Full disclosure: I’m a 23-year-old graphic designer and not a seasoned expert. But I’ve learned enough in my two years of professional experience to offer tips to those pursuing design as a career. 

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I didn’t realize I had a passion for graphic design until college. I played around with Adobe projects for fun, but I felt I could turn this hobby into a useful skill set. I knew graphic design was a wide open field with many opportunities so I started to take it more seriously. Throughout college, I honed my skills by working on a variety of editorial, branding and web design projects. 

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In March of 2022, after working in designer roles at Fitchburg Museum and The UPS Store, I started working at DC&Co as an associate graphic designer. Most of my responsibilities involve producing high-quality design assets for our clients using the Adobe Creative Suite, among other tools. 

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I learned quickly that working at a design agency requires close collaboration on projects between our internal team and clients. What do “projects” entail? Clients want us to create visuals that enhance their messaging, including: branding, promotional material, website design, trade show branding and design, presentations, and advertising.

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In this blog post, I’ll share lessons I’ve learned about the design production process, client relations and remote work. My goal is to give young designers (like me!) some insights as they transition from school to design as a career. 

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Here are the four big lessons I’ve learned.

Lesson 1: Design production is full of surprises

I knew the production process in the professional world would be fast-paced. However, there are surprising aspects of design production for which my college education did not prepare me.

Manage your time wisely 

Clients have many design requests, but not all take the same amount of time. We deliver the best designs we can in a timely fashion, but surprise jobs come up that require a fast turnaround. In school, I never had surprise jobs like the ones clients spring on us, so being able to adapt quickly is a critical skill. 

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You’ll also need time to support your team. Inevitably, team members will call out for help when adjusting to a new flow of client work and supporting them requires time management skills that just aren't learned in school.

Be organized

Client projects involve different design assets, from trade show booths to social media ads to presentation slides. Given that we work on a lot of the same types of design assets for different clients, we style many documents for both internal and external teams. Labeling assets with the proper names and folders is important for working efficiently as a team and starting up new projects quickly.

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In college, I remember classmates losing track of files because the files were given nonsensical titles. So I got into the habit early on of paying attention to version control and keeping my files archived and organized.

Lesson 2: Remember not to get emotional 

One of the most important lessons as a designer is to never drag your emotions into a critique of the work. Negative feedback from a client is part of the job. With client feedback, it’s critical to approach discussions logically and leave emotions out of it. 

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Don’t forget, your job as a designer is to solve the client’s problems. Not everything you design will be amazing, and that’s ok. It’s more important that you clearly understand clients’ needs and expectations and then pour your design talents into solving their problems.

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I also think it’s important to continuously refine your work process rather than only focus on the end result. Learning through mistakes and letting the design process unfold naturally is more valuable than the finished product anyway as it will lead to better work over time.

Lesson 3: There’s a method to working remotely

We work remotely at DC&CO. It was easy for me to adapt to remote work at first as I generally tend to be on a computer. However, when being on a computer is part of your job, it becomes more difficult to balance work and life. 

Separate work from leisure 

Separating work and leisure space (both physically and mentally) is one of the most useful tips I learned during school. I was used to having a dedicated room where I could keep my mindsets separate. But in a professional context I have to create separation in the same desk area with a dual monitor setup. While I’m getting better at separating work and leisure between computer screens, I’m a work in progress!

Dress for success

“Dressing for work” – i.e. wearing business casual attire – has helped me work remotely. Notably, the clothes are less comfortable and I tend to have better posture to compensate for that. What I wear also helps create separation in how I feel and behave in and outside the work environment.

Make the most of your leisure time

Working as a remote designer can feel isolating when you aren’t physically with co-workers. 

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Thankfully, I have a schedule that allows me to see friends and family regularly. I’m also not afraid to send a quick Slack for “water bubbler” talk with co-workers. I may not have issues with workplace loneliness, but still I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for your mental well-being to get out of the house and enjoy your downtime.

Lesson 4: The design is in the details

A tiny alignment error or use of the wrong color early can derail a project later. So even when a project is going smoothly, taking a step back and making a detailed checklist can stop small mistakes from becoming big problems. 

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Stay ahead of the devilish details of design by:

• Having team members look over your work to prevent sending errors to clients.
• Learning to take breaks to fend off “design burnout” and also to give you fresh eyes.
• Embracing mistakes because they may be breakthroughs in disguise (aka “happy accidents”). Some of the best design comes from the little unexpected tweaks you make. So don’t throw out a design just because it’s not perfect.
  
  

In a short time at DC&Co, I’ve learned a ton about client relationships, deadline pressure and teamwork. I hope this post gives all you up-and-comers out there some guidance and inspiration as you pursue design as a career.

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If you’d like to learn more about design resources and opportunities, Email me at james@dcdesigncompany.com

Or, if you need help with project now — Start a project with us!

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