 how can I step into a design field or how can I test my

aptitude in that as a starter

Stepping into the design field and testing your aptitude as a beginner can be an exciting journey. Here are steps to
help you get started:
Learn the Basics:
 Start with online resources and courses. Learn the fundamentals of design principles, color theory, typography, and
composition.

Online Courses and Tutorials:

 Platforms like Coursera, edX, Udemy, and Skillshare offer a wide range of design courses, including graphic design, UI/UX
design, and more.

Software Proficiency:
 Familiarize yourself with design tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or XD, depending on your area of interest.

Practice, Practice, Practice:

 Design is a practical skill. Create personal projects, redesign existing websites or applications, or start a design blog. Apply
what you've learned.

Feedback and Critiques:

 Join online design communities, such as Dribbble or Behance, to showcase your work and receive feedback from experienced
designers.

Online Challenges:
 Participate in design challenges and competitions to improve your skills and build your portfolio.

Build a Portfolio:
 Create a portfolio website showcasing your best work. It's crucial to have an online presence where potential employers or
clients can view your projects.

Networking:
 Attend design meetups, conferences, and webinars to connect with other designers. Networking can lead to job opportunities
and mentorship.

Find a Mentor:
 Seek out a mentor who can provide guidance, feedback, and career advice. They can be invaluable in your learning journey.

Freelancing and Internships:

 Consider freelancing or internships to gain real-world design experience. These opportunities can help you understand client
requirements and industry standards.

Learn User Experience (UX) Design:

 Understanding user experience is essential for modern design. Study UX principles and techniques to enhance your skills.

Design Challenges:
 Participate in design challenges like "Daily UI" or "Adobe Creative Challenges" to practice and diversify your design skills.

Stay Updated:
 Follow design blogs, podcasts, and social media accounts of design experts to stay updated with industry trends and best
practices.

Seek Feedback:
 Don't hesitate to seek feedback from experienced designers or mentors. Constructive criticism helps you improve.

Build Soft Skills:

 Develop soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and empathy, as they are crucial for a successful design career.

Apply for Entry-Level Positions:

 Once you have built a strong portfolio, start applying for entry-level design positions or internships.

Remember that design is a continually evolving field, so your learning journey will be ongoing. Embrace creativity,
practice consistently, and don't be afraid to experiment with different design styles and mediums to find your niche
within the field.
 As I am planning to start a branding freelance business,
I want to have basic fundamentals of design field and to
explore in that. I am a fresher in this field. Could you
suggest me the ways to do that with best resources.
Starting a branding freelance business as a fresher in the design field requires a solid foundation in design principles,
tools, and practical experience. Here’s a structured approach with the best resources to help you get started:

1. Understanding Design Fundamentals

Books:

 "The Elements of Graphic Design" by Alex W. White

o Covers the principles of design, including space, unity, page architecture, and typography.’

 "Graphic Design: The New Basics" by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips
o A foundational book on design principles and visual thinking.

 "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug

 "Designing Brand Identity" by Alina Wheeler

Online Courses:

 Coursera: Introduction to Graphic Design

 Udemy: Graphic Design Bootcamp: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
 Skillshare: Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Visual Design

YouTube Channels:

 The Futur: YouTube Channel

o Offers a wealth of knowledge on design principles, branding, and the business side of design.
 CharliMarieTV: YouTube Channel
  Flux Academy: YouTube Channel
o Video: Intro to Design Principles - by Flux Academy
 Video: Color Theory Basics - by GCFGlobal

2. Learning Design Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud:

 Photoshop - For image editing and graphic design.

 Illustrator - For vector graphics and logo design.
 InDesign - For layout design, such as brochures and magazines.

Figma:

 Figma - A web-based design tool perfect for UI/UX and collaborative design work.

Canva:

 For easy-to-use design templates and social media graphics.

Tutorials:

 Photoshop Tutorials by PHLEARN

o Comprehensive tutorials on using Photoshop for various design tasks.
 Illustrator Tutorials by Dansky
o Beginner to advanced tutorials on Illustrator.
 Figma Tutorials by DesignCourse
o Tutorials covering the basics and advanced features of Figma.

3. Exploring Branding and Identity Design

Books:

 "Designing Brand Identity" by Alina Wheeler

 "Logo Design Love" by David Airey
o A guide to creating iconic brand identities.
 "Branding: In Five and a Half Steps" by Michael Johnson
o A comprehensive look at the branding process from concept to completion.

 "Building A StoryBrand" by Donald Miller

 "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Online Courses:

 Skillshare - Logo Design with Draplin: Secrets of Shape, Type, and Color
o A hands-on course by Aaron Draplin on logo design.
 Coursera - Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand, and Behaviour by London Business School
o Understanding brand strategy and management.

YouTube Channels:

 Satori Graphics
o Tutorials on logo design, brand identity, and graphic design tips.
 CharliMarieTV
o Insights into branding, design processes, and working as a designer.

 The Futur:
o Offers a wealth of knowledge on design principles, branding, and the business side of design.
 Will Paterson
o Focuses on logo design, branding, and design tips.
4. Practical Application and Portfolio Building

Projects:

 Personal Projects:
o Create branding projects for imaginary companies.
o Redesign existing brands or logos.

 Pro Bono Work: Offer to create branding for local businesses or nonprofits for free or at a reduced rate.

Online Platforms:

 Behance
o Showcase your work and get feedback from the design community.
 Dribbble
o A platform for designers to share their projects, find inspiration, network with other designers and get noticed by potential clients.

 Adobe Portfolio:
o Create a professional portfolio site easily.

5. Networking and Community Engagement

Join Design Communities:

 Reddit - r/graphic_design
o Engage with other designers, get feedback, and stay updated on industry trends.
 Design Forums
o Participate in discussions, share your work, and learn from others.

Attend Webinars and Workshops:

  Adobe MAX
o An annual conference with sessions and workshops on the latest in design.
 CreativeLive
o Offers workshops and classes on various design topics.

By utilizing these resources and consistently practicing your design skills, you'll build a strong foundation in the design field and be well-
prepared to start your branding freelance business.

Related
What do I need to do to become a designer?
I’d urge you to learn the fundamentals BEFORE you learn the technical skills. You can have all the technical chops in the
world but if you don’t understand why designers make the decisions they do, you’ll never progress beyond a certain level.
Here’s what I’d do to get started:
Learn Design Fundamentals FIRST - learn the basics of visual design and user experience before spending too much
time learning actual software. You can do both simultaneously but do not skip this step! Find some online courses on design
fundamentals on Coursera and Skillshare. Read books about Typography, Design Principles, and the History of Design

THEN get the Design Tools you need and start practicing - after watching a few intro courses or reading a book or
two, start practicing with the tools of the trade. HackDesign has a great list of tools for UX/UI designers here. Get Adobe
Creative Cloud and Sketch.

Consider a digital bootcamp - a great way to get fully immersed is to take a bootcamp! Definitely more of a $$
commitment but potentially worth it if you prefer to learn from a teacher over a longer period of time! Springboard is a great
online bootcamp with courses on Design.

Find a mentor - finding a mentor might seem hard since you’re entering a new industry, but the internet is a great
place :-). See whether companies like AIGA have mentorship programs in your city. And join communities like Designers
Guild on facebook! If you want a guaranteed way to connect with a qualified mentor, check out RookieUp, an on-demand
mentorship tool we built for people learning design skills. RookieUp lets you set up video mentor sessions with creative
professionals anytime you need some help or feedback!
 Then could you help me by suggesting to reachout for
the best materials for that
Certainly! Here are some excellent materials and resources to help you kickstart your journey into the design field:
Online Courses and Tutorials:

 Coursera: Offers courses from top universities and institutions. Look for courses related to graphic design, UI/UX design, and
visual design.
 edX: Provides a wide range of design courses, including those from universities and industry leaders.

 Udemy: Offers a variety of design courses, often at affordable prices. Look for highly-rated courses with good reviews.

 Skillshare: Known for its creative courses, Skillshare offers classes on graphic design, UI/UX design, and more.

 Adobe Creative Cloud Tutorials: Adobe provides free tutorials for their design software like Photoshop, Illustrator, and XD on
their website.

Books:
 "The Non-Designer's Design Book" by Robin Williams: A great starting point for understanding basic design principles.

 "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug: Essential reading for anyone interested in UX design and usability.

 "The Elements of Typographic Style" by Robert Bringhurst: A deep dive into typography, a critical aspect of design.

Online Resources:

 Canva Design School: Offers free online design courses and tutorials, particularly helpful for beginners.

 Smashing Magazine: A treasure trove of articles and resources on web design, UI/UX design, and coding.
 Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g): Their website has a wealth of UX design articles, reports, and usability research.

Practice and Inspiration:

 Dribbble: A community of designers where you can find inspiration, share your work, and get feedback.

 Behance: A platform for showcasing your design projects and exploring work from other designers worldwide.

Design Challenges:
 Daily UI: A challenge that provides daily design prompts to improve your UI design skills.
 Adobe Creative Challenges: Adobe offers creative challenges on their website to test your skills in their software.

YouTube Channels:
 The Futur: Offers videos on design, business, and creativity, including tutorials and discussions on design principles.

 Flux: Focuses on UI/UX design and provides insights into design processes and techniques.

Online Communities:
 Designer Hangout: A Slack community where designers discuss various design topics and share knowledge.

 UX Design Institute Community: If you're interested in UX design, this community is a valuable resource for discussions and
networking.

Design Tools:
 Adobe Creative Cloud: Familiarize yourself with design software like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe XD.

Remember, practice is key to becoming a skilled designer. Work on personal projects, create a portfolio, and seek
feedback from others in the design community to continually improve your skills. As you progress, consider building a
portfolio website to showcase your best work to potential employers or clients.
Contrast
If the elements (type, color, size, line thickness, shape, space, etc.) are not the same, then make them very different.
Contrast is often the most important visual attraction on a page—it’s what makes a reader look at the page in the first place.

Repetition
You can repeat colors, shapes, textures, spatial relationships, line thicknesses, fonts, sizes, graphic concepts, etc. This
develops the organization and strengthens the unity.

Alignment
Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean, sophisticated,
fresh look.

Proximity
Items relating to each other should be grouped close together. When several items are in close proximity to each other, they
become one visual unit rather than several separate units. This helps organize information, reduces clutter, and gives the
reader a clear structure.

When pieces of a design are scattered all over, the page appears unorganized and the information may not be instantly
accessible to the reader.
Robin’s Principle of Proximity states that you group related items together, move them physically close to each other so the
related items are seen as one cohesive group rather than a bunch of unrelated bits. Items or groups of information that
are not related to each other should not be in close proximity (nearness) to the other elements, which gives the
reader an instant visual clue to the organization and content of the page.
It appears that
the last four flowers are somehow different from the others. You
understand this
instantly.

typefaces
Spring Regular
Formata Light

typefaces
Formata Light
Formata Bold Condensed
 The two items on the top left are in close proximity to each other,
implying a relationship. But should these two have a relationship? Is
it the Society that’s amusing and peculiar, or “The Shakespeare
Papers”? How about the volume number and date?
They should be close together since they both identify this particular issue.

typefaces
Palatino Light and Italic
Wade SansLight
Notice I did a couple of other things along the way:
I changed everything from all caps to lowercase with appropriate
capitals, which gave me room to make the title bigger and stronger.
I changed the corners from rounded to straight, giving the piece a
cleaner, stronger look.
I enlarged the swan and overlapped the edge with it. Don’t be a wimp.
Because the text is going to drop out of the dark background, I changed the small font to Trebuchet so it wouldn’t fall
apart when printed.
 typefaces
Warnock Pro Light and Bold
Formata Bold

Sometimes when grouping items into close proximity, you

need to make some changes, such as in the size or weight
or placement of text or graphics. Body copy (the main
bulk of reading text) does not have to be 12point!
Information that is subsidiary to the main message, such
as the volume number and year of a newsletter, can often
be as small as 7 or 8 point.

Not only is this page visually boring (nothing pulls your eyes in to the
body copy to take a look), but it is difficult to find the information—
exactly what is going on, where is it happening, what time is it at, etc. It
doesn’t help that the information is presented inconsistently.
typefaces
Anna Nicole
Formata Regular

First I intellectually grouped the information together (in my head or

sketched onto paper), then physically set the text in groups on the page.
Notice the spacing between the three readings is the same, indicating that
these three groups are somehow related.

The subsidiary information is farther away—you instantly know it

is not one of the readings, even if you can’t see it clearly.

typefaces
Anna Nicole
Formata Regular and Light Condensed