Starting out: advice for becoming a designer
With the London Design Festival coming to a close we thought a piece collating inspiration and advice for young people considering design as a career path would be apt. We asked a handful of talented visual and graphic designers to share their advice and experiences through the medium of images and illustrations designed by themselves.
1. Create an online portfolio of your work
“A great online portfolio that you’re passionate about is key to getting employers interested, and giving you something to talk about in an interview. Only include the work you’re proud of, if you don’t have much, do some concept work, or set yourself a brief. Most of my favourite pieces of work are early stage, experimental concepts.” — Jim Kynvin
Jim is an experienced designer of high quality infographics and interactives. He is head of design at Graphic Digital Agency, and also works on freelance projects. Follow him on twitter @mcinven
2. Invest time in side projects
“At the beginning of my career I focussed on gaining as much experience as possible. I would accept every job (often unpaid)to help me to build my network. Some of the side projects I encountered along the way allowed me to gain new clients, develop new skills, or experiment in a new field — all of which opened up endless opportunities for my career” — Meg Gaffarelli
Meg is a talented visual designer with a background in graphic design and animation. She’s worked at a whole heap of places including FutureLearn, Nearly Normal and Canvas8. She's now designing on the go in the southern hemisphere. Follow her on twitter @creativeapricot, where she often tweets interesting articles in relation to design.
3. Keep yourself entertained
“Whether you’re a permanent member of staff or a freelance designer, no matter where you work there will inevitably be projects that you find boring. Don’t let this stop you from being creative though. Entertain yourself by trying out new things on the side and keep using your thinker to come up with ideas” — Sam O’Neill
Sam is a digital designer at the Guardian. In addition to design Sam also taught himself how to code so that he could create cool interactives like this.
If you’re interested in getting a career in design then feel free to add questions and comments to the piece. Or if you’re a designer already and would like to contribute please message us on twitter @startoutcareer
