Thinking about entering a college design program? The first thing you MUST do is some serious research into the world you are entering. The most research I hear from my new students is their in-depth knowledge of what they read online about how much Graphic/Web Designers make annually as if it were some sort guarantee for the future as long as you graduate. It’s not.
Students can be quickly overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge needed to become successful as a designer and may feel the need to quit school before they finish. If you have already started your program, restart your brain and refocus on your goals. The career of a designer can be a real joy if you start out right.
Becoming a “successful” designer will be only partly due to your creative ability. There are many other hurdles and challenges to face along the way. I believe that there are a lot of great new designers in the world waiting to blossom and these are my suggestions on how to keep your mind on the prize.
It’s Your Money. Spend it Wisely.
Are you the shy and artistic type? Get over it quick. Your instructors have knowledge but they are not trained in ways of the Jedi. I mean they are not mind readers. Come early to class, raise your hand and stay late. Engage your instructor even if you think they are stupid. They might be socially awkward but who cares. Get in their face and don’t leave until you understand the premise, project or idea your instructor is dishing out. Teachers are there to work for you. Make them earn every penny.
Don’t take out extra loans and spend the money on expensive beer or shoes. Get your degree and buy the booze and boots later.
Too cool for school? Then quit now. You may not realize it till graduation but while you were trying to look cool in front of everyone class you were missing out and now every one’s portfolio looks better than yours. What to do? Oh sure, blame the school or the instructors. Blame the school or program. It can’t be your fault. They promised a design education on a silver platter right? Who would of known you were supposed to actually work to get your degree? On the opposite side if you truly feel that the school you are attending is not for you then quit and find a school that is.
Don’t Focus On The Equipment.
Stop whining about the school computers. So what if your computer at home is a gigahertz monster? Every modern design student before you and after you have had the same issues. The school computers are crap. Sometimes they are not but most times they are. It doesn’t matter. Many students enter design school in today’s world with some experience in Photoshop but no understanding of when to use Photoshop. That is why you are in school. You need to focus on the “why” as much as you focus on the “how”.
Focus on your creativity and not how fast Photoshop opens.
If you can work with an 8×10 300DPI image without the program crashing you are already working with materials far above what you will probably work with on your first job. Not good with computers or technology? Someone in your class is. You will probably be to embarrassed to ask the instructor your “stupid” computer questions (they are not, by the way) so ask that guy or gal in class who seems to know it all. Become close friends with them because you two will need each other. I find more often than not that students who make close friends within their classes are ultimately more successful.
Don’t Be a Loner.
I hate to break it to you but web and print design are team sports. You always are working with or for someone as a professional designer so brush up on those social skills. You must be able to communicate your ideas to other creatives and non-creatives in order to have your vision realized. You won’t be working alone on projects in the “real world” but within a team. Prepare yourself.
Ask yourself, how do you communicate best? Writing, speaking or drawing? Become proficient at them all. You will need every tool available to get your point of view across.I can’t count how many times I’ve been stuck trying to explain a design concept with only my voice and hands.
Practice your communication skills. Having a great team to work with is your fast track to becoming a well respected and well paid designer. Taking your classes team projects seriously will prepare you tremendously in the future for working within a design or development team. Try being the leader. Try being a follower. Try it all! You will be amazed by the resources you didn’t even know you had when working on your first team project.
Do Your Homework… and then some.
Here’s a simple way to have a great portfolio when you graduate. Let’s say your instructor handed the class a project to re-work a logo for a gas station. Complete the logo assignment and then produce two more for related industries on your own time. That’s right I said it. Work on your own time outside of class. How did the best designers in the world get that way? Passion. Do you honestly think you will get everything you want out of life by just meeting expectations? I thought not. I knew you were much smarter than that.
A gas station logo you say? How about branding that gas delivering trucking company or that fancy-schmancy touch-less car wash they just put in? These logo’s do not have to be fully realized vectors but they should be far enough along that only minor touches are needed to complete them when portfolio time comes.
In my experience, 99% percent of all design students wait till their last quarter to start stockpiling design work. Don’t make this mistake. Damn it, don’t throw those thumbnail sketches away! Keep them organized by class for later reference somewhere safe. Backup those thumb drives and CD’s with your Photoshop & Illustrator files! Keep it all. If there is only one thing that you will listen to make it be this. I promise you will get much more sleep in your last semester or quarter and look better for all those graduation photos!
Step Outside of School.
There is probably a large design community in your town and you don’t even know it. Go online… Look for design “meet-ups”, design camps or other design related get-together’s in town. No car? E-mail a member for a ride. Do what you can to get there and participate. Don’t sit in the back with your arms folded. Everyone else is out of their element just like you so you are not fooling anyone. Introduce yourself and ask people about what they do. Just becuase your a student does not mean you are not worthy. Go stick your neck out and I promise you will see rewards from it.
Statistics show that 80% of employment opportunities come from people you know. That statistic may be correct for people looking for a job at a Mall but for a professional designer or developer I’d say it hovers closer to 100% when you are either in school or just getting out of school. Stop reading this, close your laptop, leave your residence and meet people. Your future depends upon it.
Embrace Art and Design History.
Sure you want to be the next Neville Brody or Stephen Sagmeister, (You probably don’t know who they are but you should) but even they respected and studied those who came before them. You must have an understanding of what has been done so you will know what not to do. Or, better yet, you can improve and reinvent what has come before.
Being a great designer is not about raw talent. It is about having a deep understanding of the effect of form on the human psyche. How does an image of the American Flag affect you? How do you think it affects others and why? Do you like Pink? Why is Pink for girls and Blue for boys? Why? Keep asking that and you’ll eventually find out. These answers will lead to skills and skills will lead to a successful career.
Learn Your Terms and Tools.
First impressions are important but so are third, fourth and fifth impressions. If you are in a job interview and they ask you a question about your work that you can’t answer then prepare yourself to not get a callback. What does XHTML stand for? What is the W3C? How about your experience with FTP tools, Time Tracking tools or project management tools? These are questions you may be asked during an interview.
Remember, you are going to work for a business and businesses use business tools. Organizations use organizational tools and so on. And while you are at it, brush up on your skills with Microsoft Word and Excel. You will be surprised how quickly this becomes important. Not for design but for communication and correspondence.
Learn Your Place.
Web Designer, Front-End Developer, Interaction Designer, etc… There are so many creative ways to title a creative position in today’s world. It is so important to research these job titles so you know what you are applying for after you graduate. Then, if you are lucky, you get hired and it becomes even more important to know your place within the organization. Maybe you will get lucky during school and be able to tour some studios. Ask questions! That’s why you are there.
So you have landed your first job. Who do you go to with questions about your design, computer, software, chair, lunch-break, 401K and voice mail? In a larger company there might be a different person for each area but in smaller companies you might be faced with a Jack of all Trades that covers all these areas. Learn the landscape as quickly as possible.
Some final points to review:
- Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is the best teacher.
- Participate in school and in life. Networking is the most important skill that school will not teach you.
- Dress better than everyone else. (Or as best as you can afford)
- Never be satisfied with your work.
- Teach yourself as much about the software as possible on your own time. The “How” is easy. The “Why” is hard.
- Learn to work efficiently using both Mac and a PC.
- Get an internship as early as possible or start freelancing. Either way, work for free. You will learn a lot.
- Take a Speech class. Even if your school doesn’t offer it. Verbal skills are important to communicate ideas.
- Take advantage of your student discounts on computers and software before you graduate.
- Be emotionally invested in your work.
- Participate. Now. Today. Everyday.
Whether you’ve just started at Berkeley or DeVry you will have the same issues the students before you did. Overcome them and focus as much attention as you possibly can on your future. You may not be a unique butterfly but your work can be and will soar if you invest your time and your heart in to it.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
This was an excellent post, thanks Kurt.
amazing post… so true…
back in school after design degree and you've hit the mark on this one!
excellent read… thanks!
You tell me do things, I done 'em. But you ain't cookin'.
Kurt,
This is wonderful stuff. Extremely thorough and helpful. As an educator myself working in part with design students, I totally agree with your post. In fact, I think I'll send it out to my class when it starts up in a few weeks. Lots of good points here for non-design students, too. The primary point being: Your education is what YOU make of it, not what's provided to you. (Read Tim Ferris' "4-hour Work Week" for more on that.)
Thanks for elevating the collective conversation.
Tim
This is a very informative post and so very true. Believe it or not, I was actually one of Kurt’s students back in 2000 and most of the issues he touches on, I experienced first hand. The loans, computers, and classes that I thought I wouldn’t need. There will be road blocks but it’s all necessary to become a great designer and to have a successful career. Getting into any career is not easy, its work… hard work.
Good stuff. If I was to give Design Student Me 1 bit of advice – it would have been, 'get a minor in business' . There's a lot to learn in design school – too much, especially if we include software (web apps, kiosks, etc). Business foundations are equally valuable to design professionals as design foundations and are as difficult to pick up.
Agree. Designers, like all professionals, are challenged to relate to colleagues and clients that come from a different perspective. This is a critical skill regardless of profession. The creative element in a designers work makes this a challenge as you pour yourself into the work and then have to sell it to the client. The client may not get it and wonder if they are getting their money's worth. This is where the business skills come in. You are prepared to get past it and either adjust the work or sell the idea.
One month post-launch and you publish a magnum opus. Well done.
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