Graphic design is a field of artistic expression; the skills

Graphic design is a field of artistic expression; the skills of a graphic designer provide a steadier income than other artistic fields. For instance, graphic designers are generally employed more often than other types of designers attempting to create large, overpriced decorative masterpieces. Part of your inspiration to become a graphic designer may or may not be financial.

The field of graphic design is considered more practical. Sometimes people look at graphic design as less prestigious than more traditional artists fields. Graphic design is often the second choice of a career among those desiring to be an artist for a living.

Graphic design need not be a "lesser" career to pursue. In fact, graphic design is pleasant and rewarding, whether you create title credits, screen savers, logo designs, smiley faces, or web backgrounds. In fact, some people have found their claim to fame as a graphics designer.

While you prepare yourself to become a graphic designer, you'll probably not attend an expensive private art school, learning how to paint like Renoir or Van Gogh. However, you will probably attend a reputable design program, available at both public and private colleges, and which offer inexpensive training.

Training and educating yourself at a design school will inspire you to create digital multimedia designs of high caliber. In fact, the finished product is often as great as that of the great classic and contemporary masters.

You may think how one could compare the two arts like that (traditional and graphic art)? The simplest way to answer that question is this: different media for different times. Oil pastels, paint brushes, and durable canvas sheets once served as the tools and media of choice.

Times have changed. The tools and media of choice are expensive graphics software, a computerized canvas, and a mouse. Just like masters of the past, painting with cheap water colors, you can create masterpieces on the computer with different graphics and publishing programs.

Even though media of design creation have change, you still need inspiration. This creative motivation comes to you in many ways.

For instance, viewing works of famous artists of the past can inspire you. You can find inspiration in live nature scenes. Or you can receive inspiration from the love of a family member or significant other.

You can find inspiration from a best friend or a teacher or professor. You can find inspiration from music, a favorite restaurant, the city skyline, a poem, and the list goes on.

Combining different ways to inspire yourself is almost like having a dream. In fact, when you sleep you can sometimes remember scenes of your dreams and apply those to your picture and graphics.

Sometimes you never know where your source of inspiration might come from. In fact, sometimes it is better not to force or plan what you want to design. Just pick an old spare photo to start and either scan it or save it on your computer.

Then, open up the program, view some tutorials, and visit other web pages. By the way, you can find inspiration from other designers too, especially when you look at a well-constructed piece of art. Sit down and manipulate an image or photo --probably the best form of manipulation out there. Practice makes perfect, and you can assure yourself you will go far in this industry.