Developing Your Graphic Design Skills at Home

This week our recommendations are for the Graphic Designers among us. We’ve been busy gathering the best bits from around the web to keep all you designers busy and creative at home.

Read on to learn what our top tips for designers are – including what to read, what to watch, where you can access national design collections online and how to develop your practice from home.

Developing your Practice

Traditional Signwriting Skills - Carters Steam Fair is a traditional English travelling funfair with rides dating from the 1890s to the 1960’s. Featured in Paddington 2 and the Last Showman, they are a unique piece of living history. One of the features which makes Carters Steam Fair unique is the decoration of its engines, rides and transport with consistently superb signwriting, lining and traditional fairground decoration – head to their website for an array of information, activities and online tutorials from the experts in hand painted typography keeping these traditions alive.

Sharpen, is a flexible brief generator for designers, chose from branding, marketing or Product/UX design briefs to get you thinking in new ways. Alternatively head to goofbrief where you can select an industry to design for and whether you want to design a logo, a brand, a website or their packaging.

Virtual Collections

The V&A have curated a range of digital collections, which can be accessed online – each collection is thematic and gives you access to parts of the collection that rarely go on display at the museum. As a graphic designer, you might be most interested in the poster collection, the book collection and the collection of post-war design. The design museum’s online library is also a great portal for discovery, allowing you to explore by design or designers.

AIGA is the oldest professional association for design and publish the magazine ‘Eye on Design’. Their website is jam packed with articles, advice and resources for designers, including fun online quiz’s such as Which Typeface Are You, Really?

Watch

Do you have a Netflix account? If so, be sure to check out their original series Abstract: The Art of Design – episodes to watch out for include; Jonathan Hoefler, taking about Typeface design, Ian Spalter the digital product designer behind Instagram and Paula Scher, legendary Pentagram designer.

The cinema’s might be closed, but the BFI archive can be explored from home. The BFIPLAYER is a great platform, with lots to watch for free, as well as the option to subscribe or rent a one off film. If design’s you thing, you might like; this animation based on 1920’s typography, footage from the mid-century spectacle that was The Festival of Britain or explore the curated collection The Arts on Film.

We’re still here to help you. Did you know we have online short courses focusing on graphic design and design-oriented skills? Check out how online short courses can help develop your practice here.