A designer’s tips for aspiring designers
Seven things I’ve learned in my first year as a professional designer.
After a year working at Mission as a designer, I’m ready to share some tips for those of you who want to know what it’s like to work as a designer in a studio.
Coming directly from university, adjusting to a nine-to-five designer job can definitely be challenging. No amount of good grades can really prepare you for what is coming. It definitely helps to know your design history and theory — though working in a studio with professionals is something else than sitting in your bedroom on your computer, designing logos for companies that do not, nor will ever, exist.
I’ve certainly picked up on some invaluable lessons during my first year working as a professional designer. Perhaps it can be of help to someone else keen to get started as a designer, or insight to somebody who just wants a little inside peek of a design studio.
Seven tips for anyone wanting to become a designer
1. Find a company that resonates with you
As I took my graphic design degree in England, my familiarity of the players in the Norwegian industry was embarrassingly limited. During the final year of my bachelor, I spent a great deal of time researching different agencies and studios in Oslo, which is when I first got to know Mission.
I was captivated by their broad range of clients, and their inherently different projects and visual styles. I found that several of the Norwegian studios had quite a distinct “agency style”, where you could easily recognise the work of different studios based on their choice of type hierarchy, colour palette and array of mockups. Mission was different, and I was intrigued.
Following further reading, I discovered their focus on purpose. During my years at university, our lecturers emphasised the importance of informed design decisions — we continuously had to iterate, focus our work on the objective, the identity, the core of the problem and client. I recognised this as Mission’s design process, and I quickly gathered that this is where I wanted to be.
I strongly recommend my colleague Bård’s new book Point of purpose if you want to take a plunge into purpose and find what it’s all about.
2. Forget what you thought you knew
I started to work for Mission in October 2018, first as an intern, then as a junior designer. I had been a graduate for what felt like two minutes, and I was eager to apply all my fresh knowledge to a tangible job.
I was nervous, but I knew I was ready. I had been designing for years, I knew InDesign like the back of my hand, I had done exhaustive research on my new employer and its client base. My ego was bigger than I would like to admit, as I had actually got a job in a highly competitive industry almost straight after university. You could say I was a bit naïve going in.
As my bachelor had been relatively project based, I assumed I knew exactly what I was getting into. I didn’t.My research undoubtedly helped me in conversations with my co-workers, yet the design history and theory I was taught in university was not something we generally talked about. Everyone just sort of did. I had to completely alter my mindset, thinking about the client in an utterly different way.
It turned out to be an important and valuable lesson, as I was forced to use my academic knowledge in a far more sophisticated way. My education was naturally an immense benefit, however the application of it changed in a professional setting.
I was forced to use my academic knowledge in a far more sophisticated way.
3. Prepare to do a lot of talking
I was a hard-working student at university, and I received praise from my tutors for my time managing. I wish they would see me now! As a student, you’re manage your own time. I, for instance, typically worked on one project at a time, with a well-defined structure and aims, set by myself.
Working professionally with clients however, your role as a designer expands unto unfamiliar waters. You become a facilitator, coordinating between project managers, clients, developers, printers and the other designers on the team. There is a great deal of dialogue, communication, negotiating and persuading of others — most of it is good, but it can be difficult.
You certainly get to work on your people skills, and my confidence has strengthened. It had to, by constantly fending for my work, and dissecting it to my fellow designers or clients.
It helped that my superiors had confidence in me as well — it was imperative for me to demonstrate my worth and to honour my responsibilities in an entirely different way than merely getting good grades.
4. Do things you suck at
In a studio, your projects vary from A to Z. One of the first assignments I got, was modeling 3D trays and modules for a retail project. I was stunned and perplexed when it was assigned to me. What on earth was I going to do with this? I had no idea how to create objects in 3D!
In retrospect, it was a tremendously inspiring project to work on.Not only was I pushed out of my comfort zone, especially in terms of software (I cannot count how many SketchUp tutorials I have watched), but I had to consider design in a completely different manner than I was used to.
It provided me with new skills and widened my perspective of design. I now also pay further attention to retail design in my everyday life, taking a lot of inspiration from cleverly planned stores.
5. Be passionate
For the last couple of years, I have been sincerely passionate about designing for good causes. Reading the 1964 manifesto First things first by Ken Garland in university, I knew I desired to put my skills to good use, for the sake of society.
Going into the industry, I realised that these types of projects do not really come around very often. I also recognise that it currently is not viable doing socially conscious projects exclusively, but that you can always find clever ways to do sustainable design.
Nevertheless, you can imagine my excitement as my first ever individual project was for a charity. Hjelpekilden, a Norwegian NGO working to inform and aid children getting out of constraining religious groups, needed a 24-page brochure with insights from a workshop with the children. Editorial design and socially conscious *heart-eye-emoji*.
Not only was I happy to get the assignment because of its premise, but I was thrilled my team felt I was up for the challenge, taking on a project of my own, entrusting me with a new client. It was a small project, with a limited scope. However, I was able to work with something I was truly passionate about. It is still one of the projects I am most fond of to date.
I was thrilled my team felt I was up for the challenge, taking on a project of my own, entrusting me with a new client.
6. Take it seriously
The largest project I’ve worked on to date, is a 300-page printed annual report for the Norwegian salmon farmer Grieg Seafood. Boy, was I nervous in the kick-off meeting. It was a massive undertaking and responsibility, but I was consequently excited to demonstrate my skills. I did a massive amount of research beforehand, read everything I could find about the company, theoretic research on reporting in general, and mapping the visual styles of their competitors.
My research and dedication positively paid off, as I knew what I was talking about in meetings, and I could level with the clients as we discussed their advantages and problem areas. Check out the annual report we did for Grieg Seafood here.
In addition, what made it easier, was the trust that my co-workers had in me. The lead designer Marius and the project manager Inki gave me an abundance of freedom and space to voice my own opinions, which led me to show my worth to the team. Making difficult decisions and presenting design solutions to the client were things I got to be a part of, something which consequently gave me increased confidence for taking on other projects and presentations.
7. Don’t take it too seriously
Before I started working at Mission, I perceived it as a serious and sophisticated studio. I quickly learned that we’re so much more than that. Every time someone has a birthday, we create silly birthday cards, using our outstanding Photoshop skills to edit the face of the (un)lucky birthday boy or girl into some comical, sometimes bizarre, scenarios. There is a good amount of laughing. Lunch discussions range from pros and cons of the death penalty to what our latin rapper names would be.
Letting your guard down and relaxing a bit with your co-workers is imperative to create a healthy, tense-free office environment. As we are quite a small team, everyone is well acquainted, another aspect of Mission I deeply appreciate.
Our main priority is obviously doing great work — but there is no harm in having a little fun while doing so. As I worked freelance before coming to Mission, it was particularly pleasant to share the day with someone, continuously obtaining adept advice from people with broadly different skillsets. We sit in an open landscape, essentially shouting questions at each other, constantly receiving fresh input.
With a good mix of humility and confidence, Julie has accepted both tedious and challenging tasks with a big smile and delivered results at an impressive level.
— Karl Martin Sætren, Design Director at Mission
What Mission’s Design Director is looking for in young talents
Julie has been an injection of positive energy for Mission. With her smile and optimistic attitude, she’s an unmissable force in the studio. With a good mix of humility and confidence, Julie has accepted both tedious and challenging tasks with a big smile and delivered results at an impressive level.
As a “junior” she has had to help on many projects and tasks where the creative part was already done, but never complained or disappointed. Big, small, tedious and fun tasks all get full focus and are done thoroughly.
For us at Mission, it is important that everyone can “take one for the team” and help the agency deliver on time and with the quality we stand for.
Our designers must be able to take all projects and tasks seriously and find inspiration in the challenges that exist.
We do not want big egos and drama queens, but rather seek to give room and responsibility to those who can deliver quality, argue for their ideas and engage their colleagues.
Find out what projects designers work on at Mission.
Still curious to find out what it’s like to work for Mission? Read about Espen’s experiences after his first year.
This article was written by Julie Gaathaug and was first published on Mission’s website. Find out what other fascinating issues we write about.
