Graphic designers are creative professionals who use software tools to make captivating advertisements, logos, web pages or other marketing materials for their clients. Becoming a successful graphic designer may require a wide range of skills, including time management, communication and coding. Understanding what these competencies are and how to hone them can help individuals pursue a career in this field.

In this description, we define what graphic designer skills are, review a list of examples, describe how to improve them and discuss how to apply them in the workplace.

What are graphic designer skills?

Graphic designer skills are creative abilities these professionals rely on to excel in their role. A graphic designer may work in-house at a design or advertising agency, in the marketing department of an organization or independently as a freelance contractor. They create print or digital content for clients that communicate brands' messages or values using visually appealing images, colors and fonts. These professionals may earn a bachelor’s degree or complete another professional training program, which can help them complete tasks such as:

Brainstorming design concepts and presenting these ideas to clients

Using design software applications to create captivating images, graphics, web pages or logos

Collaborating with clients to determine their goals, style guides or branding guidelines for graphic designers to reference when creating their designs

Choosing proper fonts, photos and colors to use on certain layouts

Applying clients' requested changes to designs as requested 

Successful graphic designers typically apply a mixture of hard and soft skills to their roles to create compelling and attractive newsletter, advertisement, digital media, film or web designs based on their clients' needs and goals. Some graphic designers already hold natural creative abilities, while they gain other skills through engaging in one the job training, taking online courses and earning industry certifications.