Transitioning from Graphic Design to UI/UX Design
Somewhere in the journey to finding my path, I dived into graphic designing which was an exciting new opportunity with lots of new skills to practice.
Design is a broad stream of different layers that isn’t limited to graphic design. When someone says “I’m a designer”, it is not really clear what they do to someone who does not know about the field. There are many paths to design and they have a bit overlapping, from graphic design to visual design to brand identity design to product design and every other aspect of design.
As much as the overlap exists, there are differences in the overall skill set, the design approach and the design process involved.
As someone who experienced that transition first-hand, I remember being asked about my switch often even during interviews. My answers were that I wanted to design more user-centred products with the required data that would create solutions for people. After reading about other people’s experiences with transitioning from graphic designing to UX Design, they gave similar answers to mine.
UI/UX Design: What’s in it for you?
UI/UX Design is listed in the fastest growing field in tech from various sources including CNNMoney, LinkedIn, Glassdoor etc.
UX Design is ranked #14 with top pay hitting $138k and a growth rate of 18% according to CNNMoney/Pay Scale's top 100 careers with big growth, great pay and satisfying work. Secondly, LinkedIn ranked UX Design as one of the top 5 in-demand skills as of 2020. According to Glassdoor, UX designers earn an average annual salary of $85,277.
This is expected to continue in 2022 as UX Design becomes a Google ranking factor which means that businesses will need to focus on their UX to remain competitive in the market as customers are getting more interested in their experience with each product they use.
Graphic Design Vs UX Design
Although the principles of design are needed for both careers, design thinking is very different.
As a graphic designer, I was more concerned about understanding colour theories, using beautiful fonts and creating visually pleasing designs. I was mostly in my artistic mode trying to design beautiful art from my viewpoint and I could not care less about any need to solve a problem.
Basically, Graphic design focuses on the visual elements and UX designers take a broader perspective by focusing on the interaction between the user and the product. The primary goal of a UX design is the experience of the user when interacting with the product. UX design involves collections of research data and logical analysis of the problem that needs to be solved by the product.
My knowledge of graphic design was a key factor in my transitioning journey, as much as UX Design seeks to find solutions to problems, a visually pleasing design has the interest of users. The experience and the aesthetic of a design meet each other to become a powerful product.
- Usability is the key to user experience. If a product isn’t usable, the user will have a negative user experience.
- Aesthetically pleasing designs are important to the user.
- The product should be functional and user friendly in the experience.
- Users should enjoy using the product.
“When I am working on a problem, I never think of the beauty but When I have finished, If the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong”.
~R. Buckminster.
