Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming an Adobe Illustrator
We highlight different careers each week, educating young people and helping them discover new interests.
Choosing the right career is a crucial decision with far-reaching consequences. It shapes your future, making it essential to make an informed choice.
Over the next few weeks, The African Reporter will engage with businesspeople, professionals, and other key figures, focusing on a different career each week.
Our goal is to provide valuable guidance to younger readers as they navigate their career paths. This week, we explore the career of an Adobe Illustrator designer.
Manuel Lekgwathi has worked as an Adobe Illustrator designer for seven years. He was inspired to pursue this career by the idea of transforming raw creativity into something useful, like a brand, campaign, or product. He has always been fascinated by how visuals can influence perception and emotion.
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“What excites me about my job is seeing an idea go from a sketch to a polished design that impacts people or helps a brand stand out. That transformation process never gets old.
“The ability to always learn something new keeps it exciting. Adobe Illustrator’s powerful and precise vector design drew me to it. It lets you create scalable designs without losing quality, and is ideal for logos, illustrations and branding,” he said.
“Adobe Illustrator works by using vectors, mathematical paths rather than pixels, allowing for clean, sharp designs that one can resize to any desired size.
“One of my proudest moments was seeing my designs printed on a signage board, product packaging and boxes. It made the impact of my work feel real. Building long-term client relationships is also a personal highlight.”
What is an illustrator?
They are a creative professional who creates visual content to communicate ideas, tell stories or enhance design using hand-drawn or digital methods. In the digital age, illustrators frequently use programmes like Adobe Illustrator to design everything from brand logos to detailed artworks.
Which course or qualification did you study to prepare for this line of work?
While I am largely self-taught through online learning and hands-on projects, I have also completed specialised courses in Adobe Illustrator and graphic design through platforms like Coursera and LinkedIn Learning. The real learning came from doing client work and building a portfolio.
What high school subjects helped you the most in your career?
Honestly, my high school subjects are far from what I presently do. I did the science stream back (STEM) in high school.
One can do these in high school:
• Computer applications/Information Technology (IT): Helps you become comfortable with software, file management and basic digital tools;
• Business studies/economics (optional but useful): Helps if you want to freelance or start a graphic design business;
• English/language is compulsory: Strong communication skills are vital for understanding client briefs, writing design proposals and presenting your work effectively;
• Mathematics: Necessary for calculations, dimensions and other math-oriented problems.
Which institutions or platforms do you recommend for studying Adobe Illustrator and design?
I suggest the free online courses in Adobe Illustrator or graphics design in general.
These platforms can help acquire the skill for free:
• Adobe Creative Cloud tutorials (official);
• Coursera;
• Udemy;
• Skillshare;
• YouTube tutorials.
What kind of work does a professional using Adobe Illustrator do?
They do many things, especially in graphic design. Here are some things they can do:
• Logos and brand identities;
• Social media graphics;
• Packaging designs;
• Posters, flyers and marketing materials;
• Vector art and illustrations;
• Icons and user interface (UI) assets;
• Infographics.
What does your typical day look like?
It involves reviewing client briefs, sketching concepts, creating digital designs in Illustrator, making revisions, communicating with clients and staying updated with design trends. Some days involve printing prep, content creation or brainstorming for social media.
What are Adobe Illustrator’s most important tools or features you rely on?
• The pen tool;
• The shape builder tool;
• Artboards;
• Pathfinder;
• Typography tools;
• Gradient and colour tools. These are my essential tools for crafting clean, flexible and professional-quality designs.
How do you stay creative and keep improving your design skills?
I follow design communities on Instagram, Dribbble (REVISE: 3x B is correct) and Behance. I regularly watch tutorials, challenge myself with personal design projects, collaborate with other creatives and get feedback to grow.
What kind of personality and character traits best suit this career?
From my perspective, you need to be:
• creative and curious;
• detail-oriented;
• a good listener;
• patient and adaptable;
• passionate about visual communication
What is your advice to young people who want to follow this career?
Start with what you have. Practice every day. Watch tutorials, recreate designs for learning, and build a portfolio, even if it’s just passion projects. The best way to learn is to do.
What soft skills are needed for this career?
• Communication (especially with clients);
• Time management;
• Problem-solving;
• Collaboration;
• Professionally receiving and applying feedback.
What other careers can people pursue if they can use Adobe Illustrator well?
• UI/user experience designer;
• Motion graphics artist;
• Art director;
• Product packaging designer;
• Illustrator for books or media;
• Merchandise/product designer;
• Branding specialist.
Where do Adobe Illustrator users work?
• Design studios;
• Advertising and marketing agencies;
• Print shops;
• Tech/startup companies;
• Freelance or remote work;
• Corporations’ in-house design teams.
