What are common performance goals for Graphic Designers?

A critical performance goal for graphic designers is meticulous attention to detail. This encompasses everything from typography and color palettes to alignment and spacing, ensuring that every element of a design is considered and refined.

Quality of work should be ever changing. To be able to give the client the best work, you have to stay up-to-date on the latest design softwares and practices. It's so important to give the client the quality of work you would require from someone else.

Learning from the history and trends of graphic design, such as the different styles, movements, and influences that have shaped the field. History and trends can help you understand the context and meaning of your design, as well as inspire you to create original and innovative designs. A niche style can help you stand out from the crowd and showcase your unique skills and vision. Get inspired by other designers and their work, such as the ones you admire, follow, or collaborate with. Inspiration can help you expand your horizons and spark your creativity.

Seek feedback from your clients and act on it, such as asking for their opinions, suggestions, and approval throughout the design process. Feedback can help you improve your work, meet your client’s expectations, and ensure their satisfaction. Follow best practices and standards for graphic design, such as using proper typography, color theory, layout, and alignment. Best practices can help you create designs that are clear, consistent, and appealing. Deliver high-quality work that meets or exceeds the project specifications, such as the purpose, audience, format, and style of the design. Quality of work can be assessed by various criteria, such as creativity, originality, accuracy, consistency, functionality, and usability.

Discuss with the client the importance of maintaining brand consistency across various designs. Graphic designers should understand and align with the brand’s identity and values, ensuring a cohesive visual language across all materials.

Will we still be motivated? This is one of the main questions that emerge when engaging in a process of continuous learning. However, a proven strategy for maintaining and stimulating this motivation while exploring new knowledge is sharing. As a personal illustration, expressing my discoveries through a blog has proven to be an essential element in my journey. Going beyond simply logging my progress, this practice establishes an authentic connection with a community that shares the same passions. Keeping a blog thus becomes much more than a way of archiving your progress; it is a dynamic platform to inspire, encourage and co-create with an active community.

1. Identify Passions: Reflect on tasks or skills that captivate you, often finding yourself immersed in them and losing track of time. (e.g., specific software, projects, techniques) 2. Evaluate Output: Take stock of the projects you consistently produce. What types of design projects do you frequently work on? 3. Company Objectives: Familiarize yourself with your company's short-term and long-term goals. 4. Industry Trends: Analyze the work of leading designers to gain insights into where the industry is headed. Synthesize the insights from these four areas and aim to identify a sweet spot where your passions, output, company objectives, and industry trends converge. Lastly, be proactive. If it isn't scheduled, it won't get done!

You can produce the most beautiful work in the world, but if you are unable to meet deadlines and/or are unresponsive to client communications such as emails, you will lose work. Don't be a slave to your inbox, but allow time to carefully read what you are sent and respond professionally in a timely manner. Set realistic deadlines for yourself and don't take projects you know you can't complete to the best of your ability in the allotted time frame– you can always try to negotiate a more realistic deadline. When I work with other designers, this is one key metric where unfortunately some fall short because they see themselves as 'creatives' that don't need to follow rules of professional conduct.

To keep your skills sharp and your creativity fresh, you should always look for ways to challenge yourself and expand your horizons as a graphic designer. You can do this by taking on new types of projects, learning new tools and software, participating in design competitions, joining online communities, or attending industry events. To create designs that are original, innovative, and effective, you should try to look at your design problem from different angles and perspectives. You can do this by conducting user research, analyzing competitors, studying design history and trends, or using brainstorming techniques such as mind mapping, word association, or cubing.

master the art of "Deadline Jiu Jitsu." Your mission: Deliver designs so swiftly that time itself gets impressed. ??? Another goal? "Font Whisperer Extraordinaire." Unleash your power to pair fonts like a matchmaker on steroids. Bold serif with a dash of sans serif drama make those letters dance! ???? Let me tell you about a designer who aimed for "Mood Board Picasso" status. Their boards were so epic, museums considered exhibitions. Pro tip: Sometimes, less mood, more board. Keep it focused like a laser guided design missile. ????? In this creative arena, aim high, dazzle with pixels, and remember a well designed goal is halfway to being achieved! ????

Master Photoshop. Photoshop is the most powerful and versatile tool for creating, editing, and enhancing visual content. You will use it for almost every project you work on, and you will be expected to know it inside out by your clients, employers, and colleagues. Photoshop can help you turn your ideas into reality, express your creativity, and solve design problems.

Encourage awareness and integration of sustainable design practices. This can include using eco-friendly design elements, considering the environmental impact of design decisions, and promoting sustainable messages through design.