Becoming a designer
What is a Designer?
A designer in the digital tech industry is someone who creates the look and feel of websites, apps, and other digital products. They use their creativity and artistic skills to design things that are visually appealing and easy to use. Designers think about how people will interact with technology and make it enjoyable for them.
Designers play a big role in making technology user-friendly and visually appealing, making sure it’s both functional and pleasing to the eye.
If you are a person who likes being creative, solving problems, and making things look visually appealing, you’ll love being a designer in the tech industry. You get to create the feel and look for things such as video games, social media platforms, and websites!
The many jobs of a designer
- Game Designer: Design characters, levels, and gameplay mechanics for video games, bringing imagination to life.
- User Interface (UI) Designer: Create visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces for websites and apps.
- User Experience (UX) Designer: Design the overall experience and flow of websites and apps to make them easy and enjoyable to use.
- Web Designer: Create unique and stylish designs for websites, making them visually appealing and engaging.
- Graphic Designer: Design logos, illustrations, and other visual elements that communicate messages and captivate users.
- Motion Graphics Designer: Create animated graphics and visual effects for videos, adding excitement and engagement.
- 3D Modeler: Design and create 3D models of objects, characters, and environments for games, movies, or virtual reality.
- Branding Designer: Develop visual identities and branding materials for companies, making them stand out and be memorable.
Great Pay
Technical designers have a solid income, averaging around $70k annually. Entry positions can start around $45k annually while senior positions can make around $100k annually!
Having completed a general high school education is a great start. There are tons of different directions to take from there:
Indigenous Programs
There are programs that can teach the basics of being a designer rooted with cultural teachings. ComIT and INDIGital both are for Indigenous youth and people who are looking increase their knowledge with digital technologies through the likes of development and design. These programs are often 1-month long and can lead to taking advance courses after completion. Here you would become familiar with design principles and learn the basics.
Boot Camps
Boot camps are immersive training programs designed to teach participants the skills of becoming a designer in the technology industry and immediately entering the workforce. These boot camps typically focus on teaching UX (User Experience), UI (User Interface), colour language, visual hierarchies, tools to design with and other specialized areas within the design field. While these programs do start with the basics, they do ramp up and eventually get into some advance leanings.
Most successful students will have a portfolio made in boot camps that can be used to help show their work to future employees. They usually take 3 months to complete and participants will receive certification.
The First Nation Technology Council covers the cost of boot camps for Indigenous folks and hosts them through the institutions of Lighthouse and BrainStation in BC.
College and University
You can receive certificates, diplomas, and degrees to become a designer through many of our BC colleges and universities. It is quite common to take design courses along studies of computer science or a design bachelors degree, which can take upwards of 5 years to complete. However, folks can begin working within the technology industry with a design diploma or certificate. It is recommended to take a study that covers graphic, UX, and UI design to come out as a well rounded designer.
Click here for list of all BC Universities and Colleges offering digital design courses
Learn through YouTube
YouTube is not only a place for watching funny videos, but it’s also a treasure trove of knowledge and learning. Whether you want to learn how to play an instrument, draw amazing artwork, code your own video game, or even perform cool science experiments, there are countless YouTube channels that can teach you step-by-step. You’ll find enthusiastic and talented creators who break down complex topics into easy-to-understand videos. So, if you’re curious and ready to learn, grab your device, head to YouTube, and type in “how to” video and begin learning.
As an Indigenous person, there are a handful of different resource to use to help cover cost of tuition or training. Check these out!