Graphic designers are no strangers when facing difficulties in their line of work. Whatever your line of work is in the design industry – designing logo designs, creating animations, drawing sketches – the industry is already so competitive.
So, failing to overcome graphic design challenges can be the difference between continuing your career as a designer and finding something else.
Whether you are an aspiring designer who wants to familiarize yourself with potential obstacles or an experienced designer looking for solutions, including those utilizing AI logo maker tools, this article should be handy
What are the challenges graphic designers have to overcome? Let’s find out!
Six Graphic Design Challenges to Overcome
When we look at graphic designers, we might’ve thought about their special innate creativity, or their top-notch skills that isn’t something to be trained with in a day.
But just like any other creatives, graphic designs also have challenges that they needed to overcome. Here are some of those:
1. Overcoming Creative Blockout
Let’s start with creative blackouts. The phenomenon is common among other creatives. For instance, writers have an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to what is called writer’s block.
Sitting in front of a computer screen and keyboard and being unable to figure out your next words is frustrating. It is the same for graphic designers when you must learn how to approach your design.
Struggling with creativity is often related to burnout. Being stuck in the same job and environment hardly does you any favor.
The first way to overcome this one of the graphic design challenges is to try and change your surroundings. You need to go outside and seek sources of inspiration.
If possible, try to travel overseas and explore different cultures.
Next, consume visual media that is out of your comfort zone. It is all about exploring whatever is available that you have not encountered before.
Once you have glimpses of inspiration, you can start creating and see what happens. If you fail, do not let it get you down. Instead, allow yourself failure and learn from it. Breaking out of the block is a struggle, and it is expected that there will be failures along the way.
2. Keeping Up With the Trends
Keeping up with the latest industry trends is one of the graphic design challenges to overcome. Some graphic designers are stuck in the past.
Instead of trying to identify what is happening in the industry and adapting to the changes, they believe in their own methods.
That is not to say that tried and tested methods should be given up. No, it is about keeping up with innovations that affect you directly.
Take artificial intelligence, for example. The concept shapes many industries, and graphic design is no exception.
In the wake of emerging tools, you might be tempted to try and master them all. Such a train of thought could backfire, however.
The projections suggest that AI tools like an AI logo maker will continue to replace graphic designers, making real people’s services redundant.
Given the circumstances, it makes sense to master a select number of programs so you still bring value. More proficient designers will have an advantage over you.
In case you are unfamiliar with what is happening in the industry and have no idea where to find the latest news, stay in the loop by:
- Subscribing to industry newsletters
- Attending relevant live events
- Following authorities on social media
- Take online or live courses
3. Meeting Deadlines
Deadlines are worth a shout as well. If you struggle to handle multiple aspects of your workflow, finishing tasks on time is a pain point. Meeting agenda templates offer a practical solution to ensure tasks are completed on time, streamlining your workflow and reducing the burden of timely task management. Inefficient workflow starts with revisions. Perhaps you have too many distractions getting in your way, including:
- Smartphone notifications
- Annoying coworkers or family members if you work from home
- Desire to multitask
Your work should be a priority; if it means eliminating distractions, you should do it. Distractions play a prominent role but are not the be-all and the end-all. If you have been working too much and feel tired, it is natural that your overall productivity suffers.
Sometimes, the best course of action is to take a deserved break. Having a rest will do more than just help you with deadlines. Once you have a fresh and clear head, you are less likely to struggle with other problems that come your way while working as a graphic designer.
4. Dealing With Copyright Infringement
Intellectual property and copyright infringement are hot topics in the industry these days. The existence of artificial intelligence adds more heat to the fire.
If somebody uses a tool to generate an image using AI, who is the owner of the piece? Is it the person who entered the prompt? Or is it the developer of the tool?
It is still being determined how the organs in charge of regulation will solve this problem, but there is no denying that AI presents a significant challenge.
Putting that aside, for copyright ownership, it is imperative to understand that whoever is commissioned to do the work is the copyright holder.
On the other hand, different countries have different laws, and disputes occur due to one of the parties needing to be more familiar with the regulations. Trying to prove that they are in the right might be the result of ignorance rather than malice.
For bigger jobs, signing contracts to get doubts out of the way is common. Unfortunately, a fair few freelance graphic designers do not bother with it. They trust the client’s word and have to pay for it later.
Again, no matter how big or small the gig is, it must have everything clear in writing. The law can greatly help if you have no proof to support your claims.
5. Finding New Clients
As mentioned in the introduction, graphic design is a competitive industry. Hence, finding new clients and maintaining current ones is a notable obstacle.
It is one thing when you work for an agency that provides constant work. However, many graphic designers are freelancing, and this is where they have to fight one another to land clients.
Low prices are one strategy, but you can still land a new client. Cheap services often scream low quality, so you need a solid portfolio to back up your experience.
Another way to persuade new clients is to provide exceptional quality. It would help if you continued polishing and improving your craft whenever possible so it meets or even exceeds the industry standards.
6. Upgrading Your Tools
The last challenge to mention is how graphic designers depend on tools for their work. There are more efficient approaches than sticking to your current setup.
Outdated computers and various accessories are a hindrance to your productivity. For example, working on a slow computer that struggles to run the software sounds like the opposite of a productive environment, right?
In addition, outdated technology presents the problem of potentially wiping your files. It is common to use clouds and other backup solutions, but some still prefer to stick to physical storage accessories like USB flash sticks and hard drives.
Either method is fine, but in the case of physical accessories, it is crucial to ensure that they are in top condition or that you at least have a secondary backup option as a safety net.
Switching to new devices might present its share of problems as well. For instance, if you move from MS Windows to macOS because you keep hearing how Macs are great for creatives, prepare to dedicate time to the transition.
The environment and keyboard shortcuts are different, and accessory compatibility is challenging.
Let’s say you previously relied on an external hard drive with NTFS. How to use NTFS for Mac free of charge and without too much hassle? You need an assistant app like iBoysoft. Expect to run into similar things as well.
Ultimately, how you solve the technology problem comes down to the money you can spend. The more you have, the better your options.
One thing is sure, though. You must expect to work on something other than outdated devices and accessories. When the issue becomes too much to handle, upgrade what you can.
Conclusion
All in all, graphic designers’ challenges are not that surprising, given their line of work. It is up to the individual to put the effort into finding solutions.
The severity of a challenge depends on the circumstances, but overcoming it should still be possible if you are smart and know what you are doing.
