3 things I wish I knew when I started out as a Graphic Designer

The reality is there are some things that education can’t prepare you for in the world of Graphic Design. I graduated with my degree from Falmouth University back in 2016 and at that point, whilst my technical education slowed down, my education in business, diplomacy and different forms of problem-solving began. There’s no real way that a school can teach you how to deal with a difficult client for example or what to do when you hit the wall. So in hope of guiding or simply forewarning those about to take the plunge into the world of design here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from working in the field over my career that you might not find in a textbook.  

1. It’s okay to ask for help

A recurring theme in any blog post I write or any tip I would give for that matter will always be that communication is king. Learning to express your ideas fluently and more importantly listening to your clients’ desires is paramount to success in this industry and is in truth the art of design itself.

A large part of this which is less talked about however is the ability to show vulnerability and ask for help when you need it. When I was starting out and finally got some clients who believed in me the pressure hit, to not mess up, to use the time they’re paying for wisely and to simply be good enough. Yes, you’re a professional but that doesn’t mean you have all the answers immediately. Projects will vary from posters for a gig to rebrands for a cafe to brochures for a bike shop and you can’t possibly be the expert in every client’s needs without asking some questions. It is not your job to pull the perfect project out of your hat with no guidance. It’s far more impressive to clients to see you ask the right questions, inform yourself and show them you’re committed to delivering the best possible outcome for them.

2. The client is always right (sometimes ;))

Unfortunately, it’s true, the logo does need to be bigger and the project will be perfect when you ‘just make it pop’. 

Joking aside, your job is to get your client what they want and although our expertise and training in what looks good and what works are superior at the end of the day this is their business. To be good at your job isn’t to make what you think looks best, it’s to learn what your client needs and make that work using your logic and expertise. When I started out I realised every client had a dictionary full of amendments and this is of course very annoying, ‘why is EVERY client so difficult?’. But what I soon learned was that the real skill in design is to read your client and empathise with them so well that this amendment list becomes smaller and smaller until it might not even be necessary at all. Stay humble, listen to what they want and execute with all the finesse you’ve built up in your arsenal.

Of course, sometimes clients can be overly difficult, give bad direction and be entirely unfair. In these cases, there may not be a solution and you may need to change tact. If they really don’t trust your professional opinions and you’re jumping through hoops all day then it might be worth parting ways. Just remember to always be respectful and work towards their dream before your own.

3. Compromise with perfectionism

We’re all perfectionists, that’s why we became designers in the first place. But perfection is expensive and inefficient for you and your client so sitting around nitpicking for 8 hours on a job that was budgeted for 4 costs you as well as your client.

What isn’t perfect to you might be someone else’s masterpiece and sometimes the job doesn’t even need that. This is something that comes with experience and may be hard to commit to early days for most new designers. We all want to smash it out of the park and wow every client that steps through the door and so you should but when you have 10 clients knocking at once and deadlines are fast approaching, you need to learn which clients need the Sistine Chapel and which really just need a few dabs of paint. Save your time, energy and not to mention mental health by gauging the real needs of your clients instead of trying to give everyone the world.

This goes back to the previous point about the client’s needs vs. your opinion as a designer. If they want to spend 2 hours on a poster, take two hours. Trust your skills and play the brief, not everything needs to go in your portfolio.