When do you consider you are a successful designer?
So, when do you consider you are a successful designer?
Tara at the Graphic Design Blog recently asked me this question after a conversation with Lauren Marie.
Lauren had this to say:
I struggle a lot with seeing other designers who have been around for five, 10 or 35 years and thinking “Gosh, I wish I my designs were that good.” It’s hard to keep in mind that they have been at this for so many years and I am brand new. I want to be that good now!
I’ve been involved in graphic design since 1995 and will answer Lauren’s six questions here. I hope they’re of interest to you?
1. How did you get started in the business?
When I was in secondary school, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I wanted to study art at A level. Unfortunately I wasn’t good enough to get back into sixth form at Methody so at the age of 15 I took to college. For the first two years I studied Art and Design at GNVQ level. The next two years involved a Higher National Diploma (HND) in design, specialising in graphic design.
I wanted to get involved in a working capacity straight away, but alas, there were very few jobs on offer in Belfast and I was still wet behind the ears. So I took off to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I enrolled on a BA honours course in Graphic Communications Management. This is where I started learning the fundamentals of the printing process; letterpress, lithography, flexography etc.
During that period I enjoyed freelancing to make ends meet, and also headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a three month internship at the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (now affiliated with the Printing Industries of America).
What led me to my current freelancing role was actually a conversation with a past employer. I left them to travel, and upon my return found that they hadn’t filled my vacancy. We talked about what would suit us both best and in the end I took them on as my first major client.
I think that a lot of freelance designers are able to make a start with one or two main retainer clients. Those that bring in a regular monthly income.
2. What kept you going in those early years?
The creative process. I never tired of it. I took on various part-time roles that weren’t related to the industry because it’s not easy getting started, but I always knew I’d stick at the graphic design. I was a tyre-fitter, a waiter, a telesales person, a student brand manager, an IT demonstrator and a few other things in between.
I kept at it because I’m passionate about design.
3a. Did you ever feel like you weren’t good enough or you would never make it in this industry?
Yes. After my four years at college. I wanted to find work in Belfast but my portfolio showed my inexperience and I couldn’t draw on industry contacts. I wondered if my Higher National Diploma (equivalent of half a degree) would be enough.
3b. How did you work through that?
I bit the bullet and headed to university. Now in all honesty I think I might’ve learnt faster had I gained an apprenticeship in a printers or agency. However, such is the way of today’s working world, having a degree behind you will put you ahead of other candidates when applying for jobs.
I don’t agree with how things are at present, because gaining a degree can be very expensive, and you can be an incredible designer without one. Hypothetically, if prospective employers were unbias towards applicants with or without a degree, I’d prefer to jump into the industry as soon as possible and top-up my education with books and in-house training.
4. Do you look at others today and think “Wow, I wish I were that good”?
Of course. No matter how good, there’ll always be someone better. That’s a great motivational factor and helps push me in the right direction.
5. How do you measure success?
I measure success in the industry by the happiness of my clients. If the work I complete for them fulfils the brief and is more than they expected, then I know I’ve done my job. John of redsil.com makes a good point when he said:
“If you are happy doing what you do, to me you are successful.”
6. By your standard, do you think you are successful?
I have a long way to go in the design industry, and I’m prepared for the journey.
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world and have seen enough poverty to genuinely believe the following. I have a roof over my head, food on the table, clean water to drink, a loving family and girlfriend, a great circle of friends, and an active social life.
Now that’s less to do with my success and much more to do with the life I was born into, so I guess I’ve gone off-topic. Nevertheless, I felt it important to mention.
I don’t rest on my laurels and am always on the lookout for an opportunity. Since leaving university and after some years in the field I took up another educational program and gained a post-grad diploma in management, from the Chartered Management Institute. It helped me gain some great contacts and has set me up to become an employer (which is an aim for the near future).
When do you consider you are a successful designer?
I’d love to read your thoughts on Lauren’s questions, through a post on your own website or in the comments below if you’re pushed for time. If there’s anything you’d like me to expand upon I’m always happy to chat.
Thanks again Tara (Graphic Design Blog) for asking my thoughts on the above questions.
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Hi David,
Thank you for taking part. Its interesting reading, I hope more people take part.
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Nice response - it’s always interesting to learn more about someone’s background!
I agree with the degree thing. Throughout my working life, almost every job I’ve applied for has required a degree - which I don’t have, being totally self-taught.
I think that’s perhaps why freelancing has always had such a strong pull for me.
I think the value of degrees has really diminished during the past decade. Even though they’re expensive, more and more people are getting themselves into debt in order to obtain one.
Plus, if the first two years of a four year course are anything like I witnessed, you don’t learn have as much as you would in a work placement or an industry position.
I missed the first year with my HND behind me (which in hindsight I’m glad I did).
There’s no equivalent to work experience. You can be in full-time education for 10 years and still be stumped in your first day on the job.
Thanks for stopping by.
Interesting post..particularly the comment Lauren makes about taking the apprenticeship route. This is essentially the path I took..having completed a degree in Physics then a Masters in Engineering I finally came to the conclusion that I yearned to do something creative….better late than never!
My first job in the creative world was with a World renown security printer. I was hired to create anti counterfeit patterns for bank notes. Being able to understand all the techniques available to counterfeiters meant that I was brought up to speed in every thing from printing processes to design tools. The job was fantastic and although my introduction into graphic arts was a little unorthodox the path to a career in design was clearly laid.
I think it’s tough to measure my own success. At times I think that I am going very well, and then I feel like I am behind and should be better at my craft. So it makes it hard to really determine if I am successful or not.
I completely agree with you, David: “There’s no equivalent to work experience.”
The Degree looks good on paper, and might give us a push in the right direction and a solid theoretical foundation, but it’s the practical experience that makes us to be true experts in our fields, not the education.
It is indeed tough to measure success. Who do you use as a marker / guide?
Success, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, so to measure against another is never truly possible.
There are just so many factors involved in each persons definition.
Vivien,
Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? If I could return to my days of education then I’d surely know more than I do today. Still, what do I know?
A little Irish for you. ;)
“The more we learn, the more we forget. The more we forget, the more we learn. So why do we still learn?” - looks like it’s a popular saying in China :-)
A man after my own heart. Love what you have to say about priorities and passion - you appear to have found a very happy balance in your ‘immaterialism’.
Where do those gorgeous images come from? The ones at the head of your post?
That’s a great quote. Am I the only one who enjoys reading through Chinese proverbs? I try to remember as many as possible, but more often than not I read so many that I remember none!
Johno,
‘Immaterialism’ is the word! They’re just things, you know? What matters is the relationships we build throughout our lives and the help we can give to others.
If, along the way, we produce some wonderful designs then all the better!
The images you asked about are from a webpage for Middlesex University’s BA Honours in Graphic Design.
Here’s the full size image, showing the wonderful typography map of the UK.
Thank you for responding to these questions, David! I’ve read Tara’s, Paul’s and your responses so far and everything you three have said has been valuable to me.
Having just obtained my own degree in graphic design, I would have to say I agree with what you and Paul said, experience is more valuable and more important. We had a little discussion about that over at Graphic Design Blog. That’s why I wrote the article. I think I’ve learned an incredible amount in the past couple months being in the design industry full time. I think school just gives people a bit of a head start with the technical side of things and a little practice without penalty on the skills end. I never read my textbooks in college, I even stopped buying them at the end (hopefully none of my profs are reading this!!), and since I graduated I’ve gone back and looked through most of them because they really were helpful after all. I think I like being self-taught in most areas. Sometimes instruction is easier, but a lot of it is just discovering things on my own. And that way I can choose what I want to learn and learn what is important to me.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. Very insightful!
I think success needs to be separated into categories, i.e. personal and professional, though both obviously affect each other tremendously. We need to keep the fine balance of ambition and challenge with personal satisfaction and perspective. We need to be thankful when our basic needs are met, even while we strive for higher levels of achievement in other areas. And as always, not forget to say “please” and “thank you” :).
What great insight into your background. Each of your experiences helps to build your life portfolio from which you can draw great inspiration for your designs. You are a very talented designer and a successful one, too.
Now to work on my post as I was tagged twice for this one.
You’re right that professional success can be different from personal success. It totally depends on the individual.
With me, for example, the two overlap a great deal. I find that if my personal life is good, then my professional life is too, and vice versa.
Plus, never forget your manners (good point). Armen at iffect.net recently reminded me of a word I use to describe myself, ‘humble’ (in the modest / respectful sense). I hope I live up to it.
Char,
You’re very kind with your words and I look forward to reading your post!
You’re a successful designer when people appreciate your work. I don’t think money has anything to do with it here.
Money isn’t the most important part for me either. It does hold some importance for me as I want to provide for a future family as I’ve been provided for in life.
I know what you mean however, about measuring success. It’s not ‘the more money you make the more successful you are’. Far from it.
It’s something that I don’t enjoy about the culture in the UK. Too many people judge themselves according to what other people have.
The Buddhist way of life holds much more appeal to me, even though I’m not actually Buddhist.
Thanks for the link. Good to see that typography map up close - it’s very well done.
I’ve been in the business for less than 2 years, so I know I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I do feel like I am well on my way to success, however, when a client goes out of his/her way to contact me just to let me know how much they LOVE a website/design I did for them. That really makes me feel like my efforts are worthwhile!
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Sorry for the late reply. I must’ve missed your comment somewhere along the way. Indeed, it’s the little things that make it all worthwhile, for sure.
Here’s to many more years success for you.
Everything is a work in progress. your designs may look good now, but will they look good in the future, everyday, ideas from different ideas are being recycled so I guess the only way to consider yourself to be a successful designer is when you are able to adapt in every change there is.
A design is not just an art, it should serve a function.