Janine Heinrichs' grunge typography posters prove you don't need a degree to be a graphic designer

Social media might be problematic in many ways. But many creatives have successfully harnessed it to attract attention to their work and boost their careers. And Canadian graphic designer Janine Heinrichs offers a great example.

In May 2020, she was searching for work as a designer. Although she didn't have a degree, she had taken a three-month intensive course with Shillington in New York the previous year. However, she struggled to find the right opportunities amidst the global pandemic. So, to fill the time and continue developing her skills, she began a challenge entitled 365 Days of Grunge Typography Posters.

Posting new designs every day online helped to teach her about overcoming the fear of failure, learning from mistakes, and producing work faster and faster. In the process, she built a collective following of over 150,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram.

Two black posters with white distorted grunge typography, one reading "emotional" and the other reading "it's just a ghost

Two grunge typography poster designs by Janine Heinrichs featuring distorted black text reading "INSPIRING" and "GOD" with an upward arrow on a light background

Poster with gradient sky background featuring a person in a red jacket suspended mid-air, with bold text reading "WHO SAID WOMAN WAS NOT MEANT TO FLY?

Two grunge typography poster designs by Janine Heinrichs, one featuring holographic curved forms in vibrant colours and the other displaying the word "CHANGE" over swirling red and black brushstrokes

"I learned a lot of things during that time, but if there's one thing that stood out for me, you don't have to go to school to become a graphic designer," she says. "Instead, it might actually be best to regularly produce work and share it with others to attract opportunities to yourself rather than trying to impress people with your credentials.

"By the end, I had an inbox full of exciting design opportunities simply because I was able to overcome perfectionism and effectively market myself on social media," Janine continues. "This experience got me thinking: 'If I can accomplish something like this, surely other designers can do the same, if not better?'"

Two monochrome posters side by side featuring the word "fun" in bold typography with pointing hands, from Janine Heinrichs' 365 Days of Grunge Typography Posters series

Two grunge typography posters by Janine Heinrichs: left shows a surfer with "Third Wave" text and yellow accents; right features handwritten text about losing social skills due to the pandemic in black and red

Two typographic posters from Janine Heinrichs' 365 Days of Grunge Typography project: one featuring a Toyota car with humorous text, the other showing architectural photography with overlaid typography reading "She Just Home

Two vibrant poster designs side by side: left shows a person in yellow sunglasses juggling spheres against a blue sky; right depicts a seated figure with a circular landscape view replacing their head

Crucially, she adds: "I realised that it's not necessarily a matter of being exceptionally good at design. It's more about having the willingness to be bold, share your work, and ultimately overcome the perfectionism and imposter syndrome most creatives suffer from."

From this starting point, she started a blog called Janine Designs Daily. "I aim to encourage other designers to be bold, share their work, and attract their ideal clients and opportunities," she says.

She's kept it up since, and it's well worth a look. The website features a great combination of articles, useful resources and inspiration from Janine's own life, plus there's a free ebook for anyone who wishes to follow in her footsteps. Check out Janine Designs Daily here.