Types of design opportunities out there
You might have stumbled on this article from the last article I wrote, or from a link I shared somewhere on a social media platform, I am glad you are following up and thank you.
Let’s get to the point really, in this series, I would be talking about the types of design opportunities out there, breaking them down for you to better understand what it entails and if you’d have a flair for it.
You might have come across some of these opportunities somewhere, somehow and you might not really have had an idea about it but it is imperative you understand the individual functions of this role within an organisation.
Here are the types of design opportunities
Product design
Graphic design
User interface design/Visual designer
User experience design
Motion designer
Game design
Getting into more details:
So let me give you a broader definition of these skill sets and what they entail.
Product designers: Product design is like the most sort after skill in the world at the moment, every company/product should have a product designer on their team/payroll. This skill requires you to make the decision that affects customers and stakeholders alike.
So what is product design?
Product design describes the process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve users’ problems or address specific needs in a given market. The key to a successful product design is understanding the end user’s needs, this is the target audience for which a product is specifically designed for. Product designers can work in the digital world or the physical world.
What skills are required as a product designer?
Problem-solving skills
Attention to details
Empathy.
Human psychology.
Ability to question everything and anything
Good intuition
Ability to identify problems.
Communication skills.
Collaboration skills.
Mastering a design/prototyping software.
Graphic design: Graphic designers are basically the jack of all trades in the product world, these guys are the ones you go to when you have to create a face for your business or company.
Graphic designer's task includes logo design, printing and media, social media template, advertisements brand management and so much more.
What skills are required as a graphic designer?
Creativity and innovation
Knowledge on typography.
Knowledge o colour theory.
Design history and theory.
Storytelling.
Growth mindset.
Research and analysis skills.
Update on recent trends.
User interface designer/Visual designer: Users interface design or sometimes called visual design is a subset of graphic design, this position requires that designers solely focus more on designing visuals for digital interfaces.
Some UI Designers have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS, and as a designer, you would have to understand how to work directly with developers, product owners, user experience designers and stakeholders.
What skills are required as a User interface designer / visual designer?
Attention to detail.
Understanding the user's needs
Research and analytical skills
Typography.
Understanding hierarchy.
Understand UI patterns.
Understanding CSS & HTML.
Collaboration.
User experience designer: User experience designers are in charge of figuring out what the customers need is and also how to make sure those needs and wants are met, this role requires you to do the nitty-gritty of the current project you are assigned, which includes research, wireframing, creating mock-ups and prototypes. Note that some UX designers also do UI.
What skills are required as a User interface designer?
Research skills
Continuous re-inventing of oneself
Prototyping
Continuous learning
Testing
Collaboration
Communication skills
Research and analytical skills
Motion designer: This set of people is responsible for creating all of the animations and micro-interactions along with videos we see in different digital products, Movies, Series, TV, Blog and so much more, the skill application is endless.
What qualifies you as a user experience designer.
Understanding motion and micromotion.
Understanding motion design tools like Adobe After Effect.
Game designer: Game designers are tasked with creating assets for games, they bring ideas, build prototypes and create interactive narration and develop the game's mechanics, some of the skills required by this would include a great understanding of 3D software, environment design and motion tracking
What qualifies you as a user experience designer
Understanding 2D & 3D software.
Environment design
Strong understanding of Game Play
Motion tracking
Game mechanics
Understanding of real-world physics
Conclusion
We are currently in our second topic in this series, I hope you have come to understand the design skills and what they entail, in my next topic, I will be writing on
Hey, I am Chinedu a professional UX Designer with an emphasis on User Research, Lean UX Design Methodology and continuous optimization of the design thinking process. I believe that Good design shouldn’t lose the human feel, good design should be usable & accessible, good design should be human-centred, and good design is simple yet powerful.
I make awesome pixels that make life easier follow me on Twitter to continue this conversation. You can also check out more of my work on my portfolio.
