How I Became a Graphic Designer In The Music Industry
Without going to design school.
The long road to now.
Before I tell you more about my personal story, we should define exactly what it means to be a graphic designer. In my opinion, a graphic designer is any individual that uses a combination of digital and physical mediums to portray a visual message at a professional level. Whether you are working at an ad agency, making clever marketing campaigns with quirky typography or have an exhibition at an underground gallery in Moscow, the basic principles are the same — You are taking a blank canvas and showing the world your message.
Where it started…
It sounds a bit cliché, but I always suspected I would become a designer, however, it took me a long time to understand that I wanted to be a graphic designer…
When I was young (around 3 or 4), I was always drawing. More specifically, colouring. I was obsessed with staying within the lines, almost to the point of demanding perfection. My mum tells me that I would regularly sit awake until midnight and beyond with a chalk-white face making sure each segment was appropriately filled with no mistakes and refusing to sleep until it was complete. To this day it still annoys me to see these mistakes but I’m learning to live with it…
Like most kids in the UK, I spent then next 13 years going through the incredibly outdated school system in a confused and anxious daze. I was simply going through the motions and hoping to find a few interests and have fun with my friends along the way. For me, those interests were skateboarding, working out, video games, music, film, TV and hanging out with my friends (the usual).
As teenagers we are so impressionable, and our interests really drive and shape our future characters. If you have grown out of those interests now, I am sure you look back at those times in your life with a nostalgic gaze. I certainly do. My interests in music, film and TV are undoubtedly responsible for my present passion for graphic design.
My Formal Education
Alongside most 17/18 year-olds, I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life at the end of my final year in High School. I also didn’t get the best grades at school. My options for the future were limited.
Luckily for me, I discovered a college course in Glasgow called ‘Architectural Technology’ which I could just about meet the requirements for. I applied and got accepted quickly. With this being my only option, it was a no-brainer.
Picking this course turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made to date. For the first time in my life, I got excited about the concept of learning. I was fascinated with the visual side of architecture and how beautiful modern projects could be. At this point I became obsessed with minimalism. Zaha Hadid was a great source of inspiration for me during this time. These days I like to work with multiple styles but back then, I was militant about keeping things clean and simple.
Once this two-year course (HND) ended, I had to think about my next move. Instead of continuing Architecture (the logical option) I decided to apply to a Civil Engineering course at university.
This was a big mistake… In case you don’t know, engineering degrees are completely different to architecture degrees (weird huh?). At the time I couldn’t pinpoint why the feeling of my new course had changed so drastically.
Why was I so unhappy studying engineering? In hindsight, I see that I was desperately seeking creativity in my life.
Engineering is like the opposite of creativity for the average student. They will tell you otherwise but 99% of the course is paperwork and exams. To me, it is claustrophobic and very limiting unless you are part of the exceptional 1% that can take complex engineering ideas and be creative with them.
During my years at university, I began producing techno music. It was the perfect distraction. I have been producing music now for around 6 years and still get completely lost in the process. If you are reading this article and believe that you are a creative person, I strongly urge you to do something creative with your life or at least make time for some creative hobbies. You will feel a lot happier and fulfilled if you allow this part of your character to be expressed. If suppressed, it will take its toll on your happiness.
The Switch
In 2019 I quit my graduate job as a Civil Engineer and left Glasgow to spend a gap year in Berlin. I felt totally unsettled with my career/life and needed to get out of Scotland immediately. My life changed drastically as soon as the plane touched the ground. I now think of Berlin as my second home. I got absolutely lost in the wonder of this city. I learned basic German, went to the best techno parties of my life, became friends with some of the most interesting and like-minded people I have ever met. It completely transformed my perspective on life. For the first time since I was a kid, I had absolutely no responsibilities and it was pure bliss.
I started finding old hobbies from my childhood interesting again. I felt like I was being reintroduced to an old friend. It kind of scared me how detached I had become from my real self. It’s frightening how quickly a 9–5 life can suck the energy from a creative soul. I promised myself to never let that happen again (so far so good).
Amongst all this self-transformation, I was still producing techno music and decided to explore creating digital EP artworks for releasing my own records. This was the start of the next chapter of my life. After I successfully made some album artwork designs using Affinity Suite, I decided to teach myself the fundamentals of design. I signed up to a free trial of ‘Skillshare’ and started watching some videos there. This snowballed into watching more and more videos. I was practicing every day and constantly evolving. During my days off from design I was going to modern art galleries, producing techno, and then partying at night. I was swimming in artistic culture 24 hours a day.
**With tools like YouTube at your disposal the learning curve for design can be very fast if you have the motivation and desire to learn. Don’t wait too long to make the switch, take it from me. Act now and live the life you want to live. It’s that simple.
Making Money
After a while, music producers began asking me exclusively to do their album artwork designs. I realised then that I had tapped into a niche market. At this point I found other designers on YouTube and tried to learn from them.
**Special thanks to Louis Moss, Jesse Nyberg, Blkmarket and Doron for your excellent and informative YouTube content*
In the design world there must be balance. You should try and find a niche area to focus on because there are many paths you can take. You can’t be great at all of them, but that’s okay. It’s better to pick a few areas and try and master those. That being said, it’s always fun to learn new things so try and have some fun along the way and see where that takes you.
These days I specialise in album art design, logo design, event flyer design and music visuals/videos almost exclusively within the techno community.
This didn’t happen overnight. First, I got good at album art design, then I practiced logo design and then flyer design and so on. I have been extremely fortunate that most of my commissions are clients that have come to me directly and asked for the work. Between this and some clever marketing I have been able to have consistent commissions ever since I returned home from Berlin. I’ve been doing commission based work for around 2 years now and still feel like I am constantly evolving. It’s important to recognise that this is a never-ending process of self-improvement and whilst it is a job, a good designer is also an artist, and it takes a lifetime of work to become a great artist.
Some Final Thoughts
- Becoming a graphic designer takes time, patience and sometimes a bit of money.
- Expect the process to take years from fruition to profession.
- Why tackle the whole professional spectrum of design when you can master a few niche areas?
- Use high quality resources, the world doesn’t need more low quality designs.
- Never stop learning, there are always ways to improve your work.
- Going to design school is useful, but not necessary to become a great graphic designer.
- You are an artist, not a content creator.
