How to survive the design industry…

Having been a designer for several years, I’ve learned many simple lessons that I wish I had known from the get-go. Things like “don’t wear a suit to an interview” and “never get blind drunk with your creative director at an awards ceremony..” (I should probably have guessed that) and “never be afraid to ask questions – in fact, ALWAYS ask questions”

As well as those three golden rules – here’s a list of my ‘Top tips to becoming a better designer’
Do you have any you could add?

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Tip 1. Always ask questions. Whether it’s your creative director, your client or your nan – asking questions is the only way you’ll get answers and ensure your on the same page. If you’re ever unsure of exactly what is being asked of you, asking the question sooner rather than later can save a lot of time and heartache.

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Tip 2. Set yourself deadlines. It’s easy when designing to disappear down a rabbit hole. As creative people little ideas can strike at any time and we want to see how they all will pan out. Set yourself strict amounts of time to work on each aspect of a project to make sure you’ve always got the bigger picture in sight.

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Tip 3. Always have a sketchbook to hand. This is really several tips in one. You should always start designing on paper – it’s quicker to get your ideas in to something real and it’s way more fun. Rather than using any old scrap you’ve got to hand use a sketchbook. It’s a nice tidy way to keep everything together. It’s a record of all the ideas you’ve had, that you can return to at any time and idle doodles that didn’t make any sense at the time can suddenly take on new meaning in light of a new project.

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Tip 4. Always stand up for what you believe in. Design is a subjective discipline, and not everyone will share the same opinion. Sometimes, people will tell you that you’re wrong or that you’ve broken some kind of unwritten rule of design. Never forget that this is also an opinion. Learn what you can from others, but if you feel strongly about your point of view – stick to it!

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Tip 5. There is no such thing as a bad idea!

Hx