What You Need To Know To Excel In The Graphic Design Industry
Finally you’ve graduated. Do you have a clue what your next steps are, let alone where to start? What type of design do you want to do? Do you like doing web design, email blasts, ads, logos, package design, product design, or a combination of them all?
Perhaps you’ve been in the industry for a year or so and you’re wondering what will it take to give you the edge over the sea of designers out there?
Theresa and I advanced at different rates in the industry. Sometimes it’s just pure natural abilities and talent and a position that is perfect for you from day one. Then there is the harder one where you are grinding for years slipping down the latter to climb back up in another position bouncing from place to place until you find a fit that is right for you. However, if you want to be able to move up and eventually run a team within a company or eventually run your own business these are some of the fastest ways to get there.
Listen To Everything
This has been one of the keys to our success in the industry. You can listen to music or podcasts or whatever but keep one ear open. Listen to the conversations around you even if it has nothing to do with design. Not only will you learn a lot about different departments but knowing what’s going on before it is even brought to you is helpful. It’s nice to know what is coming down before it’s sprung on you the last minute at 3:30pm and it needs to be out the door at 5pm.
Using it as an opportunity to learn about other departments strengthens your usefulness. All the directors I’ve worked under and alongside have done the same.
To further you career and eventually become director you have to know more about the company then just design. You need to know how a company runs, how to talk to teams outside of yours, and how to get the most out of those on your team.
Further more, you’ll require those same skills to start your own business. You have to know the business side as well and one way to get started is to listen.
See The Whole Picture
As I stated above, learn as much about the whole design process even departments that are not yours. If you are in CPG that entails; product development & design, packaging, sales, production, shipping & logistics, branding & marketing, and anything else your company has as processes. In doing so you are learning what the company is doing start to finish. You know where your job fits in that process and how far out you should be working. Not only that but the more you learn the more valuable you become to the company and more likely you will be the one they look at to promote or keep during a layoff.
Positivity Attitude
It’s not the easiest thing to do if it’s not your normal personality, but it’ll pay off in the long run. The more positive you are the more people want to work with you. You can be the greatest designer but a bad attitude or constant whining about how unfair the changes are will make people not want to work with you. Ultimately, this can be a deciding factor between you and another designer during a layoff. Besides life is just more enjoyable with a positive outlook.
Burnout Is Real
Avoiding burnout will depend upon what relaxes you, how good you are at disconnecting at the end of the day, and how many hours you are putting in each day.
We’ve both done days where we worked 16-18 hr days back to back. Doing that can and will burn you out. Plus, when you do that as a salary employee means you are most likely getting paid well under minimum wage. Some times it’s unavoidable like during trade show seasons but try to avoid it as much as you can.
You might not be able to control how many extra hours or how stressful your job is but what you can do is find that thing outside work that relaxes you. Maybe it’s video games, going out with friends, Journaling, making handmade items, or watching tv. What I suggest though is to find something that will eventually be a good side hustle. There is nothing better then working towards the goal that will eventually give you the freedom to do more of what you love.
Be The Go To Person
Become a person everyone goes to because you’re either the fastest, most knowledgable, the better designer, work better with them, or you are just the person trusted to get the job done no matter the cost. You will grow great connections and when you are applying to a future job they could be working there and can assist you and be your best reference. I’ve had people I’ve worked with in the past apply where I work. The good ones, I’ve given them great references, talked them up to the HR, and helped them getting hired. Other people, I’ve had to be honest in telling the HR that the person wasn’t what our company needs. Maybe it was the drama they brought to work with or just under performers either way your reputation carries weight and if you are that guy or that girl that they want to work with that is a priceless.
Become An Expert
From the start of your employment try to learn from the best and become an expert. Retail specific expert ie Walmart, Costco, Sams Club. Display expert, dieline expert, a concept genius, or coding ninja. With that said, you should also try to be a jack of all trades in that you can do all the basics really well.
Learn Program Shortcut
This is one is so easy to learn but I still see so many designers not using them. I learn every shortcut I can in all the programs I use. It has saved me so much time. If you think about it, the more time you save the more time you have for other tasks to put you ahead. The faster you become the more valuable you are to the company and the better your chances are of getting a good yearly review. Lastly, if you have a particular function that you do all the time, but there isn’t a shortcut for it, create one. I made cmnd+Shift+J to make a jpg in illustrator. Something I was having to do the long way about 20 times a day.
Build Connections From Day One
As a introvert myself I know this can be hard. I haven’t gained as many connections as I could have. However, I have created a few that have helped me, could help me, and some I have helped to find new and more successful job placement. Part of it is talking and being liked. Mostly, it’s just being a great, go to designer that will get the job done without much complaining.
Own Your Mistakes
It is what it is. Mistakes are to be made that’s when the best lessons are learnt. It usually happens, at least with me, when humbling is needed. Your head will get big, you start thinking you’re great than BAM… You put the wrong UPC on the package, you call out a color wrong in the spec dock, or the client or boss tears your work up.
So, you made a mistake, what do you do? You beat yourself up enough to learn from it and not make it again, but not so much that it effects you the next day. I’ve spent a whole commute home mentally dragging myself through the coals for mistakes I’ve made on a particular day. Just to catch someone’s else’s mistake the very next day.Hopefully you’ll be lucky enough that the mistakes you make are mild and don’t cost any money to fix.
To go along with knowing you will make mistakes, when you do make one own it. Don’t hide it, bring it to who you need to see if you can fix it before it cost the company money. One thought, don’t just bring them a problem but try and bring them a solution as well. Sometimes you will be surprised by how a huge issue can be easily fixed.
Check Your Own Work
Spell check is your friend but it wont catch everything. I’ve seen tent steak instead of tent stake. I’ve seen a 10” wheel called out on a package and it was only 7”. I’ve seen packages with wrong item numbers, UPC’s, and the wrong layout of that styleguide. All of these can cost a company thousands, a relationship with a buyer, and potentially cost you your job. That is why you double check your work and any work that crosses your desk. I always give my designers a red pen and tell them to print their own work and mark it up. Also, I give them a highlighter to highlight my changes as they fix them to make sure they get them all.
Some Days Suck
You will have some rough days as a designer. You’ll have days where you wonder if you even want to do this anymore. Just remember, those day harden you. You became a designer for a reason and those bad days are just a few in between many great days of creating many great things.
Take Notes
Take notes through the year of your failures and accomplishments. To excel you have to move up within your roles to one you want to be in. When you have a review it’ll be helpful to have it written down so you’re not trying to remember what your accomplishments were months later. The more you have on this list the better your chances are of getting a good raise or promotion.
That goes for your failures as well. Knowing them, how you handled it, and if you can put a positive spin on it will help in an interview or your review.
Request Your Yearly Review
Unless you have an exceptional employer, you will most likely have to request your yearly review. If you don’t then don’t expect to get it. You need those reviews if you want to advance.
When I first started out I didn’t ask for a review and worked for 7 years at a company without ever getting one. That is 7 years not knowing what I needed to improve upon, 7 years of not knowing what I was doing correct, and more importantly 7 years of lost wages.
I learned from my mistake and when I started at a new company I asked for one every year.
There will be years that your employer will drag their feet but if you are an exceptional employee don’t be afraid to respectfully ask for your review.
I waited a whole extra year for my last review. When they offered me a small but reasonable increase that was less then what I had asked for when I interviewed, I spoke up and got 7k more then they offered.
Now don’t go asking for more just because. Really think if you have earned it. I knew I had the responsibility of about 5 roles. I was an associate brand & marketing manager, project manager, reviewed all graphics, designed daily, and personally ran the social media. So, I knew I was valuable and I was willing to take the chance to ask for more. Worst thing they can do is say no.
Don’t Stay To Long At One Job.
There are a few exceptions to this. Theresa is a prime example of that, she had been with her previous employer for over 10 years. The reason it’s an exception is because she had been promoted continuously to ultimately running the west coast office. Me on the other hand I didn’t move up for years. Not out of lack of skill but the fact that the company doesn’t promote. For one it’s such a small company where the owner is the design director not really much movement to be made. I suggest, and this is just me, that you stay long enough to be continuously learning once you are not learning on a day by day or week by week basis then start looking because you are just floating and going nowhere in you career.
I’ve seen first hand how that pans out. I’ve worked with designers that have been with one company for over 12 years never moving up and ultimately is just coasting and sadly won’t ever move beyond where where they are now.
Take Tests As Opportunities
This is something I do every time I’m challenged to do something new. For instance, I was hired as a package designer when I was a product designer. With almost no experience I learned everything I could and now know more because of it. I’ve learned packaging finish types, package sub straights, and FTC regulations.
I did the same thing when I became a brand manager. I knew nothing, didn’t have a clue what I was doing but took the opportunity presented to me and just took it one day at a time. When starting out you might think “why should I learn this if it doesn’t have to do with design”. To start your own business someday you will need to know a lot of what you can learn for free on the job. Just think they are paying you to learn.
Research
You have to know what is going on in your world of design. Research what the best designers around the world are doing, what are the trends, what are your employers competitors doing, what are people doing in areas outside your specialty? You can never know too much and you never know where you might find inspiration.
Side Gig
Side gig, side hustle, passion projects, call it whatever you want but have one. I am a huge believer in having a back up plan to turn into a full time plan. I don’t want to work for someone else my whole life. I want to run my own business. I want to live as comfortable as my own hard work can get me not depending on how much my employer feels like paying me.
You should do the same.
So that’s how we excelled in the industry and how you can too. What tip did you find the most interesting?
