Graphic Designers: The Grass is Greener on The Product Side
Why graphic designers are uniquely qualified to transition into product design, and how they can make that move
In Washington, D.C. and smaller markets between the coasts, designers like you and I can too easily find ourselves staying within our comfort zone, earning low salaries, and accepting the status quo. But if you’re a graphic designer looking for a way to break out of your rut, I encourage you to consider product design.
As a Product Design Lead at Upside Business Travel, I review candidate applications and interview designers. The candidate pool is filled with non-designers applying after they’ve completed an expensive 10-week boot camp. (Spoiler alert: they don’t yet have the experience needed.) But to all the graphic designers out there — where are you? You’re uniquely qualified to rise to this new challenge. I recently hosted a Salon with AIGA DC to share why I’d rather see more graphic designers in the hiring pool.
Product designers use a collection of skills — including visual, user experience, and interaction design — to build digital products that serve customer and business needs. The term ‘product design’ also encompasses a way of working: collaborating daily with product managers and engineering teams and using methodologies like Agile and Lean Startup. You can read more about what product design is from others; but I’m here to focus on why graphic designers like you (yes, you!) should make the move into the field, and how you can make the career shift.
For starters, you’ve got the skills…
As a graphic designer, you’ve already got a baseline set of soft skills. All designers are trained to empathize with their customers and to seek the ‘why’ behind the problem before pursuing a solution. You’re skilled at translating ideas into visual sketches. Additionally, you have years of experience receiving critical feedback about your work, and giving it constructively to others.
Many of the hard skills needed for product design relate to the basic Elements and Principles of Design. No matter what you’re designing, you’re considering design elements of color, line, point, shape, texture, space and form. Even more importantly, you know the principles of design: unity/harmony, balance, hierarchy, scale/proportion, emphasis, and similarity/contrast. Additionally, your experience with typography is still key for product design. Finally, you work every day with design software; if you have mastered Adobe Creative Suite, you can easily pick up new tools like Sketch, InVision, or Figma.
But know this. While you have baseline of tools, there will be some new skills you need to develop. These can include:
- Practicing a variety of user research methods and synthesizing results
- Leveraging best practices for user experience and interaction design
- Learning how to design for responsive websites and native applications across devices
- Mastering new interactive prototyping software like InVision, Marvel, Principle, or Figma
- Discovering how design systems and code frameworks, like Material Design or the US Web Design System, make everything easier
- Understanding business needs and how to balance those with customer desirability
- Communicating effectively with engineers to know whether or not your design is feasible, ensure its efficiency, and get your design vision built. (You don’t need to know how to code; you will only need to be fluent in talking about code, especially basic CSS.)
To transition into this space, you’ll need to develop new skills and demonstrate them in your portfolio. But with your existing design strengths, these new skills will be easier to learn than for anyone else transitioning from a different career.
Casting a wider skill set net…
When I talk to aspiring product designers, I talk about the collection of skills as a big umbrella, ranging from those best used for discovery all the way to implementation. Product designers don’t work at an expert level across the skill umbrella. You should know what you are great at, what you want to develop more, and what areas you’re less interested in strengthening.
How will you learn and practice all of these new skills? Try gaining experience by practicing with real business and customer needs. When I need to refine and hone my skills, here’s what I do:
- Go to school. Learn through independent reading, college courses, online courses, trainings, meetups, conferences or attending a boot camp.
- Go to work. Practice your skills at work with a mentor or though volunteer opportunities, like Code for DC.
Once you’re ready to look for a job, prep your portfolios with a few strong case studies describing your design process. Be ready to speak about your areas of strength and interest across the spectrum of product design. Look for a role with more experienced designers on staff who can mentor you. While you may have to take a step “down” in seniority to make this move, it’s likely that the salary difference will be minimal and you’ll have greater room for growth.
Read to make the move?
Product design offers graphic designers increased opportunity, higher salaries, potential for impact, and professional growth. Adding new research and UX skills to your existing toolbox is a natural progression for your career. Companies need product designers more than ever before, and competition for talent is fierce. And, these jobs have salaries up to 50% higher than traditional graphic design roles. So, I have to ask…what are you waiting for?
Let me know how it goes, and how I can help.
If this post piqued your interest, below are some resources you should sink your teeth into:
- We’re hiring at Upside Business Travel! Check out our open Product Designer position to see how you stack up
- Human-centered design methods: 18F Methods, IDEO’s Field Guide to Human-Centered Design
- Research on lowering design salaries: As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops
- Blog post: “I switched from graphic design to UI/UX and it only took me over a year’s time, my ego, blood, sweat and tears.”
- Ways to practice in DC: AIGA DC’s SHINE Mentoring Program, Code for DC
- InVision’s Inside Design blog and newsletter
- Books: Org Design for Design Orgs by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner; Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan
