Your First Graphic Design Job

Congratulations! You just graduated, and you are ready to take on the design world. Be the next Paul Rand or as close as one can get.

3 months go by and all you have to show for it is larger love handles and a folder full of cover letters and resumes that did not deliver. Finally some sees your shining potential, the impact your design sense and drive can make on their business, “When can you start?” and life is great.

This is not the definitive list, but it is the basics…hopefully will cushion the blow some. ;-)

Everything takes just 5 minutes

This is true by no means. That does not matter to your boss, art director, advertising director or copywriters unless it applies to them. Expect unrealistic requests.

Everyone has an opinion

As designers our goal is to communicate a message. Paul Rand the designer I eluded to earlier said,
Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.
Take it all in stride. They have an opinion and they may be right, so listen, evaluate, edit and design. Don’t ever forget our job as designer is to produce a quality product the customer is happy with first and satisfy ourselves second.

Can you add drop shadows, outline and gradient to everything?

I am not saying I never use these photoshop tools, but there is a difference between using them to enhance a design and using them to make up for a bad design or to draw the wrong kind of attention. I liken it to a woman who wears a beautiful necklace. It compliments her and adds to her beauty. Then you have the lady with 3 rings on every finger and toe, 8 earrings in each ear and the Mr. T starter kit. Her message is no longer look at how beautiful I am. Now it is huh?

Have you ever wondered why clients ask for bad designs? I came across this quote several years ago and held on to it, because the longer I do this…the more reinforced it becomes.

The public is more familiar with bad design than good design. It is, in effect, conditioned to prefer bad design, because that is what it lives with. He new becomes threatening, the old reassuring.

— Paul Rand

The rules of design won’t always apply…

Every designer does or should understand the fundamentals of design. There are rules of design you just don’t break. But guess what. Your boss does not care he wants you to stretch the text. They want you to bastardize the text and destroy all the work somebody put into that little piece of art. Your Boss may not care about alignment, balance, contrast or proximity. She doesn’t care that it is March she wants a green and red advertisement even though Christmas is not even close. She likes Christmas and thinks everyone else does too, so they will be happy when they see the ad.

Pick your battles. Try to explain to them, but don’t expect a miracle.

I pray you won’t ever have to work for a company or have a client like this, but the truth is you will, and if you don’t feel these rules make sense or you feel rule #3 is stupid then you my friend had better evaluate your future as a designer.

Summary

You are designing for your boss, not you, not the target audience, not that cute girl in the coffee shop that makes you a grande latte extra whip cream every morning. I have seen many designers fail when it comes to accepting this awful truth. Their ego and ambition works against them. I’m not saying toss out the fundamentals and break the rules. I’m saying do your job, satisfy your bosses requests. Over time you will build a relationship…the trust will increase and you will be able to have more input, but until that day comes…shut up and do your job and you will be just fine.