Why spend a ton of money on graphic design courses when you can teach yourself graphic design? It will probably take you longer to teach yourself graphic design than it would to be taught by professionals, but that is the trade off for saving money. Here are three things that you need to teach yourself graphic design. If you are looking for a good graphic design program, check out sources like Corel and Adobe.
- Hardware
You are going to need a quality computer if you want to teach yourself graphic design. Graphic design programs are known for being resource hogs, so a high end computer will be your best friend. Generally speaking, you will want a computer that has at least a dual core processor, 3 to 4 gigabytes of memory and a 500 gigabyte or greater hard drive. Screen size is also important for graphic design, especially if you are going to be working with large images. A 20 inch or larger flat screen, high resolution monitor should fit the bill. It doesn't hurt to have an external hard drive so you can back up all of your work.
- Graphic Design Program
You can't teach yourself graphic design without a graphic design program, right? There are a few free graphic design programs available, but they are very limited in regards to tools and features. If you want to teach yourself graphic design using one of the best programs out there, check out CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and Adobe CS. Adobe CS is a suite of graphic design programs that includes InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Many graphic design programs even come with free tutorials that you can watch that are designed to teach you how to use different aspects of the program. Once you get the hang of graphic design, you can purchase plug-ins for the aforementioned programs that are only going to enhance the quality of your work. Being that you are new to graphic design, be sure to read the owner's manual for whatever program you purchase.
- Fonts, Images and Graphics
The most important things that you need to teach yourself graphic design are the proper hardware and graphic design program. However, you will also need fonts, images and graphics to work with. The graphic design program you purchase is going to come with fonts, but you will likely want to purchase additional font packages, as well. The easiest way to teach yourself graphic design is to work with images and graphics first before you try to create your own. Luckily, there are many websites out there that provide copyright free stock images and graphics that you can mess around with. If you are into photography, head out into the field and take your own images.