My Journey to Becoming a Graphic Designer
Self-discovery — the first step in any successful plan. Be it making a complex business model or shaping one’s career, self-discovery is the starting point that sows the seed giving us a solid foundation to develop upon. I, too, started my journey in a similar manner, finding myself by letting go of society’s expectations of me, their plans and hopes, and focusing on myself, my strengths, and my weaknesses. I let myself wander and surfed my surroundings till I stumbled upon the path of my future, the path towards graphic design.
From an early age, I had an inclination towards two things- maths, a subject based on pure logic and reasoning, and beauty, not that of people, but that of the world, my surroundings. I spent a large part of my childhood making art, making things that represented this beauty that I saw in my own ways. But as I grew up, I realized I could not make things that were just beautiful. I needed to apply order and logic to these pieces, which allowed me to utilize my brain and use my knowledge, and hence, I started my search. I ventured through many mediums and styles — charcoal, acrylic, mandalas, perspective — until I finally realized I was looking at the wrong end. My answer didn’t lie in art, it lay in design.
People often confuse design with art, but design is not art, for it is so much more. Art is the depiction of the artist’s heart, their inner desires. Design is not led by the heart but the mind, for it is a reflection of the designer’s thoughts. Art does not require logic, it does not require shape — it is a true picture of a person’s personality. Design bases itself on art, but takes those whispers and gives them structure, for it makes the heart’s wishes take a journey through the mind where they are broken down, they are polished and presented as a result shaped around the requirements of the customer, perfected by the expertise of the designer.
By this point, I was in 10th grade, a year very precious to CBSE students, the year where you devote all your time and energy to the boards, a central examination that allows you to show to the world and to yourself where you stand academically. I put my sweat and blood into acing these exams, and hence when they were canceled due to Covid-19, I was lost. I started floating away and desperately needed an anchor, a shake back to reality and all there is to life, an anchor kindly provided to me by my parents, who helped me gain an internship under established UX designers. Here I was guided by my mentor through the ABCs of UI-UX design. I spent three months learning it all in theory and then applying it by making my own component library. I found my match. As I built this website, I built the ideal version of myself, a person who used logic and reasoning to create something aesthetically pleasing that brought value to the world.
UI-UX design, as fascinating as it is, is a decently advanced course, one that is not offered to undergraduate students. Shocked and devastated by this discovery, as it messed up with my plans, I started searching for the perfect stepping stone that would allow me to further my knowledge of design while creating the perfect portfolio needed for becoming a UI-UX design student. As I talked to people, friends, teachers, and relatives, I was sent varied recommendations on career paths deemed ‘safer’ or ‘more promising’ to look into, as design is not, according to the Indian society, a common field to pursue. It was not until I talked to one of my father’s colleagues that someone gave me the advice I needed to hear. Become a communication designer. Of course! The perfect solution. Learn about the basics- colors and their significance, typography, and its uses while applying them to make promising pieces to advance the look and usability of the web.
That brings us to the present day, as I sit and compile my work, my research and findings, my projects, and artwork to create a cohesive portfolio that I can send to colleges in the hope that they will help me achieve my dream. I am so glad I chose this journey, so glad I took this road. I really hope that 10 years down the line, I am where I envision myself to be.
