Sandstorm Student Center: FAQs from Students

Life as a Designer | Design Skills | Finding a Design Job | Design Careers | Education

LIFE AS A DESIGNER

1. What is a typical day like for a designer?
2. I just started school here and everyone in my small class introduced themselves and said they chose this career path because they love to draw. I was wondering how much drawing is involved in graphic design?
3. How do you design for clients that promote beliefs other than your own. For example, if I am a vegetarian how do I design a website for good ol' Micky D?
4. Where are all the designers over 35?
5. What was your worst day as a designer?
6. What was your best day as a designer?
   

1. What is a typical day like for a designer?

First thing every morning is to check email ( I think that is the norm for most office-type jobs nowadays) to see if there is anything pressing that needs to get done immediately. For example, a web site page not working, a proof from the printer that needs to be signed off before going to press, a last minute conference call in 20 minutes, etc. After "putting out fires" I create my TO DO list. My TO DO list is probably the most important thing I do each day. I easily will have 5-6 projects going at once, and none of them are related. I may be waiting for content for an ad, or need to finish up an illustration, or trouble shoot some html. The challenge is switching from project to project and getting reacquainted each time with the design and what needs to be completed.

I take a good look at my deadlines to create my TO DO list. Those with the shortest deadlines are supposed to come first... but sometimes I can't help it when my creative self is pulling me towards a different project. It's a game of balance. I have to make my deadlines. That's business, and that's how I keep my job and my clients. I can't call in sick and expect the deadline to be excused.

Each day is different. And at the end of each day I somehow can't figure out where the day went. I mean to get so much more work done. And that is when I work late. I often work late. In the design world, it really is feast or famine. You are swamped, then bored.

A "typical" day is a mix of deadlines, diet coke, and consistently pursuing the best creative solution for every type of project, every day. It's fast-paced, and stressful, and wonderful.

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2. I just started school here and everyone in my small class introduced themselves and said they chose this career path because they love to draw. I was wondering how much drawing is involved in graphic design?

And I think I will ease your mind and tell you that not all graphic designers can draw. Being able to draw may help from time to time, but it's not necessary to becoming a talented and successful designer. Understanding composition, color theory, typography, and the power of a line is what makes the difference.

Artists tend to gravitate towards graphic design because it's a possible career avenue that utilizes creativity. It's also possible that some of the very talented students (that can draw) may become illustrators in addition to designers.

So fear not -- you don't HAVE to be able to draw, it just might be helpful from time to time. And congrats on your decision to pursue graphic design! < back to top

3. How do you design for clients that promote beliefs other than your own. For example, if I am a vegetarian how do I design a website for good ol' Micky D?

This issue has come up two times in my design career.

I was once called to work at an agency on their "cigarette" account. It was great work and even better pay. I don't smoke, nor agree with the advertising directed towards teens. (this was when Joe Cool was still for teens) That day I turned it down and made the decision that I personally couldn't do it.

However, a copywriter I know very well was asked to write the entire web site for a large meat production plant. She is a vegetarian and has been since she was 13. She took the work. When she got to the plant she got the tour of the slaughter house and of the meat production. She then had to spend hours writing about *yummy* meat.

How did she do it? Just like anything else -- she researched her target market, learned about the industry, and took her personal emotion out of the project. When you design for a client, it's for the client, not yourself.

There is a good chance you will be faced with something like this in your design career. There is no right or wrong answer. It's a personal decision. I lost out on a big project and some money, and I have no regrets. And neither does the copywriter I know. < back to top

4. Where are all the designers over 35?

Great question! And I have a couple of theories for you:

A) Graphic design has a high burn-out rate. It is fun and exciting work, especially in the beginning. But after awhile, the projects start to feel the same and the deadline is always rush, rush, rush! Imagine designing hundreds of bi-fold brochures in a decade. Or hundreds of logos. Or hundreds of anything for that matter. In addition, the software changes every year and there is always something new to learn. This is what I love about design, but it does get a little exhausting.

B) SO much has changed since the 1980s. The designers that are over 35 used to design without computers. And many of them opted out of the career instead of moving forward in the 1990s. Graphic design has transformed into an entirely different type of career. And think about web design, it wasn’t even a career 10 years ago.

C) Many designers with 20+ years of experience tend to get into middle and upper management. They spend their days in meetings, planning and developing strategies for clients. After a couple of years of management, unless you are self-motivated and keep up your computer skills on your own time, you can quickly discover yourself *out of the market*. Many art directors and creative directors freelance on the side just to keep up with the software and keep their technical skills updated. < back to top

5. What was your worst day as a designer?

There is no single worst day, but the worst days are when you notice that your final printed piece, after working on it for a month, has a spelling error that neither you, nor your client, nor your proofreader caught and it's in the headline. Your stomach drops, your heart races, and you realize how human you really are. < back to top

6. What was your best day as a designer?

There is no single best day either, but the best days are when your client actually chooses the design concept that you felt was the best solution. It never fails, if you show a concept that you absolutely don't like, your client will be sure to pick it. < back to top