与许多屈服于艺术的职业道路一样，图形设计可以被认为有些非常规，因为有多种方式可以在这一部门登陆工作。一些设计专业人士是self-taught, while others are armed with a knowledge and instruction that配有图形设计学位。其他人仍然可能在不同的领域有一定程度的设计，同时在设计方面获得了某种技术培训。

The Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) maintains that in addition to boasting important qualities like artistic ability, creativity, computer skills and proficiency in communication, successful job candidates for graphic design positions are those who have sought out coursework in topics like writing, marketing and business. The BLS also urges design hopefuls to stay up to date with new and updated graphics and design software.^*

But when an entire pool of job candidates is well qualified with all the skills one might find listed in a typicalgraphic design job description，哪些设计师将从包装中脱颖而出？我们探明了一些经验丰富的专业人士，以便我们超越了一个上升的设计师的基本技能，并确定了最成功的图形设计师掌握的一些必备能力。

7品质最好的图形设计师分享

所有图形设计师都不一样。但许多伟大的设计师分享有一些关键特征。继续阅读，看看你是否有任何这些固有的品质，对这一创造性的职业生涯融为一体。

1.他们能平衡creativity & discipline

Josh Rubin, owner ofPost Modern Marketing, has spent ample time training the many graphic designers he has employed. As he puts it, the words, “This is what separates the best designers from the rest,” come out of his mouth frequently.

当被问及他最常见的特征时，他最常见的设计师，纪律跳到他列表的顶部。“设计师往往是艺术家首先，这意味着它们受到[艺术家的街区的情况]的影响更大，”鲁宾解释道。“但如果你将成为一个杀手的图形设计师，你必须通过它来战斗。良好的习惯总是准时，会议截止日期，做平凡的任务和组织是学习最重要的。“

他坚持认为，最好的专业设计师已经学会了如何通过他们缺乏灵感来遵守时间表。鲁宾所说的一致性，将比这是一个令人尊重的是两周晚期提交的尊重。

2. They offer up-to-date, versatile portfolios

Sophie Miles is the vice president of human resources and cofounder ofCalculatorBuddy.com., a European tech company that has since expanded to the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Having employed several graphic designers over the years, Miles has learned ways to detect quality designers as early as the interview and hiring phase.

It is not uncommon, she says, for designers to present portfolios that boast excellent work, but all the examples are at least five years old. Miles explains that she wants to see a candidate’s best work, but also their recent work. “I love seeing the progress in the pieces and how the style has changed over the years,” she iterates.

Miles is also partial to seeing portfolios that present a wide variety of work examples. She believes that while some may lean toward only showing work done for reputable brands, having worked for important companies doesn’t always give you the competitive advantage you may be seeking. She’s drawn to portfolios that include a mixture of top-tier brand work as well as personal or independent projects, as the variety not only shows a candidate’s full range of skills, but also their true dedication to their craft.

3. They are always eager to improve

根据Trevor Wolfe，创始人兼首席执行官，Squisitive和Openness是顶级设计师的两个关键特征。Bigteam谁在机构世界的设计专业人士在他的大部分职业生涯中工作过。

“Inquisitiveness means that the designer is not just curious, but intentionally seeking out new ideas, inventions and insights they can incorporate into their work,” he explains. “A designer not demonstrating a willingness to learn is a designer who could plateau.”

沃尔夫表示，设计师的意愿和渴望在他们的工作中听到反馈和外部意见的愿意和愿望，通常表现出开放性。“[这]意味着他们的作品可以建立并加强，”他补充道。

他们处理批评很好

在让自己接受反馈,graphic designers inevitably have to open themselves up to accepting criticism. “The life of an artist in a corporate environment is tough,” Rubin admits. “You might present a design to your team or a client and get nothing but negative comments.”

由于设计是非常主观的，他解释说，最好的图形设计师已经了解到他们对一块的愿景可能并不总是适合最佳项目，但这并不意味着他们是不熟练的艺术家。“如果你在承担负面反馈后陷入自己的头部，你将无法成功，”鲁宾敦促。

5. They’re detail-oriented

另一个方面rubin已被识别为图形设计器工具箱中的关键元素正在进行细节。“最好的设计师出汗了小东西，”他简单地提出了以下示例：如果网站上的部分之间存在间距不一致，则平均观众可能不会注意到，但您更好地相信您的艺术主任和同伴设计师会。

“像跟随品牌指南一样的事情，保持一致的排版和捕捉拼写错误对你的老板更重要，而不是你创造的颜色构成的确切平衡，”鲁宾说。

他们想到了最终目标

Judy Cutler is the art director forJessPerna.com, and her design career has led her to ask every client the same question at the very beginning of a new project: “What do you want the potential customer to think and feel when they see your ad?”

When artists get too entrenched in the design aspects of a piece without also considering the end goal as it relates to the customer experience, a campaign can often miss the mark. “You must be able to place yourself in the customer’s shoes to make a good ad or a great ad campaign,” she explains. “This question makes them ponder instead of jumping into a wild idea that makes no sense.”

7. They learn to master the business side of design

James Stefurak，创始人和编辑发票分解指南，适用于许多自由职业者，其中许多人是图形设计师。“他们本质上是非常独立的人，”他说。“也，非常有创造力，好奇和明亮。但他们将成为第一个承认他们可以解释他们工作的“业务”方面的人。“

Stefurak contends that it’s actually pretty common for graphic designers to undervalue their work. Whether it’s when negotiating numbers for a salaried position or discussing your rates as a freelancer, he believes that “Most graphic designers are worth way more money than they bill clients for.” It’s also common for artistic professionals of this nature to inherently take a backseat when it comes time to collect on unpaid invoices. If designers don’t learn to master the business aspects of their design careers, they may be taken advantage of.

Do you have what it takes to succeed in graphic design?

即使世界上所有正式培训，每个背景都有希望的专业设计，可以从学习中受益，这些商业领导者已经确定了在图形设计中取得成功必不可少的。随着您继续为实现您的职业目标而旅行，务必遵守您可以找到的所有专家建议。

更有深入了解生活作为专业设计师，前往我们的文章，“在成为一个图形设计师之前，我希望有人告诉我。”

^*劳工统计局，美国劳工部，职业前景手册[2018年7月24日的职业信息]www.bls.gov/ooh/。