17 Design Pros Dish Their Best Career Advice

Terry Lee Stone asks a group of seasoned design pros: If you could give young designers one piece of career advice what would it be? In other words: early in your career what do you wish someone had told you? Their thoughts may surprise you…

1. Sean Adams
www.adamsmorioka.com

“What did I know? I knew that relationships were critical in design. I knew that hard work was required. I knew that I needed inspiration beyond graphic design.

“What did I not know? I didn’t know that time is forgiving. Saul Bass told me that success is defined by a series of successful projects over an extended period of time. I didn’t listen. I was convinced that every project was my last chance to succeed. Alternatively, each failure signaled the end of my career. Saul was right. Some projects were as ugly as something the cat coughed up, but the next one was better. And some projects were incredibly successful, and then the next one came along and it was left behind. The world isn’t black and white.”

2. Stefan G. Bucher
www.344design.com

“Almost any situation gets better when you ask yourself this: How can I be most useful right now? — Most useful to your employer, to your client, to the people you care for in your personal life, even to your future self. Asking ‘How can I be most useful right now?’ will get you past too little ambition, past too much ambition, past many interpersonal conflicts, boredom, frustration, and creative block. Sometimes the answer is ‘I can be most useful to everybody — including me — by leaving,’ but usually it’ll lead you to creating better work!”

• Find More Advice: 29 Things That All Young Designers Need to Know.

3. Margo Chase
www.chasedesigngroup.com

“Emphasize your peculiar talents. Be eccentric and memorable. There are far too many cookie-cutter design portfolios. I am always impressed when a young designer includes personal work that they’re passionate about — even if it isn’t graphic design. Illustration, photography, painting, embroidery, jewelry…  it’s all design and requires skill and dedication to do well. Shows that you’re a multidimensional person.

“Also, think about your portfolio as a whole design statement and try to make the presentation format fit the work. It should be easy to see and display, but I would much rather see an unusual presentation than a ‘perfect’ portfolio full of boring work. If your style is high-tech, minimal and clean, showing your work on an iPad makes sense. But if painting or drawing cartoon characters is your unique talent, find a way to present your work that highlights your particular skills in a memorable way.”

4. Barry Deck
www.barrydeckgroup.com

“Early on, if anyone had been able to tell me exactly the right thing, I would have dismissed it as preposterous because the world has just changed too much in unforeseen ways.

“However, here’s my advice: get a second degree in something totally different— neuroscience, medicine, linguistics, or whatever feels right.

“Design is what all humans do when they have intent and act upon it. Good design skills are most powerful when applied where they intersect with another discipline or two, or three. It is no longer enough to be a specialist only in design. Make your niche at those points of intersection, where future innovation will bloom.”

5. Marc English
www.marcenglishdesign.com

“Early in my career someone DID give me a piece of sage advice, but they never elaborated on it. The late great corporate communications designer, Robert Miles Runyon, advised me: ‘Forget the fame. Fame will take care of itself. Go for the fortune, because rich is the bitch.’

“I’ll take Runyon’s advice to the next level, with a few caveats. Working hard, doing good work, guarantees neither fame nor fortune. Any project taken on for fame is banking on the future. The client or project may garner attention, but that attention does not necessarily mean future work that is rewarding — either financially or any other way. I’ve seen a number of talented folks not reach a level of critical acclaim or financial comfort, let alone become ‘rich.’ Fame is a carrot dangled out front, and while it is comforting to be recognized for your work, that comfort does not pay the bills.

“Fortune demands being a professional. And being a professional demands at least three things: a list of deliverables, a deadline and a budget. If you are not clear on deliverables, how can a budget be established or series of deadlines be met? If there’s no deadline, then the project is open ended, and likewise your client may have open-ended principles that allow the project — and you — to fall out that end. Without a realistic budget, how can you hope to do what a business needs to do to continue operating?

“Remember, design is just a job. But damn, if you are lucky, it’s a fine job. And fun. And sometimes the work we do makes a real difference.”

Career Resources for Designers

• Enroll Now: Web Design For Beginners Series.
• 2012 Creative Professional’s Marketing Plan Bundle.
• The Designer’s Career Collection.