Practices: Graphic Design Skills

Pick a well-known brand logo and redesign it using your preferred tools (e.g., Adobe Illustrator or Canva). Experiment with color schemes, typography, and shapes while keeping the brand’s essence. Share your redesign with peers for feedback.

Choose an image, website, or design you love and extract a color palette using tools like Coolors or Adobe Color. Use the palette to create a simple poster or social media graphic and practice maintaining color harmony.

Create a poster or quote graphic using two or three fonts. Practice combining serif, sans-serif, and decorative fonts. Focus on alignment, spacing, and hierarchy to make the design visually appealing.

Choose a complex design and simplify it by removing unnecessary elements. Stick to basic shapes, limited colors, and clean typography. Test your ability to communicate effectively with less.

Pick a topic or brand and create three different graphics for social media (e.g., Instagram post, Facebook cover, Twitter header). Tailor each design to the platform’s size and audience while maintaining consistency.

Pick a theme, such as travel, food, or technology, and design five simple icons using vector tools. Focus on consistent line weight, shapes, and style. Use tools like Adobe Illustrator or Figma to refine your work.

Imagine an event (e.g., a concert or workshop) and design a poster for it. Include key details like date, location, and contact information. Focus on layout balance and visual hierarchy to make the information stand out.

Find an old flyer, menu, or website design and give it a modern twist. Update the typography, colors, and layout to make it more visually appealing and functional. Compare your redesign with the original.

Pick a fictional business and design a logo, business card, and one promotional item (e.g., a flyer or brochure). Use consistent colors, typography, and style to establish a strong brand identity.

Create a design that incorporates custom textures or patterns. Use tools like Photoshop to generate textures, or draw patterns manually. Apply them subtly to enhance your design without overwhelming it.

Pick a concept, like a journey or a timeline, and create a graphic that visually represents the story. Use elements like arrows, icons, and step-by-step layouts to guide the viewer through the narrative.

Share one of your recent designs with peers or on a design forum (e.g., Dribbble or Behance). Ask for constructive feedback and use their suggestions to improve your design. Reflect on what you learned during the process.