10 Tips for Junior Designers

Looking back at what I wish I knew when I first started

Giving advice to people who are just starting out can be tricky, especially since a quick Google search can offer up a billion answers. But if you’d like to cut through the noise and hear from someone who’s been involved with design for as long as he can remember, then perhaps you’ll appreciate the tips I wish someone had shared with me when I first started.

The following is aimed at complete newbies in the design industry. Some of you more experienced folks may find my advice a little obvious, but there are plenty of people out there who are unfamiliar with the basics. So let’s give them a proper onboarding.

Note: This is an extended version of an Instagram Stories post I shared a while back. It generated plenty of interest, so I promised I’d expand on it for those followers who requested more detailed information.

This article was originally published on Medium in October 2018.

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1. Learn by practice, not observation

You can watch tons of YouTube tutorials, read every Medium article available (including this one), and follow hundreds of like-minded people for inspiration. But you won’t learn a thing until you get your hands dirty with design. Period.

They say practice makes perfect, and while that reeks of cliché, it really is the best way for you to gain experience and grow. Don’t cheat design. Don’t fake it till you make it. And don’t waste your time looking for shortcuts because there aren’t any. If you really want to be a great designer one day, you have to spend a lot of time and effort put in the actual work.

2. Keep creating

Open any design software available on the market (they’re all pretty much the same), create whatever you have in mind, and do it as often as possible. No need to aim big at the outset. Even designing a single mobile app screen or website header is better than sitting around pondering the “potential” of the zillion ideas racing through your brain.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to show your work if you don’t want to, and you certainly don’t have to finish it all in one day. The point is to practice your workflow, thought process, problem-solving, and everything in between. From personal pursuits and side projects to challenges and client work, make sure to stay busy and inspired. Your work won’t be perfect and it won’t be on the same level as someone more experienced, but it’ll be yours and will continue to improve over time. Just keep moving (and creating).

3. Choose your role models and mentors wisely

Listening to people who only give advice for the sake of giving advice is a complete waste of time. Avoid bullsh*t at all costs, and be wary of learning generic “tips” and “hacks” from someone who is more interested in building their following than helping up-and-comers like yourself.

Instead, look up to people who have generated real results and earned their credibility, who’ve actually achieved something worthwhile and are willing to share their insights. Study their work, try to understand their creative process and decision making, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them with specific questions. It’s way better to learn from someone’s real-life experiences than reading the umpteenth opinion of why Sketch is better than Adobe XD (and vice versa).

4. Don’t be afraid to ask

You might feel like you’re being a pest, but you’re not. The design community is always welcoming and willing to help fellow designers who are new to the game and eager to learn.

However — be polite, respectful, and smart about the way you get in touch with people. Asking the same question over and over again, or looking for answers a simple Google search can provide is not the best way to introduce yourself. Don’t expect anyone to spend their entire day giving you feedback either. Assume the person you’re contacting is super busy, and be clear and concise with your question or request to increase your chances of them responding. So don’t worry about reaching out to someone, including well-known designers whose status might make them seem unapproachable. Be cool and respectful and you just might receive the golden nuggets of information you’re looking for.

5. Chase experience, not fame

Hunting for likes, followers, attention and admiration when you’re first starting out is a dangerous path to follow. Public approval is not what you should be after, and it may even shift your priorities the wrong way.

Instead of looking for a hack on how to grow your audience, seek out challenges that can truly help you increase your experience. Learning a new skill or tool, designing an unusual website layout for the first time, or exploring a completely new discipline can offer you so much more. Don’t get tricked into believing a good brand is mandatory when starting out. It’s not. You can begin building that whenever you like, and it’ll be all the more powerful once you’ve got some skills and experience under your belt.

6. Focus on your skills, not your brand

Following up on my previous point, it’s of the utmost importance that you learn the basic principles of design first, get comfortable and confident with your skills, and then start working on getting your name out there. That’s because building a personal brand when you have nothing interesting to say or show makes zero sense and is extremely hard to pull off.

On the other hand, if you feel you’ve set the right goal and see a bona fide benefit in building a brand for yourself, then, by all means, go for it. But be careful about spending your time between building your brand and doing some actual design work. Always make sure your brand reflects the current state of your skills and not a “perfect” (and ultimately fake) persona.

7. Learn to accept critique and feedback

If you ask someone for feedback, don’t act hurt or surprised if not all of it is positive. Feedback is meant to start a conversation, to point out what can be changed, improved or removed. It’s there to open a dialog, to share, exchange and discuss ideas.

Try not to fall in love with your idea too much. It can hurt you. And don’t take the feedback personally. Open yourself to suggestions and listen carefully to what’s being said so you can improve your work and your process. That’s why you asked for feedback in the first place, right?

If possible, get feedback from people who are more experienced than you. They’re the ones who can help you evolve by pointing you in the right direction and teaching you how to improve your work.

8. Be cool with imperfection

Obviously your work could be better if you gave it more time and effort. Well, guess what? Your work will never feel completely finished, regardless of your talent or experience.

You simply have to get used to it and learn how to let it go. Besides, the design is not about other people’s expectations or client requests for high-quality work. It’s about you being cool with what you’ve created during the respective circumstances and time frame, along with what resources and know-how you have at your disposal.

Need some extra validation? Ask your colleagues or mentors for their opinion. But don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ll only get stuck, start overthinking everything, or become too afraid to discuss your ideas because they’re not “good enough”. It’s called “analysis paralysis” and it does far more harm than good. Don’t fall victim to it. Don’t let your pursuit of perfection limit your potential.

9. Avoid negative people

Are people claiming you can’t do stuff? Pointing fingers at you? Commenting on your work just to get your attention? Are they trying to prove they’re better than you? Are they jealous you’re doing things your way instead of everyone else’s? Block them. Ignore them. Do yourself a favor and f*ck them.

If you believe in yourself, your plan and your vision, then you don’t need random people’s opinions. Stick with those you trust, with those who lift you up and offer positive and motivating vibes. They will most likely be your family, closest friends, colleagues or mentors. It’s their opinion that matters, not the arbitrary avatars online. Dedicate your attention, time and respect to those who deserve it.

10. Don’t be afraid to fail

Keep in mind that you’re just starting out. You can’t expect to do everything right and be a rock star after a month. In fact, even the biggest rock stars in the world fail because that’s an integral part of the journey.

Make no mistake — you will struggle, get distracted, break things, miss deadlines and lose great ideas. You will need to redo (or even delete) your work because you did it wrong or didn’t read the specs correctly. But none of that should stop you from moving forward. Nor should it stop you from learning or believing in yourself. Ever.

It’s all good. This is just how it is. We all went through it when we started. At the end of the day, the hard knocks you’re going to suffer will help you prepare for and face the next big thing you’re about to do.

And it’s going to kick ass, right?

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