A graphic designer needs constant practice. As it is part of the way to sharpen their skill, it is also a great idea to build a stellar portfolio. It does not need to be a very complicated DIY project. You can start with simple tasks such as creating icons or infographics. It is also available for those who want to do DIY. You can do photo collages, coloring books, or mockups to fill up some free time.

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8 Graphic Design Projects To Earn Your First $100

Graphic design projects can be a great way to make extra money on the side of your day job or even start and grow your own business.

But with so many graphic design projects to choose from, you might be asking yourself: which design projects can help me make my first $100 and beyond.

So today, I’ll share with you some of the best advice I’ve gathered by working with thousands of freelance designers over 11 years. These tried and tested graphic design projects will help you make your first $100 and set you up for future success.

Let’s dive in!

1. Design a Logo

If you’re good with branding a logo design , you can make a very quick $100 by designing a logo for someone.

To make a quick $100 (or more) designing logos, try signing up for sites like Twine where you’ll be connected with clients who need a logo designed for their business or project.

Of course, if you’d like to be a long-term logo designer, you’ll need to charge much more for a logo and similar graphic design projects. But it can be a great way to get some experience and get your foot in the door. From there, you can always upsell other services or raise your prices.

2. Design a Menu

When it comes to great graphic design projects to make your first $100 as a designer, another good place to look is at your local restaurants.

That’s because many local restaurants have horribly designed menus. With a quick redesign, you can help restaurateurs increase their revenue by far more than $100.

Redesigning a stale menu can also provide a great opportunity to build relationships in your community for future work. 

If you find the right clients for this kind of design work, you might even find yourself with repeat clients each month. Consider how often a restaurateur needs help with graphic design projects. For example, every time they:

• Add a new menu item
• Run a promotion
• Change their menu pricing

3. Design Some Social Media Graphics

If you’re social savvy, you may want to consider social images for your next graphic design projects. 

Social images are in high demand because companies constantly need something to add to their social feed which means it’s a great way to get repeat business after finding your first graphic design clients .

Social images would include anything from illustrations to promotions, informational graphs and mind maps , all the way to funny memes—it all depends on your client.

4. Design a Postcard or Flyer

While social graphics are definitely in high demand, most smart business owners know that there’s still a lot of power in traditional graphic design projects like postcards or flyers.

That’s because, while some argue snail mail is dying, in actuality it is stronger than ever thanks to technology’s ability to take the online experience into your physical home through “junk mail.”

Because printed advertising material can be so lucrative to your client, you’ll have no problem getting at least $100 for these kinds of graphic design projects and quickly raising your rates.

5. Design a Book Cover

As personal publishing becomes more and more accessible, far more people are hiring graphic designers for book cover graphic design projects than ever before.

That’s why it would be fairly easy to make a quick $100 or even more designing a cover for a book. In addition, depending on the book, these graphic design projects can be a great way to get extra exposure for your services. 

Design a cool book cover that sells a lot of copies and you may just have new clients coming your way for a long time to come.

6. Design a Billboard

If your style is to “go big or go home” then maybe thinking much bigger is a good idea for your graphic design projects.

Designing a Billboard is not only a unique challenge (you’ve got to use few words and large images) but can be extremely gratifying to see as you’re driving down the freeway.

Keep in mind, your client is likely paying thousands to book the billboard in the first place so they likely have a fair budget (probably more than $100) to spend on your design services.

A talented billboard design could easily make an extra $1,000 a month or more.

7. Design an Email Template

If you have an interest in email marketing and a little bit of know-how on what it takes to design (and code) an email template, then email design could be right for you.

Email-centered graphic design projects can be lucrative because email is so lucrative—particularly to online e-commerce stores.

To make your first $100 designing email templates , find small, new e-commerce stores that need your support. Small businesses need good design more than ever . As an added bonus, you’ll build a good relationship with a young company with lots of potential for growth.

8. Design an Infographic

If you’ve got a mind for information and pretty graphs, then maybe you should consider finding freelance jobs related to designing infographics.

Of course, these take a special kind of designer. You can’t just throw together a couple charts and write some text. But designing an infographic might be easier than you think and can be pretty lucrative.

Where to Find Graphic Design Projects to Apply For

If you’re not sure where to actually find graphic design projects to make $100, here are a few ways to get started:

• Reach out to your personal network and let them know you’re taking on freelance graphic design projects.
• Sign up for Twine  where you’ll get connected with clients who need design projects completed on a regular basis.
• Call agencies in your area and ask if they hire freelance designers on a contract basis.

Making a little extra money (or starting an entire business) while working on fun and exciting graphic design projects can be extremely fulfilling. All it takes is a little work and some talent and you can make it happen.

Looking to find paid work as a graphic designer? Sign up to Twine  and pitch on a wide variety of graphic design projects each week.

Once you’ve secured your first client, streamline the revision process with  ReviewStudio;  the ultimate proofing platform.

Business building tips, hacks and resources for creative folks. Formerly Graphic Design Blender, now Millo.

https://www.millo.co/

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