18 Years Self-Taught Graphic Design | No Drawing Skills, No Design Degree, Self-Made Designer

Hi everyone, I'm Desinique, a self-taught designer. I can’t draw, I have no formal design education, and I’ve worked as a designer for 18 years purely through self-learning. This is the first post on my blog. I want to start from where I began, to share some insights for anyone who wants to learn design by themselves or switch careers. Let’s talk about graphic design, my only full-time job. My story goes back to 2008. I majored in Journalism, yet after graduation, I landed a job in graphic design — a field seemingly unrelated to my degree. It was all down to a lucky coincidence.

1. I spent one month learning Photoshop, then started applying for jobs After graduating, I felt lost and had no idea what to do. One day, I signed up for a Photoshop training course. It cost me CNY 500.00. I only studied for a single month, barely scratching the surface of the software, yet I boldly headed out to find work. If you’re learning graphic design on your own, the first year will be really tough. I sent out countless resumes and barely got any replies. Later I understood: as someone learning outside design school with no portfolio, employers wouldn’t even glance at my applications.

2. Your first job means being ready to grind With no other options, I bought a newspaper for one yuan, and that’s where I found my very first proper job. The work was brutal. I rarely got home before midnight, and all-nighters were common. After pulling an all-nighter, I still had to show up for work the next day. I was young and didn’t overthink things. My salary was CNY 500.00, and I stuck it out for a full year. Looking back, that year was invaluable. Before this role, I tried two other advertising agencies. But as a total beginner, I never got to touch a computer — there were senior designers already on staff, so I never got any design tasks. I quit both places after two weeks each. Then I joined this company. The boss was a designer himself. The workload was overwhelming, which explained why most people couldn’t handle it — that’s the opening I got. This was the real start of my design journey, where I finally got regular access to a computer.

3. From self-study to actually getting hands-on design work Truth be told, having someone guide you at the start makes a huge difference in graphic design. Whether you graduate from design school or you’re a complete newbie like me, there’s a long transition from theory to real practice, and guidance helps a lot during this phase. For absolute beginners, you can only get comfortable with design tools when you have actual chances to practice. Once you’re confident enough to work while clients sit right beside you, you can start focusing on developing your visual taste. So I wonder if there are other self-taught designers out there reading this. I’m living proof it works. But you have to push through the hardships of that first year. The struggle isn’t only about lacking skills and knowledge. You’ll have to take roles others turn down, and hunt for every available chance to design. Those opportunities are priceless. Once you survive that phase, everything opens up.

4. Once you get past Year One, you can pick your opportunities In my second year, I moved to a printing factory. That’s where I learned Illustrator and started chasing better aesthetics. We had one rest day per week, and work usually finished at 6 p.m. Overtime happened occasionally, but not often. My starting pay was CNY 800.00, and it later rose to CNY 1,000.00. After that, I switched to another company. By my third year working in design, no one questioned whether I was formally trained. There was even a graduate from a top design school joining our team. Sadly, she was let go after one year. It wasn’t that she was unsuitable for design — she struggled through those difficult early stages. Meanwhile, among everyone asking for a pay rise at our workplace, I was the only one the boss agreed to increase wages for. That was back in 2010, and my salary hit CNY 3,000.00. I never regretted taking this path. I’ve always loved office work, and that’s an important trait for designers — you need the patience to sit down and focus. Step by step, I moved closer to what I love. I’m thankful for my eye for visuals. I can’t draw, yet my sense of colour and composition has always been decent. It’s not perfect, but for someone without professional training, I’m satisfied.

Lastly, I’m grateful for my Journalism degree. I believe that background still brings value to my design work. So to everyone aiming to learn graphic design independently: the world offers endless paths. Choose comfort if that’s what you need, or take on challenges if you want growth. Build everything around your own needs. Go for it!