The Smashing Truth

Written by: Kaleb Carrasco

As I am in my final year being prepared for the big, bad world next year, I am constantly reminded of my skill set (or lack thereof) as I work through my projects. To put this on someone else is rather than be accountable myself would be ambiguous and pathetic as it is not what a designer has or has not been taught, but what they have not explored that has provided a potential handicap. In my work experience last year I discovered that the designers in the team didn’t go to a specialised school for design, and the Creative Director didn’t even study design academically. The owner of the agency didn’t even go to tertiary school! And much to my relief hearing this, it still didn’t satisfy my question of how prepared will I be at the end of the course? I mean, I have learnt a lot during my time at Avondale College, but will I be adequate enough to be a qualified designer? Two months ago I probably wouldn’t have seen any hope, but after the past several weeks I have come to the realisation that this uncertainty is normal, and part of the process. During my work experience I learnt that technical skills can be taught during your lifetime, at various agencies, through practice and mentoring, but the real key to being a designer is to be a conceptual thinker.

For many aspiring designers, it can be difficult to think of where to find help for many aspects. Luckily we live in a communicative world, and the brilliant minds at Smashing Magazine have provided amateurs and gurus alike with some exceptional knowledge that is easily accessible and digested. At smashingmagazine.com, you are able to find all bits of wisdom from know-how typographic rules to grids and beautiful fonts that will move you. There you will find many tutorials for the main platforms of the Adobe Creative Suite including Photoshop and Illustrator, and discussions and articles around the world of graphic design. It is an underrated and invaluable source for all designers and I believe it can help almost anyone who is stuck with a project, even Web designers.

Here are some snapshots of smashingmagazine.com