You're a Designer...I Know You Are.
I have worked in a places where you can see what others are working on and it is shocking how many people do some kind of design when it is not in their job description. They might not have any training and I am sure it is not listed as a skill on their resume. Back in the day this would have made me nervous and now it just gets me excited about the pervasiveness of design.
Over the years I had clients with people working on design projects and if they tried to move it to my shop almost every time the team member would beg to not have their favorite project taken away. Design is fun – no question about it. And if you are not responsible for results but just have to make something look good it is even more fun. Fun but not easy.
So it is in this spirit that I offer a few ideas for how you can grow in your work as a designer.
1. Focus on your visual diet
Think of it like maintaining good health. Be careful what you take in. If the best design you consume on a daily basis is Facebook your design work will suffer. Here is an idea; find a national bookstore where they have long shelves of magazines. The topic you chose does not really matter, instead it is how they visually treat the subject. I have seen gardening magazines that could make the best designers jealous but your first stops need to be architecture, fashion and food. These are visual fields of endeavor and they are often treated with a care that a periodical on say automotive engineering might not be. The next step is when you find a few magazines you like, subscribe to them, so each month fresh design goodies will come your way. Oprah and Martha Stewart’s magazines have consistently great design and you can subscribe to them for less than a dinner out.
Another key component to good design health is exercise. Do design work anytime you can and treat it like it was a high priority project with a full budget and give yourself parameters if there aren’t already enough attached. And maybe the best way to grow is to challenge yourself to come up with 5-10 rough sketches, on paper, before you ever move a mouse. It does not matter if you do not draw well because a good design sketch of say a letter sized page is just a rectangle and a headline is a squiggle of lines. The purpose of sketches is to move quickly while you think through the design challenges.
2. The topic of design - is almost always beautifully designed
Design magazines provide not only ways to learn about the art and science of design but can also be great examples of design. The best design magazine that has stood the test of time is Communication Arts. In most ad agencies or design studios older than 10 years there will be a long shelf full of this magazine somewhere near where the Creative Director lives and everyone in the shop will refer to them at one point or another.
And of course there are websites dedicated to design with all types of specialties. A solid place to start is brought to us by the software maker of our most important tools – Adobe. Their design site BeHance is easy to search and also has a bit of community.
3. If you are a people person - join a design group
The best group in American is The American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA). Stuffy name, awesome organization. Founded in 1914 it now has 70 national chapters and 25,000 members. If you are close to a big city you will find a group there hosting speakers, doing workshops and helping designers grow and stay sharp.