Maybe you took a graphic design class in high school or college. You set that birthday invitation up for your grandma’s surprise birthday party last year and received some praise from family members. Perhaps you’ve leafed through a Photoshop book or made a hilarious internet meme.

These things don’t make you a designer. Everyone has a family member or friend they turn to for graphic work (free of charge naturally). Is that person you? Successful designers come from all sorts of diverse backgrounds and generally have certain areas of expertise. Typography masters, Photoshop gurus, layout wizards and animation experts are just a few examples of highly specialized design niches.

The fact is each professional started at the same place in their journey to design enlightenment — the beginning.

When faced with the question, “Why don’t you start today?” the typical response is “I don’t know how.” Those words are poisonous. Here are some tips to get you on your way.

1) DO focus on the one thing that you’re most passionate about and build upon it. Whether it’s creating flyers, drawing caricatures, creating new typefaces, etc. chances are good there’s a category out there suitable for your current skillset.

2) DO practice. Practice makes perfect. Maybe not perfect, but definitely better. If you have your first real world client or scenario then kudos to you, but what happens when you don’t have any prompts or current projects in the pipeline? Excellent question…which leads to…

3) DON’T let blank slate syndrome conquer you. Nothing is more overwhelming for a newbie designer than the dreaded blank page. Whether you’re an artist confronted with a canvas or staring in front of a screen, white emptiness seems to run for miles and miles. Procrastination sets in and then before you know you haven’t accomplished a thing. This is where a fictitious company can save the day.

4) DO create a fictitious company. Remember that you need to practice so start with a logo and follow it up with business cards and letterhead. Create a sample banner ad for a website or even a basic layout for a home page. Do a rough draft of anything you could anticipate a client actually needing and learn how one item balances off the other materials.

5) DO design like you’re in a sandbox. Play with colors and fonts. Revise your rough drafts. Take breaks and come back with a fresh perspective in order to tweak anything deemed suspect. There’s no need to be a perfectionist yet, but improving on your ideas is a fundamental part of the design process.

6) DON’T get flustered. Progress can be slow and mistakes will be made. This is how you learn and grow into a more refined designer. If you can identify issues after the fact then next time you’ll know what to expect and you won’t make the same mistake twice.

7) DO show your work to others. This might hurt a little especially if you’re truly just starting out in the field, but this is a perfect way to gain insight into how customers and real world situations might play out. Often times what you believe is a masterpiece can be deconstructed down to scraps in a matter of minutes. On a side note, you’ll get bonus points for learning how to deal with constructive criticism sooner rather than later.

8) DO try to learn and expose yourself to as much design as possible. Art and design are everywhere around us (including nature) so it’s wise to glean whatever inspiration you can from what surrounds you. Start to look for items that catch your eye and what makes them stand out from the rest. Designing means always learning.

When you’re done analyzing a design and contemplating how it came together, switch gears and ask why it was created in that way and what about the design works or doesn’t work.

9) DON’T plagiarize others work. Resist the temptation no matter how clever the design or idea may seem. You can reinterpret and create similar artwork to that which inspires you, but plagiarizing is a huge no-no in design.

10) DO network to the best of your abilities. Most cities have design groups/clubs/societies that you can take advantage of either for free or for a small fee. If you don’t have the luxury or funds to access a membership you can always find like minded people on the internet either through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc.

There’s never been a better time to become a designer. Tutorials run rampant all over the internet through sources like YouTube, lynda.com and companies that cater to and specialize in niche markets. You’re the only one in control of your own destiny. You have to take the initiative to start somewhere. Don’t let the blank slate win!

The next post in this series will cover the transition from a newbie in the field to a junior designer.