How do designers define their success?
Posted 27 May 2007, by Aaron
Recently there has been a fair amount of discussion on when to consider yourself a successful designer.
Lauren Marie began the discussion by saying:
I struggle a lot with seeing other designers who have been around for 5 or 10 or 35 years and thinking “Gosh, I wish I my designs were that good.” It’s hard to keep in mind that they have been at this for so many years and I am brand new. I want to be that good now!
Tara from Graphic Design Blog has taken this discussion and formed something of a meme out of it, and now I have been tagged by Charity from Design Adaptations to contribute.
I’ll begin by saying that I if I consider myself a designer at all, I consider myself a very inexperienced one and certainly not a successful one. But as someone who is undergoing something of a career change, it might be interesting to offer my perspective to the discussion.
1. How did you get started in the business?
For a number of years I’ve been working in marketing and corporate communications. By far my most enjoyable aspect of this job is the opportunity to work with designers - producing leaflets, brochures and magazines. I love being involved in creative projects and witnessing ideas develop from concepts to glossy 100 page magazines. This exposure to the design industry has made me realise where my heart lay.
Two years ago I began studying a course in my spare time on Multimedia Design, and I’ve loved every minute of it. In just over a weeks time it all comes to a crescendo with my end of year exhibition where I get the opportunity to sell myself to the industry. Hopefully this is where it really starts.
2. What kept you going in those early years?
It’s not been easy. Studying part time whilst also keeping up a busy full time job is a serious commitment. My girlfriend has been very tolerant and put up with a lot of me staying in all weekend and not doing anything particularly exciting. My social life has taken a bash. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been out clubbing with friends in the last two years - something I used to do quite regularly.
These are sacrifices than need to be made. Unfortunately I’m not getting any younger and career changes don’t get any easier as you get older. I’ve maintained my focus, kept my eye on the prize and worked very hard for two years.
3. Did you ever feel like you weren’t good enough or you would never make it in this industry?
To be honest, this is not a thought I’ll allow myself to entertain. If I did I’d have given up by now. I’m perfectly aware that there are many out there who have more talent than me at various abilities. However, I have my own unique skill-set which makes me more talented than others. I need to believe in myself. If I don’t believe in myself no-one else is going to believe in me either.
4. Do you look at others today and think “Wow, I wish I were that good”?
Of course I do, and I think this is perfectly healthy. I’m only two years in to my life as a designer so I’m totally aware that I’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s a lot more for me to learn and it can’t do me any harm to look at other successful and talented designers and learn from them. There’s nothing wrong with wishing to be that good if you can then aim to be that good too.
5. How do you measure success?
I have always set myself goals on a number of different levels. I have short-term goals, long-term goals and life goals. Two years ago I set myself the goal of completing the course I’m doing. In two weeks time I’ll be able to look back and say the last two years of my life have been two of the most successful years of my life. Then it will be a time to take stock, look forward and set myself a new set of goals for a new chapter of my life.
6. By your standard, do you think you are successful?
On the grand scheme of things, no, but relatively, yes. As I said, the last two years have been a resounding success, but there’s still a long way to go. There’s lots more to learn and lots more to achieve in my life. And that’s the way I like it. The closer I get to achieving my next success, the further into the distance I’ll set my future aims and aspirations. If I ever get to the point where I have achieved everything I want to achieve in life, I don’t know what I’d do with my myself.
How do you define your success?
I hope my answers provide some insight to the way I approach life and add some value to the discussion. I’d love to hear what you think of my answers or your take on any of the questions?
It’s been a great discussion with some excellent thoughts. Other contributions worth checking out include:
- David Airey - When do you consider you are a successful designer?
- Char (Essential Keystrokes) - When it Comes to Design How do you Define Success
- Paul Enderson - What Makes a Successful Designer?
- Vivien (Inspiration Bit) - When do you Consider you are a Successful Designer?
Many thanks to Charity for tagging me with this one. Moving forward I’d like to tag:
- Marc of Uniquely the Epitome (because I know he loves a good meme
) - Johno of Redsil Graphic Design
- Chanpory from Lifeclever
- Gregory of Nomadesigner
Thanks for the previous posts’ comments: David, Paul, Johno, Tara and Respiro.
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Paul Enderson
27 May 2007, 10:02 pm