So You Want to Be a Designer

Dec 27, 2010 in Blog

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So you want to be a designer, but don’t know where to start? Building up your portfolio can be a seemingly daunting task for the beginning designer. If you’re like me, you struggled with this early on, wondering what to put in, or even how to get anything done to put into it in the first place. There are a variety of ways you can build up work to put into your book, some that may seem like a good idea, and others that you plain wouldn’t expect.

Avoid ‘Just For Fun’ Work

This is a broad statement, I know. What I mean is, avoid using work you do ‘just for fun’ for your portfolio. In my experience, work done just for you does not have the same impact, or even the same process behind it--doing work for someone else, you are more likely to be fully conscious of the design decisions you’ve made, and more determined to produce a higher quality piece–after all, it’s your reputation on the line! When you’ve done work for someone, you’ll be better able to explain in to anyone viewing your portfolio–the process you took to reach the final design, the meaning behind it, and the reasoning behind major design decisions.

I realize every university is different–but I’d also warn against using classroom pieces, unless done for real-world applications. Much of the work I had done in university courses were for made up ‘clients’ that you could not bounce ideas off of, or even research since the client didn’t actually exist. One of the most important steps to reaching a high quality design is to research your client, their target market and the general ‘taste’ of the people you are trying to reach–these are all things you miss out on when simply making something up for the fun of it.

That being said, don’t stop doing work for yourself. It’s a great way to spend your downtime working on a pet project you love, while keeping your creative juices flowing!

No Spec Work

This is a topic I keep touching on, and I feel very strongly about avoiding spec work and contest sites. Having personal experience with these kinds of sites, I’ve learned the hard way that they are not worth your effort.

Just coming out of university, I was stuck with the common question of where to begin with building up my portfolio. After discovering these contest-based design websites, I of course thought it was a great idea–with little real-world design experience, this seemed like a perfect place to get work experience while potentially earning money on the side.

The reality was that I found myself working far too hard for no guarantee of pay, while being absolutely disrespected by some clients. Granted, you could find some gems on these sites–I found a couple return clients during this period–the fact is I was still effectively running a design sweatshop, producing 50+ design concepts for maybe the chance to win $250–oh, and ‘great exposure.’

Because of the nature of these sites valuing quantity over quality, your portfolio will only suffer, while at the same time adding to the notion that this is how design work is supposed to be done.

Trade of Services / Pro Bono

Instead of these contest sites, look towards other professionals for a trade of service. Trade your service with someone that has a skill that you need, and the outcome can be mutually beneficial.

For instance, if you know a great copywriter with no website, and that happens to be your area of expertise but you can’t write, then trade your web design services in exchange for the copy on your own website. Just make sure that the time put in is comparable on both ends, and treat this like a paying job, because it is: time is money

Also look locally for non-profits and charities that you align yourself with, and offer work for them pro-bono. Not only is this a great way to add to your body of work, but you begin to get your name around locally and who doesn’t like the warm and fuzzies from helping out a worthy cause? Don’t be afraid to ask for credit for your work. Pro-Bono doesn’t have to mean anonymous.

Be Proactive

Stay active in the design community: read blogs, articles and publications. Surrounding yourself in design as well as the work and writing of those you admire will inevitably, along with practice make you a better designer. Seeing the best work on a constant basis subconsciously steps up your game and your own expectations of yourself.

Join your local chapter of AIGA, attend meet-and-greets. Pick a few job boards and become active on those as well–don’t get discouraged, remember that the hardest job to get is the first. As your portfolio builds, so will your visibility. Remember to submit your best work to design publications!

Where should I frequent?

Here are a few blogs and websites I find myself visiting on a regular basis–the designers are professional, friendly and know what they’re talking about. All in all, great resources for designers in all stages of their career.

Inspiration

The Design Inspiration

http://thedesigninspiration.com/

Daily inspiration from all aspects of the creative arts, from logo design to photography.

LogoLounge

http://www.logolounge.com

A high quality website and publication focused on logo design, the history of and study of current trends.

Designer Daily

http://www.designer-daily.com/

Inspiration, tutorials and job listings.

Blogs

Mike Mai

http://graphicdesignerboston.com/

Boston based web designer, artist and all around cool dude.

Freelance Folder

http://freelancefolder.com/

A great resource for freelancers of all skillsets.

David Airey

http://www.davidairey.com/

A talented designer and writer, with plenty of good things to say!

Sound Off!

Do you have any stories or tips to share?

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Yes, your logo is a strong, important part of your identity as a company… and it sucks.

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Back to the Basics

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