If you’ve recently finished your design course, or are just new to your design career, I have so much to share with you. (Actually, I have an entire Learning Center full of information to share with you as well :).
There’s so much you’ll learn along the way, through books and mentors, happy mistakes, and also some less pleasant mistakes.
Some lessons are difficult to internalize without experiencing them for yourself, but if I can save you from just one painful mistake - with knowledge you can learn from here instead of learning it the hard way from life experience - then I’ll consider this article a success.
My Top Advice for Design Graduates
Try new things
Try new things - different design styles, techniques, tools, areas of the industry. Experiment with different styles and see what you like. You don’t need to pick a niche or industry now (or ever). Be willing to do all types of projects and you’ll always be learning.
Don’t limit yourself - never say “I can’t.” You can literally do anything. It’s just a matter of time - is it worth the amount of time it will take to master or accomplish this task? If not, then you’re not saying no because you can’t, you’re saying no because you choose not to do this. You never know what you might be good at, so try everything!
When you’re designing something - don’t settle on the first design, layout, or idea that hits you. Keep pushing yourself and trying new things. You don’t really know if something will work until you try it for yourself. You learn through experience so the more options you design now the more you’ll know when the next project comes along. The more you push yourself with the projects you currently have, the faster your creativity and design skills will expand and grow.
Do what scares you
If you want to keep on learning and growing, quickly, never staying stagnant - go outside your comfort zone. Doing scary things is what helps you get to the next level. So get uncomfortable with doing the uncomfortable.
Build friendships
Keep up these relationships you’ve formed with your classmates. And build new ones with those in our industry and peripheral ones - designers, copywriters, developers, illustrators, photographers, marketers, etc. These people are your best referral source and support network whenever you run into trouble.
The key to the best networking - being truly friends. Don’t connect for your own sake - connect because you have something to give, because you care about them or have something in common to connect about. It needs to be genuine.
Be generous
Be generous with your knowledge and helpful to others. Reciprocity is powerful and you’ll feel better about running your business in a way that’s aligned with your values.
You don’t have to worry that by sharing resources you’re helping your competition. Don’t view other designers that way - there’s more than enough clients to go around. You’re not competitors — you’re essentially virtual co-workers. Sharing builds you both up.
Hashem will send the right clients for each of you towards the correct recipient. No one can steal them from you.
Know your “enough” number
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle of always trying to make more money and constantly comparing your sales and income to other designers. But really, you don’t need to earn the same amount as anyone else. You need to earn the amount that YOU need. So do your math, figure out your expenses and how much you want to put into savings, and decide on your two income goals - the minimum you need to cover your needs, and your max “enough” amount. The point at which you say I am on track to earn enough and can now stop working and instead spend time doing other things.
Along those lines - always work on your emunah/bitachon. My suggestion is to sign up for the Emunah for Entrepreneurs emails.
Pricing tips
Always track your work so that you know approximately how long each type of project takes you. You can then use those numbers to approximate how long future projects will take and track your profitability per project to adjust your pricing accordingly.
Always add 20% to your quotes as a buffer to cover extra add-ons you throw in for the client, mistakes or creative block, and profit.
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If you want some more advice from other experienced designers, check out the extended version of this post over on Frocks in Stock.
Looking for an experienced eye to review and help polish your portfolio?
Check out design critique for graphic designers and be in touch to get started!
Check out design critique for graphic designers and be in touch to get started!