Physical Product Designer Question:

All designers need a good eye, or the ability to be sensitive to small details. At the same time, a designer should be able to step back and look at a project holistically and evaluate if the problem is being solved, or the message communicated well.

I think its essential that (aspiring) designers learn about and gain an appreciation for typography. You can learn a lot about the essentials of graphic design through the study of typography, like visual hierarchy, contrast, and dealing with white space. It also helps to know about the history of graphic design.

As for software, Photoshop is the quintessential program for making website layouts (it’s great with pixel-grid alignment). I’ve used Illustrator for mocking up layouts as well, but it’s better for vector graphics and logos that need easy scaling. Starting out with these two programs is beneficial… and many of their keyboard shortcuts carry over! I should also mention InDesign as the key choice for printed layouts and materials. If you ever have to design a magazine or book, InDesign is your choice.