Working For A Designer Won’t Ruin You If You Do These 9 Things

Working for a designer can be an amazing experience, but only if you do these things.

I designed this article to help designers and developers understand how to work with designers. You’ll learn some of the things that I wish I had known when I started working as a designer. If you follow this advice, you’ll be well on your way to finding a great opportunity and building a lasting career in design!

Takeaways
1. Establish clear communication channels with the designer.
2. Set expectations and boundaries from the beginning.
3. Collaborate and exchange ideas openly.
4. Embrace feedback and constructive criticism.
5. Cultivate a positive and respectful working relationship.
6. Prioritize time management and meet deadlines.
7. Adapt to changes and remain flexible in your approach.
8. Invest in continuous learning and professional growth.
9. Maintain a proactive and problem-solving mindset.

1. Don’t Forget That You Are Worth More Than Free Labor

Don’t forget that you are worth more than free labor. Designers aren’t people who have to scour the internet for help with their projects, and designers certainly aren’t going to give up on a project because they can’t find someone to work on it (again).

Don’t be afraid to ask for money! The design industry has been rated as one of the most overworked industries, with an average workweek of 60 hours per week. 

This means that designers are often underpaid while they try and make ends meet and if you’re working for free all day long and not getting paid anything, then this situation will only continue because there is no incentive for you or your employer to change it!

Don’t be afraid to negotiate! If you feel like your skillset has been undervalued by a potential employer, don’t just accept what they offer; talk about what fair compensation looks like in an honest conversation about your value as an employee.

Don’t be afraid to walk away from a job! If working conditions aren’t what they should be or if stress levels are too high where you work now, then think carefully before continuing on down this path there may be better opportunities out there than what is currently offered at [company’s name].

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2. Communicate

You have to communicate. No matter what your role or the size of your company, we all need to communicate with our clients and colleagues in order to do good work. Whether it’s via email, over the phone, or in person, communicating clearly is a skill that will help you get hired and keep your job. 

As a designer working for another designer (or any person who is not you), it might be tempting to assume that they already know what they want from their design projects but remember: Your boss’ opinions are just as valuable as yours!

If someone on your team gives you feedback about how their experiences were with a certain project (for example: “I think this would be much more useful if it had some sort of navigation”), then listen up! 

It’s easy for us designers to get caught up in our own heads when making decisions surrounding our work because we see things differently than other people do; but since we’re supposed to be working together, being receptive and open-minded when someone else tells us something important helps us all make better stuff faster (and less stressfully).

3. Be Prepared For Your Work To Be Critiqued

You’re going to hear some negative feedback at some point in your career. It might come across as vague, or it could be very direct and specific about the problem with your work. Regardless of how it comes, you have an obligation to yourself and the other people on the team who depend on you that you:

• Acknowledge what was said (even if it’s not true)

• Apologize for any inconvenience caused by making mistakes or committing errors

• Ask questions if something doesn’t make sense, but don’t argue with them

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4. Always Bring A Fresh Pair Of Eyes

A designer can’t see what they’ve created with an objective eye. By the time they’ve worked on a project, they’re already too close to it and their personal bias can make it impossible for them to recognize any problems. 

As a result, no matter how hard you work as a designer’s assistant, if you’re not bringing new ideas and insights into the mix as well you’re doing yourself no favors by working in design.

You need to be able to look at things from different perspectives: your own experiences; what works for other people in similar situations; how other designers have handled similar problems (even if those designers have nothing else in common with yours). 

When we say “fresh pair of eyes,” we don’t mean that yours should be entirely unfamiliar with the project or process at hand just that they aren’t so immersed in all the details that nothing looks new anymore.

5. Learn To Take Criticism Gracefully, But Stand Up For Yourself If You Feel Like Something Needs To Be Said

You will be given a lot of feedback on your work, and it’s important that you understand how to take criticism gracefully, but also stand up for yourself if you feel like something needs to be said.

There are three simple rules when it comes to dealing with criticism:

• Don’t get defensive.

• Listen to what the designer has to say and try not to interrupt them before they finish talking. This can sometimes be hard because designers have a tendency of rambling on and on because they’re passionate about their work, so just roll with it!

• If there is something you don’t agree with in the critique, explain why! Don’t just sit there silently while your design gets ripped apart; explain why you made certain choices in your designs and that goes both ways! 

If a designer asks why there’s an extra space between two elements on an interface design flow chart (which happened during my internship), don’t just say “because,” give him or her specific reasons as well.

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6. Know The Difference Between What Is Right And What Is Convenient

As a designer, it’s important to know the difference between what is right and what is convenient.

There are scenarios in which doing something that is right may seem inconvenient or difficult. 

For example, if you have a project due tomorrow and you don’t want to do any more work on it tonight because you’re tired, it would be easier just to sleep instead of putting one last hour of effort into your assignment. 

However, if you put some extra time into your project with no other distractions around (like Netflix) then this can make all the difference in having an awesome outcome for yourself!

7. Make An Effort To Learn Something New Every Day

The world is changing faster than ever before, and we all need to keep learning. There’s no reason why you can’t continue to learn something new every day, even if it’s just a little bit at first. 

If you’re working in design, that could mean learning about new design tools. Or if you’re not a designer yet but hoping for an opportunity in the field sometime soon, then try learning about different applications of design principles (for instance: which ones are more suited towards web apps versus printed matter).

Learning without sharing isn’t really learning it’s selfishly hoarding information for yourself. As humans, we have an innate desire to share our knowledge with others so that they might learn from us too! So when you do learn something new from your job as a designer or from any other aspect of life…share it with someone else!

• Treat every project as if it’s the most important thing in the world.

8. Don’t Be Afraid Of Being Wrong

When you’re working for a designer, one of the most important things to remember is that they aren’t gods. They make mistakes just like anyone else and it’s okay to point them out if you see one. Don’t worry about offending your designer; instead, use their mistake as an opportunity to learn something new. If they didn’t make a mistake, you’re not learning anything!

If your designer made a mistake (and it’s not something really obvious), don’t be afraid to point it out. If they were wrong, they need to know but don’t come off as mean or condescending when doing so. 

Instead, tell them calmly and explain how their decision led to the problem you found in the design element or process he was working on at that moment. This can help him learn from his past experience; if he corrects his approach next time around he’ll become even better at what he does than before!

It’s okay for everyone even designers to be wrong sometimes! Just don’t make the same mistake twice because then it becomes more than just an error: It becomes part of who YOU ARE.”

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9. Layout Trumps Function Every Time

As designers, we have a lot of power to create perceptions. We can make something feel valuable by the way it looks or helps users navigate by creating a logical structure. In fact, the perception of functionality is more important than functionality itself. 

If your layout doesn’t look right, then people won’t be interested in what you’ve got to offer at all no matter how functional it may actually be!

Consider this: if there’s a group of sites that all do basically the same thing but one looks better than another (because its layout is more appealing), which site would you visit? Your answer says everything about how people perceive aesthetics and their effect on us as users and it makes sense! 

We’re visual creatures who rely heavily on first impressions when evaluating products and services; thus, designers must make sure those first impressions are strong enough not only for customers but also for themselves

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Conclusion

So now that you’ve read this article, I hope you feel more confident about working for a designer. For those of you who are already working for one and are wondering if it’s been worth it, the answer is definitely yes you just need to know how to navigate the waters.

If this article was helpful at all, feel free to share it with your friends or family members who might be thinking about pursuing a career in design!

Further Reading

How to Stop Perfectionism from Ruining Your Art Career Short Description: Explore strategies to overcome perfectionism and achieve success in your art career.

Tips for Finding the Right Interior Designer Short Description: Discover valuable tips for selecting the perfect interior designer for your project.

Interior Design Rules for Designers Short Description: Learn essential interior design rules and principles that every designer should know.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Design Principles?

Design principles are guidelines that designers follow when creating their designs. These principles help them to create a consistent user experience across all platforms and applications, which is why they’re so important. 

If you’ve ever used an app or website that did not have any clear design principles in place, you’ve probably noticed how jarring it can be to jump from one screen to another without knowing what’s changed or why. 

Look at Google’s logo as an example: everything between the “g” and “l” is static; this allows users to easily recognize where they are on any site with a Google logo on it (and hopefully want to return!).

How Do You Know If A Designer Is Good?

If you’re looking to hire a designer, we recommend asking them if they have ever done the following:

• Represented their work in an art gallery or at an event.

• Worked with a design studio before and was part of the creative process.

What Are Some Things That Designers Need To Know?

We believe that learning how to work with people is one of the most important skills for any designer. To get this done well, you must be able to listen carefully, empathize with others and put yourself in their shoes. We also think that having good communication skills is essential whether it’s writing clearly or speaking publicly (or both!).

What Are The Most Important Skills For A Designer?

To be a good designer, you need to be able to see beyond the surface of things. You need to understand what makes people tick, what their goals and desires are, and how this information can be used in your designs. You also need to know how colors work together, how visual language works, and what shapes communicate best for a certain message or task.

How Do I Become A Designer If I Don’t Have Any Experience?

Start with something simple: download Photoshop or Sketch and get started on learning the basics! Most software packages today are pretty intuitive and easy enough for anyone with some computer knowledge (i.e., using Google) to learn quickly. 

Once you’ve got that down, there will still be plenty more reading material out there waiting for you before moving on to even more advanced topics like interaction design or typography but before all that gets too overwhelming (and trust me when I say it will), try doing some tutorials first so that everything doesn’t seem so daunting right off the bat!