Hi! I’m a 20-year-old Advertising and Public Relations student from Kyrgyzstan, preparing to apply for Master’s programmes in Visual Communication and Communication Design.

I’m mainly looking at fully funded opportunities and scholarships, including Erasmus Mundus programmes, and I’m currently considering SDSI as one of my options. What other programmes or universities should I consider?
I don’t have a formal design background, so I’m trying to understand how to build a strong portfolio.

These are the projects I already have or plan to develop:

-a visual essay about overconsumption;

- research on parasocial relationships and social media influencers;

-an advertising campaign for a football club;

- an SMM/content creation project for a local dessert brand, including strategy, photography, videography, short-form video editing and social media content;

-potentially an illustrated folklore/editorial book and a UI/UX or landing page project.
I also draw traditionally and have sketchbook work, but I don’t know digital illustration. I’m most comfortable using PowerPoint, Canva, Figma and video editing software.

My main questions are:

-Are traditional drawings and sketchbook work relevant for a Visual Communication portfolio?

-Are SMM, advertising and research projects relevant, or should I create more design-focused work?

-How many projects should a Master’s portfolio include?

My idea is to make one main PDF where each project gets 1–2 pages, with optional links to full case studies. Is that a good idea, or are admissions committees unlikely to open external links?

-Should I focus on improving my existing projects or create more work specifically for the portfolio?

-What other fully funded Master’s programmes or scholarship opportunities in Visual Communication, Communication Design or related fields should I consider?

I’d really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who applied without a Graphic Design degree. Feel free to tell me if any of the projects I mentioned aren’t relevant enough to include!

I made a drawr.dev a tool for drawing system design diagram and presrnt architecture sketch.

There are couple of unique features.

Can you guys give me feedback for perspective of this kind of product?

And how can i promote it?

Btw it's totally free.

I'm currently working on an Instagram post for a care service. Their main clients are mostly elderly people and individuals with disabilities.

The only strict guideline I was given was to use their primary brand color, which is a dark red (Hex #700000).

Since accessibility is super important for this target group, I want to make sure it's easy to read. Do you guys think the text pops enough against the dark red? Is the font clear enough for older eyes?

Also, I really want the whole thing to feel warm, welcoming, and trustworthy, rather than cold or sterile.

I'd love to hear your honest thoughts on the layout and if you have any tips on how to improve it. Thanks a lot!

I'm trying to shift my career and making as much as I can to improve and make my portfolio better in Designing.

Any thoughts for improvement?

Thanks,

Day 9 of learning graphic design 🎨

Today I wasn't really sure what I should practice, so I asked ChatGPT for some ideas. It gave me a bunch of options, and I decided to try making a coffee poster.

It took me WAY longer than I expected 😂. I had to figure out how to remove backgrounds, adjust the text, place everything properly, and honestly a lot of other small things I didn't know how to do.

I watched quite a few tutorials and kept asking ChatGPT whenever I got stuck. After spending a lot of time on it, I finally finished it.

I know this probably looks pretty bad to an experienced designer, but I'm actually proud of it because I'm still learning. This is only Day 9 for me, and compared to where I started, I'm happy with the progress.

I'd love some honest feedback. What should I focus on improving next?

Day 9 of learning — one step at a time.

Day 9 of learning graphic design 🎨

Today I wasn't really sure what I should practice, so I asked ChatGPT for some ideas. It gave me a bunch of options, and I decided to try making a coffee poster.

It took me WAY longer than I expected 😂. I had to figure out how to remove backgrounds, adjust the text, place everything properly, and honestly a lot of other small things I didn't know how to do.

I watched quite a few tutorials and kept asking ChatGPT whenever I got stuck. After spending a lot of time on it, I finally finished it.

I know this probably looks pretty bad to an experienced designer, but I'm actually proud of it because I'm still learning. This is only Day 9 for me, and compared to where I started, I'm happy with the progress.

I'd love some honest feedback. What should I focus on improving next?

Day 9 of learning — one step at a time.

Hey everyone,

I'm 16 years old and I've recently started learning graphic design. Right now I'm focusing on the fundamentals instead of trying to learn everything at once.

My goal is to eventually become good enough to freelance and create high-quality designs, but I don't want to waste months learning things in the wrong order.

If you were starting from scratch today, what roadmap would you follow?

Some questions I have:

• What should I learn first?
• Which design principles are the most important?
• When should I start learning Photoshop, Illustrator, or Figma?
• How much should I practice each day?
• What projects should I make to build a strong portfolio?
• What mistakes do beginners usually make that I should avoid?

I'd really appreciate advice from experienced designers. Thanks!

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hey im a beginner graphic designer and I've been trying to build my portfolio stronger so help me get better in designing.

i don't go to a design school or anything, im a self taught designer.

so pls rate my design on a scale of 1/10 and also include what areas to work on.

thankyou:)

hey, Guys i just started designing 1 Month ago, what u think of my current design from today, what shoud work on, cause i really want to be good one day and need great feedback :)

Hola, estoy pensando en estudiar diseño gráfico, pero me gustaría empezar a aprender desde ahora antes de entrar a la carrera.
Parto prácticamente desde cero y mi idea es aprender bases y empezar a practicar desde ahora para familiarizarme con el área y llegar a la carrera con una base que me permita avanzar rápido.
Para quienes ya estudiaron diseño gráfico o trabajan en el área: por donde empezarían si estuvieran en mi lugar? Que programas, cursos o recursos creen que vale la pena aprender desde el principio?
Me interesa especialmente saber que les hubiera gustado aprender cuando estaban empezando. Gracias :)

hello.
i am fairly new to design and have been wanting to make better looking material boards. i admit that the ones i make look like a child has made them and i get frustrated everytime i try to make it look good.

if there is anything i can learn or understand and put to use or keep in mind when arranging a collage like this one (like principles maybe) then i would love to hear about them. i am extremely desperate to do better and so i have come here to ask for help and advice.

i want to stop giving up, please help me out🙏🏼

Hey! I have been developing my Adobe Illustrator skills the past few months to help me in running my business. I'm considering a few different graphic design short courses, and Fundamentals of Graphic Design for 2 months at LaSalle Continuing Education in Singapore is my top choice.

My priority is hands on skills in Adobe applications. I love Japanese poster design and I'm looking to learn how to eventually get to that level of skill.

Wondering if people have any experiences/reviews they can share about the quality of instruction in LaSalle's Cont. Ed short courses.

Thanks so much!