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tim · 08:07 PM

i found this today via stumbleupon.

very helpful especially for me... or maybe just me.

Quote:

1. Your diploma doesn’t help you to find a job

But your portfolio does! Of course it’s a good thing to get a design education and a proof of it, but when it comes to get money out of their wallet clients want to see what you are capable of, not a diploma. When looking for work, I never had to show my diploma, not even once.

2. Good design takes time, don’t set too tight deadlines

When you are in design school, the teacher sets the deadlines for you and tries to give you enough time. Your boss or your client will not be like your design teacher, they will try to push you to be more productive and give you too little time to get work done. All my worst designs have been created when I agreed to work with unrealistic deadlines.

3. You clients don’t think that you are an artist

They just think you should help them to sell more. This doesn’t mean you should give up on good design, it just means that you’ll have to be convincing when you want to bring a more artistic touch to a job. I’ve been very frustrated with this when I first got out of school, but I learned to deal with it by educating my clients.

4. You must be able to handle irrelevant criticism

When you are in school, you learn a lot from getting criticized by your teachers and classmates. Obviously these people all have some design skills, sometimes more than yourself. It is much harder to handle critics about your work when they come from people with no design education. You can be sure that you’ll hear some insane things and have to deal with it.

5. You should backup your data on a regular basis

Most people learn this the hard way, the day their computer crashes. Usually it happens at the worst time, before a client meeting or something similar. If you think that this isn’t design-related, you are totally wrong.

6. Start networking, now!

Be sociable, even if you are the best designer out there, nobody will know it if people don’t get a chance to meet you. You don’t even need to attend work-related events, just join a sport team, drama group or whatever suits you, the most important thing is that you meet some like-minded people. When with people, don’t oversell and talk about your work all the time, but be sure never to miss an opportunity when you think that someone could need your skills.

7. Make sure your client signs a contract

This is sometimes annoying, especially when you think that you can trust the client, but it can save you a lot of trouble. You should make it a habit to have you clients signing a simple and comprehensive contract before starting to work. If you have no clue of how to write a contract, phone your mother.

8. Learning design is an ongoing process

Getting your diploma doesn’t mean that your design education is over, far from it. As a designer you have to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, software updates and industry news, or you’ll quickly lose touch.

9. Being a good designer is not only about talent

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”. This quote by Thomas Jefferson says it all about the importance of hard work in creative fields. As a designer, you need to read, work and experiment constantly, it is the only way to let your natural talent explode.

10. Your printer will stop working when you need it the most

Need to print your design to go meet your client? Chances are that your printer will chose that moment to die. Make sure you have some friends or working partners willing to help in these cases.

chrismitchell · Post 2 Posted 04-07-09

talk about point out the blatently obvious

tim · Post 3 Posted 04-07-09

yeah for half-experienced people.

i wish i'd have come across this ages ago though, half of this i never knew.

like #1. my first client (a complete tosser) didn't sign a contract (as we *were* friends). fail

chrismitchell · Post 4 Posted 04-07-09

ahh yes... I guess my HND was a different course to other design based ones.. as I had to run my own business for 2 years while I was there as part of the course...

tim · Post 5 Posted 04-07-09

wow, i've been looking for a HND for months.

chrismitchell · Post 6 Posted 04-07-09

I went to Farnborough College of Technology.. admittedly it was almost 10 years ago now that I finished there

tim · Post 7 Posted 04-07-09

lol okay cool i'll check it out.

i'm sure this post could just be deletedo.

tbwcf · Post 8 Posted 04-07-09

Chris you went to Farnborough College of Technology???

I live in Camberley, formerly Mytchett.... Small world!

I presume you not local now?!

tbwcf · Post 9 Posted 04-07-09

Sorry for the tangent Tim, all good points and although obvious are worth remembering sometimes your too close to the wood to see the trees

chrismitchell · Post 10 Posted 04-07-09

Nope not any more.. I used to live in Woking, then moved to New Zealand in 2002, was there for 5 years then came back to Woking then got a job and moved to London with my now fiance

now planning on moving to Milton Keynes before our wedding

i've moved around a bit

I know Mychett very well, used to travel through it between Woking and Farnborough (and North Camp

LOL) Did you ever go to a greasy spoon in North Camp called Checkers? They did the best fry up for £3.00 was great on a Sunday morning LOL

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chrismitchell <<My Fiance/Team DF 4,325 Posts Milton Keynes	talk about point out the blatently obvious The Widdler's Wee Online Farm Follow us on Twitter Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy! Don't forget to donate blood!
	Post 2 Posted 04-07-09

tim Onartis-basher 4,160 Posts	yeah for half-experienced people. i wish i'd have come across this ages ago though, half of this i never knew. like #1. my first client (a complete tosser) didn't sign a contract (as we were friends). fail Dr. Frappucino
	Post 3 Posted 04-07-09

chrismitchell <<My Fiance/Team DF 4,325 Posts Milton Keynes	ahh yes... I guess my HND was a different course to other design based ones.. as I had to run my own business for 2 years while I was there as part of the course... The Widdler's Wee Online Farm Follow us on Twitter Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy! Don't forget to donate blood!
	Post 4 Posted 04-07-09

tim Onartis-basher 4,160 Posts	wow, i've been looking for a HND for months. Dr. Frappucino
	Post 5 Posted 04-07-09

chrismitchell <<My Fiance/Team DF 4,325 Posts Milton Keynes	I went to Farnborough College of Technology.. admittedly it was almost 10 years ago now that I finished there The Widdler's Wee Online Farm Follow us on Twitter Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy! Don't forget to donate blood!
	Post 6 Posted 04-07-09

tim Onartis-basher 4,160 Posts	lol okay cool i'll check it out. i'm sure this post could just be deletedo. Dr. Frappucino
	Post 7 Posted 04-07-09

tbwcf Designer/Developer 1,003 Posts	Chris you went to Farnborough College of Technology??? I live in Camberley, formerly Mytchett.... Small world! I presume you not local now?! The boy who cried fox. Tweeting it up
	Post 8 Posted 04-07-09

tbwcf Designer/Developer 1,003 Posts	Sorry for the tangent Tim, all good points and although obvious are worth remembering sometimes your too close to the wood to see the trees The boy who cried fox. Tweeting it up
	Post 9 Posted 04-07-09

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Design Forums - UK Graphic Design & Web Design Forum

helpful (but obvious) article