- 513
- 29
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2005
Though I'm not a graphic designer, I'm not unfamiliar with the field. I suggest some of you take a look at some of Edward Tufte's books. It's not your run-of-the-mill 'Learn Photoshop in 24 Hours' what-have-you. I'm about halfway through "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" and I've really enjoyed it. It's about how best to display information to convey a message, which is what every graphic designer should know. It has a focus on statistical data, but it'll broaden your horizons, and learning new things won't kill you 
If any of you really want to get ahead of the curve, learn a server-side scripting language and a database (PHP and MySQL are the most popular). The majority of websites today are dynamic, and aren't just static HTML and CSS. You need to know HTML and CSS, but knowing PHP and MySQL will give you a leg up on the competition (you can even learn Javascript if you're feeling adventurous). Download a server package (MAMP, WAMP, or XAMPP) and design websites to your heart's content. Sure, it may seem like a lot, but that's what company's expect these days. Knowing just Photoshop and HTML doesn't really cut it anymore. I've worked with a number of students in my college's School of Design, and most of them know at least one programming language, even if it wasn't a 'web-development' language. For some jobs you'll end up working with programmers, so communication would be easier if you could... speak their language. Even if you are just 'familiar' with the language, it's something you have that others applying for the same job don't, and it will show that you are more versatile than the average candidate.
PHP's syntax is based on C, and pretty much every popular language today is based on C style syntax, so it'll be easy (rather, less difficult) for you to learn new languages should you choose. It won't be a walk in the park, mind you, but the basics of new languages will look familiar almost instantly, even if the rest looks like complete gibberish.
Last thing: I suggest you guys learn the software the pros use. Don't use GIMP, use Photoshop. Don't use Blender, use Maya, ZBrush, 3ds Max, etc. Usually students can get these for discounted prices, and sometimes for free (Autodesk allows students free downloads for Maya, Motionbuilder, 3ds Max, etc.; just go to students.autodesk.com and register). The reason I suggest using these tools is because they really are industry standard. Every professional uses them. However, no matter how good the tool is, it's no substitute for your abilities and hard work. Your skills matter much more than the software you know. Still, at the end of the day, your employer will most likely require you to use a certain software, and it will most likely be some industry-standard software. Is there any real point to learning GIMP after you know Photoshop? If you do end up learning Photoshop after GIMP, you'll just end up having to unlearn one workflow and learn another; hardly worth the effort when you could have learned the 'better' tool to begin with.
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp
http://www.w3schools.com/php/php_mysql_intro.asp
If any of you really want to get ahead of the curve, learn a server-side scripting language and a database (PHP and MySQL are the most popular). The majority of websites today are dynamic, and aren't just static HTML and CSS. You need to know HTML and CSS, but knowing PHP and MySQL will give you a leg up on the competition (you can even learn Javascript if you're feeling adventurous). Download a server package (MAMP, WAMP, or XAMPP) and design websites to your heart's content. Sure, it may seem like a lot, but that's what company's expect these days. Knowing just Photoshop and HTML doesn't really cut it anymore. I've worked with a number of students in my college's School of Design, and most of them know at least one programming language, even if it wasn't a 'web-development' language. For some jobs you'll end up working with programmers, so communication would be easier if you could... speak their language. Even if you are just 'familiar' with the language, it's something you have that others applying for the same job don't, and it will show that you are more versatile than the average candidate.
PHP's syntax is based on C, and pretty much every popular language today is based on C style syntax, so it'll be easy (rather, less difficult) for you to learn new languages should you choose. It won't be a walk in the park, mind you, but the basics of new languages will look familiar almost instantly, even if the rest looks like complete gibberish.
Last thing: I suggest you guys learn the software the pros use. Don't use GIMP, use Photoshop. Don't use Blender, use Maya, ZBrush, 3ds Max, etc. Usually students can get these for discounted prices, and sometimes for free (Autodesk allows students free downloads for Maya, Motionbuilder, 3ds Max, etc.; just go to students.autodesk.com and register). The reason I suggest using these tools is because they really are industry standard. Every professional uses them. However, no matter how good the tool is, it's no substitute for your abilities and hard work. Your skills matter much more than the software you know. Still, at the end of the day, your employer will most likely require you to use a certain software, and it will most likely be some industry-standard software. Is there any real point to learning GIMP after you know Photoshop? If you do end up learning Photoshop after GIMP, you'll just end up having to unlearn one workflow and learn another; hardly worth the effort when you could have learned the 'better' tool to begin with.
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp
http://www.w3schools.com/php/php_mysql_intro.asp
