9 Graphic Designing Myths Busted!

Here is an attempt to bust a few myths put forward by people about graphic designers and matters related to graphic design. These misconceptions are often based on unfounded rumors. We will try debunking them one by one in this article:

1- Graphic designing is so easy, anyone can do it

Being a good graphic designer is not achieved over night. Most designers spend four or five years studying design theory in college and immersing themselves in deadline oriented design projects. College results are only driven by continual assessment, so one must be on the top of his game every day.

When it comes to the courses related to graphic designing, what most people do not know is that the drop out level is very high in these courses due to a very high pressured and competitive environment. Only if the student is talented and hardworking enough, it is followed by a two-year apprenticeship under the tutelage of an experienced creative director.  Here ridged project deadlines mean that the work day doesn’t end until the deadline is met. Moreover, apprentice or junior level design wages aren’t hugely rewarding, so designers are driven by the love of the job and the rewarding experience of being involved in successful projects.

2- Graphic design can be solely done on the computer

Undoubtedly, the computer serves as an essential tool of the trade, but it does not mean that graphic design is solely computer based at all. A good graphic designer only works on the computer once he has a fully formed idea sketched out on paper. Most projects begin with the formulation of a brief of the demands charted out by the clients. Such briefs set the overall tone of the project and are ultimately reflected in the final results. Formulating a specific brief based on the client’s needs warrants that the client’s requests are met with enough room for the designer to visually communicate the clients message with his own distinct flair. Before arriving at the computer stage, a designer needs to follow a comprehensive process comprising of research and ideas.

Research can mean a lot of things ranging from creating focus groups to spending a day in the library studying project related information. A designer should fully understand their client’s product or service before doing so. If this prerequisite isn’t followed, the subsequent ideas will not be fully formed. Only when the designer has a good grasp of the subject matter, a significant time is spent getting ideas on to paper. This is the most time costing facet of any project, linking the mixture of design fair with well-informed information choices. After getting these ideas on paper and picking the most successful one to the brief can a designer finally go to the computer to refine the visual language.

3- A Graphic Designer’s work is subjective

This assumption is both true and false at the same time. Undoubtedly, a designer is influenced by his surroundings invariably setting the tone for his personality and approach to design. However, it would be stupid to think that a message or design would not work if it’s based on opinion. For instance, I once heard that a client refused to use red for a Christmas citing an argument that they didn’t like the color red. Personal preference matters but if you are selling a season that is associated with a color to appeal to the largest possible audience it is unwise to confuse the viewer.

Every design decision should be based on a meaningful consideration. Design is a visual language and some visual decisions are better to be suited to specific messages. Therefore, breaking up a message based on a uniformed decision can prove to be detrimental in presenting the message effectively to the target audience.

4- The client is always right

Without clients, a designer would have absolutely no job or income. Clients know their own profession better than the designers. If a designer fails to tap into this wealth of knowledge they are either not very good at their job or have a massive ego. However, it works both ways. If a client is hiring a good designer, it is most likely because they like the designers work or the designer recommended to them. If a client fails to entirely utilize a graphic designer’s knowledge or experience then they are jeopardizing their own project. What graphic designers basically do is, tell a client’s story in an appealing visual language that sells the client to their target audience. No decent graphic designer wants to produce sub-standard work and will work hard to communicate the message that they create is trying to convey.

If the designer has the full confidence of the client, then the project must be a collaborative process. This way, the designer would be fully informed and in a better position to make the client happy by creating work that will garner new business for the client.

5- Graphic Designers don’t deserve the high amount of money they get

Being a graphic designer means being burdened with contrasting emotions. Often, there are extreme highs when your work is successful and then there are extreme lows when a client questions the monetary value of the work, a designer is performing. Most of the times, the clients do not realize exactly how much effort was involved in creating a logo or website.

Most people are of the view that paying one-hundred Euro for a custom designed logo that on average takes at least twenty hours to complete is reasonable. This points to a lack of understanding which often leads to the assumption that we are earning good money for doing nothing –  a very incorrect assumption. From the experience of most designers, they often must work a considerably higher amount of time over the allotted quote to keep the client happy. Maybe not the very best business practice, but in design you are only as good as your most recent work. If a designer is occasionally prepared to put in an extra amount of work to make a client happy it is worth it in the long run. This proves the fact that graphic designers think beyond money and sincerely work for self-satisfaction.

6- Graphic Designer’s don’t need a formal design education

A clear majority of people believe that simply because someone can draw, that they can be a graphic designer without any formal education or training. What they do not know, is that most designers spend at least three years in college learning about design theory and engaging in design projects. A vast knowledge of color, typography, printing and the web comprise just a few elements of design that a designer needs to be well versed in if he wants to be hailed as a good designer.

Hiring someone with no formal education or proper design experience is basically employing an unskilled person to communicate your business to the public and then expect good results. In college or as a junior apprentice, a designer learns a specific set of rules as the principal guidelines of graphic design. Only then, can he twist those rules based on an understanding of how to use the visual language.

7- A designing just takes about an hour

Creating a custom logo, website or work on any other design related project is a complex process. Therefore, expecting it in an hour is far from being realistic. Projects like these involve the formulation of a brief, research of the subject matter, the application of ideas and the room for further design tweaks is based on the feedback received from the client. This process cannot be completed in an hour unless the graphic designer is secretly THE FLASH or has a time machine or is not producing original work.

8- There is no need to pay the Graphic Designers

A common misconception that a lot of graphic designers witness with some clients is that they seriously believe, graphic designers don’t need to get paid. As with most professions, graphic designers have over heads that need to be paid including office rent, electricity, employees, web hosting, hardware and design specific software – all of whom cost nearly small fortunes to pay. The false belief that designers only need to pay for a computer and everything else is free is alarmingly high, particularly when a designer is in the process of negotiating a fair quote on a labor-intensive project.

9- Simpler designs cost less

Often the best original ideas seem to be the simplest. An original design that communicates a message clearly and concisely while also provoking interest through the design aesthetic is the best a business can get. For instance, the Nike logo. So, while a design might appear simple, it does not mean that the thought gone into the idea took less time to come up with or did not take as much effort as a normal design requires. Therefore, it is wrong to say that simple designs are made easily and therefore, should cost less.