Saturday, August 25, 2012

29 Things Young Designers Need to Know

I came across this article on BonExpose.com the advise comes from one Doug Bartow of id29.
The advise is sound, and even though this was written for graphic designers any type of designer will do good to take note of the advice. Have a look lets learn and improve our game,some of us might be doing some of it already some of us might learn something new. Under the poster I copied some of the points that may be more relevant to the mas game.



2. PLAY NICE
People you work with and for will make your blood boil from time to time.
Whenever possible, be a pro and take the high road. Avoid burning bridges, as people change jobs more often than they did a generation ago.
Your paths may cross again in a much different situation, and having a good working history together will make rehiring you easy.
Apply this to your online persona as well.
Anonymous jabs are petty—be better than that.

4. DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE
Who are you speaking to and what is the objective?
If you can’t definitively answer both of these questions about a project you’re about to start working on, go back to the drawing board.
Graphic design is simply a plan that visually articulates a message. Make sure you have the message and its intended viewer sorted out before you start making.
Communicate with purpose—don’t just make eye candy.

5. BE YOURSELF
Be confident in yourself as an author, designer, photographer, creative.
Don’t work in a particular personal style. Rather, develop a personal approach to your creative work.
Your commissioned work should never be about you, but it can certainly reveal your hand as the designer.
As your work becomes more well-known, you will get hired for exactly that. For your personal work, don’t be afraid to tell your story.
No one else is going to do it for you.

7. COLLECT AND SHARE EVERYTHING
Find and save relevant and interesting things and pass them along to your friends, co-workers, followers and clients. Use the web and social media to share your own photos and work, as well as the work of others you find engaging.
Be funny, serious, irreverent, businesslike, self-promotional, curatorial, whatever—just be yourself.
For everyday inspiration, surround your workplace with the design ephemera you collect (see No. 5).

8. BE A DESIGN AUTHOR
Develop ideas. Write them down, edit them, share them and elicit a response.
Poof! You’re a design author. Read design blogs and participate in the discussions.
Have an opinion. If you find yourself spending hours a week contributing to other designers’ blogs, consider starting your own.
The cost and effort for startup are minimal, and the opportunities are diverse.

9. BUILD YOUR BOOK
One piece of advice I give young designers looking to fill out their portfolios is to find the best local arts organization with the worst visual brand identity or website and make a trade.
They get some great design work, and you get creative control and real-world projects in your book that other potential clients will recognize.

13. DEFEND YOURSELF
One of the biggest benefits of a formal design education is the lessons learned in the crit room defending your work in front of your instructor and peers.
If you can articulate your ideas and design process in that hostile environment, learning to do the same in client meetings usually comes easy
(see No. 21).

21. SEEK CRITICISM, ACCEPT PRAISE
As a designer, listening to your ideas being questioned and your hard work being ripped apart isn’t usually very pleasant.
However painful, though, constructive criticism of your design work is the most effective way to grow as a visual communicator.
Remember this when you leave the crit rooms of design school for the boardrooms of the corporate world.
Build a network of friends, co-workers and mentors you can use to collect feedback on your work.
Online sites (heavy with anonymous commentary) are not an acceptable substitute for this discourse.

23. KNOW YOUR HISTORY
Learn as much as you possibly can about the history of graphic design—its movements, terminology and important figures.
Understanding design’s cultural past will help you design in the present and future.
Study typefaces and their designers, and share with your clients the significance and history of the particular typefaces you’ve chosen for their projects

25. MAKE MISTAKES
Take a measured break from your comfort zone and experiment with an approach you’ve never tried before.
Force yourself to take chances with form: Use a different technique or medium with text and image to create work you’re unfamiliar and uncomfortable with.
Save and display your best piece as a reminder to think differently.

26. KEEP A SKETCHBOOK
You don’t need to be prolific at drawing to benefit from keeping a small book in your bag or back pocket.
Ideas tend to arrive at the strangest times, and being able to record them on the spot will help you remember them later.
When you fill a book, date, number and shelve it. Soon your bookcase will be a library of your best thoughts and ideas


29. TEACH OTHERS
Regardless of your experience, get involved with mentoring younger designers—or students who may be interested in design as a potential career path.
It doesn’t require developing a curriculum to get involved. Find a local AIGA chapter, design program or arts center and volunteer some of your time.
Participate in local student portfolio reviews, and share your knowledge and expertise with aspiring designers.
You’ll find the experience rewarding for everyone involved.

source: http://bonexpose.com/

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