Advice for a new designer

What is 1 view? Designers and authors have at least two things in common—they think they know stuff and they believe other people care what they think. This, of course, could have something to do with the fact that many of us have blimp-like egos. Being both a designer AND an author I have enough opinions for three people (I hear you, but technically I AM an author—a reporter once told me anyone who writes a couple of books that are published by someone other than his parents can legitimately be called an author).

Find the right place to learn Numero uno is this: find talented, experienced people to work with early on. It is tempting to accept a job where you run the show—where you are perhaps the top or only designer—or to become a freelancer. For most of us, I think working in that kind of vacuum is a mistake until you have five or ten years of real work experience. You miss out on all the valuable information you absorb by being around design-wise people—the day-to-day thinking and processing that turns ideas into results.

If you're serious about your career, go right to the top. Who do you think are the top designers in the world? The top copywriters? What are the top ten advertising agencies and design studios? Go to them and ask for a job—no kidding. Work cheap if you have to, while you can afford to, and take advantage of real-world, on the job learning. It is the fast track to knowledge.

Learn about the business side of creativity If I knew twenty years ago what I know now I'd have learned more about the business side of creativity. The truth is, it is tuff to make big bucks working for an hourly wage. To make money you have to franchise your knowledge—you have to employ people, markup costs, make presentations, and take financial risks.

To my way of thinking, it as just as important to get to know the account managers and media buyers (and what they do) as it is to get acquainted with the creative director.

You'll be way ahead of the game if you read—The Business Side of Creativity by Cameron Foote—a hands-on guide to running a graphic design or communications business, and if you're contemplating striking out on your own, The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber—a brilliant book that will help you determine whether you should or not.

Master your presentation skills The next best career advice I can give you is this: if your presentation skills are weak, you must improve them. Not should—must. Today, as you are reading these page, there are thousands of truly brilliant ideas being generated in the minds of timid people. They will never see the light of day because the artists are unable to sell them—they are too nervous, too intimidated, or simply lack the skills to communicate their ideas with clarity and enthusiasm.

If you fear talking to a group or just have trouble organizing your thoughts—make learning these skills one of your top priorities. I know it sounds hokey, but take the basic Dale Carnegie Course (dalecarnegie.com) then join your local Toastmasters Club (toastmasters.org). This combination will do more for you personally than you can imagine—I guarantee it.

Don't let your work get in the way of your life Of all these things, the most important thing I can tell you is this: don't let your work get in the way of your life. I tell you this because at its best, the job of being an art director, a designer, a copywriter, or some other type of marketeer, can be so much fun, so satisfying, that you get it confused with being important.

In reality, what really matters most, in my opinion, is how your work helps or hinders the really important stuff—how well you serve your God, your family, and those around you. This, as you might guess, is the advice I have the most trouble following myself.