I'm a 47 year old woman who switched careers at 37 to pursue Graphic design, I have been in the soul sucking corporate environment for 6 years now and I think THIS is the type of advice we should all get from day one. Thank you, I'm so glad I found your channel.
Don't forget fighting middle management who somehow are in position deeming what's good or not - despite having no experience in the craft. I don't know how many times I've heard "it's good but I feel like something is missing". What's missing? Your constructive and rational feedback so we can proceed? Wandering around in the dark, wasting countless hours until it's good, or when the actual boss steps in and tells us it how it is. Seagull management.
I've been in the motion design business for 20+ years and this is good advice. When I've mentored student designers, I tell them: get a creative hobby that feeds you. Sculpt, paint, play an instrument, whatever. Relying on the creative business for personal satisfaction is a recipe for burnout (I know this from experience). 85% of your job as a designer is grunt work. Menial, bullshit tasks. Your ability to handle them efficiently and be pleasant to work with is what gets you repeat jobs, not your work. There are MUCH better designers out there than I am, but I stay employed because I am easygoing. If you want to be a hotshot, visionary creative who makes what they want: go be a lawyer and paint as a hobby, At the end of the day, the client always has the best taste.
I had a pretty much similar experience.. when I started I thought we were going to design and develop new ideas .. i was given a set of files with color codes and pictures and logos in different formats and of course guides on how to use them for our clients and was not allowed to change absolutely nothing.. after working there for months my portfolio was mostly pre-designed BS.. my job was resizing them..
7:50 YES this is it right here. I have been incredibly guilty of this numerous times, of course without initially realizing I was allowing myself to fall into the trap, as you said requiring the individual project to act as a confirmation of my intelligence or creativity. This is such a surefire way to destroy your momentum and confidence when the thing inevitably falls short of that requirement.
When I graduated college I got a production artist job for an up-and-coming company. I had that arrogant attitude and after a couple years I got fired. This was in 2008 and the Great Recession happened at the same time, and I ended up getting out of graphic design completely because I couldn’t find a new job. I remember going to an interview and the guy told me he was shocked at the number of applicants. For years afterwards I regretted my decision to not just do the job and shut up, I could have had a secure, well-paying job. Nowadays I paint, and I have a non-art related desk job. I’m actually glad it worked out this way in the long run, but I had some lean years during the recession that I could have avoided with a better attitude.
Good morning class, today in Design 101 we will discuss the MOST important lesson in creating successful commercial art. So will everyone please open to chapter 1 of Machiavelli's The Prince so we can get started.
I think for some clients, you're sometimes better off just firing yourself. I worked for five years for an .. Unreasonable employer, and couldn't actually develop my own skill during that time - it wasn't until I started doing freelance work for a diverse set of clients that I feel that I actually improved. In retrospect, I should have moved on after a couple of years.
Love the process and not the end result. This advice I heard the other day. I think this is what you are trying to say. By the way I got fired several times too XD. I send love to all the fellow firees around the globe. Keep going.
It is always a challenge to design any kind of promotion for something that you're just not into. But that is a skill that will put you into the top tier of designers in any agency. You really need to step back and ask yourself the right questions like... "I'm not into the Eagles, but what type of design would make me curious about this music?" Every job becomes an opportunity to shine if you really want to succeed in graphic design. For all of you up and coming designers, people tend to remember really good design work and opportunities will present themselves.
And oh... by the way, a lot of smaller companies will begin to rely on AI to design their ads but that's okay. You wouldn't want to work for those cheap bastards anyway. The high-end companys will always prefer the human touch.
Great video! What do you use for making those png s appear? I see you constantly pressing keys, does that help with avoiding a certain part of the editing?
Thank you for the vid, these ideas resonate with me as a new designer at my first job (in-house). I believe I actually haven’t been fired mostly because of my lack of arrogance and “good attitude,” because my work is generally not AMAZING. Do you have any advice on improving my work WITHIN THE CONFINES of one visual identity besides simply practicing/studying?
Ayyy y y y y! I think Magic: the Gathering is actually a pretty apt metaphor as it is asymmetric; you and your opponent are both trying to win by some means, but you can play different strategies and can have entirely different means to win the game. The client and you (the designer) both want the project done but are looking for different things; maybe they are thinking about company metrics they need to advance while you're trying to make an "award-winning" piece of design like you intimate. It could also be as simple as they just want to express that they are dominant over a younger, weaker, or poorer person and just want to fill the air with feedback. Worse than the prescriptive feedback you mention is when it is unclear and somewhere approaching abstract (ie "make it funkier"). I think the other part of this that is apt is that, I haven't played chess or go at a high level, but when you are playing someone who is one a comparable skill level it feels less like you are opposing each other but like you're...upholding a system you're both maintaining. Feels like you're spinning plates with someone else but also trying to make their plates fall over slightly faster. It's less that you lose when you lose an individual game, but you lose when you stop "playing the game" on a larger scale (ie fall down nine times but get up ten) That's the problem with many client relationships is that they can be or feel antagonistic, when you're actually not playing on or thinking along the same axis. When you're playing against someone new in Magic (which can happen often), you're kind of educating them, but you have to do it respectfully so they don't feel stupid. I think that's something that can often benefit both sides of a client/designer relationship. Something I've been struggling with talking to more people (mainly younger students), and probably watching too much finance bro TH-cam stuff, is how art/design school has "infected" my thinking and separated me from other people. For example, I kind of...internally wince when someone casually talks about "modern art" to mean contemporary art...and have had to deprogram myself from implicitly judging them on some level. I don't know if you still talk about "flipping info burgers" but I think it is important to be able to do that, not in and of itself, but also to allow you to more efficiently give yourself time to work on the "serious gourmet"/freaky shit when you are not working.
So it's kind of like being in a band. Your job is not to play screamin' solos all over the entire song. Your job is to play the screamin'-est solo you can at the appropriate time in a way that elevates the song as a whole and doesn't outstay its welcome, and then to shut up and let the other musicians take the spotlight when appropriate.
![ถ้าพี่วุ้นท้อง แป้งจะท้องไปด้วยกัน !!!! [ดูคลิปเต็มหน้าช่อง] #Short | PANG ORNHIRA](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FeyEnVMwitA/mqdefault.jpg)
![🎮เกมยิงปืนใหม่ ภาพสวย และ สมจริงที่สุดในโลก [ BODYCAM ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/My3l1owRY9I/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm a 47 year old woman who switched careers at 37 to pursue Graphic design, I have been in the soul sucking corporate environment for 6 years now and I think THIS is the type of advice we should all get from day one. Thank you, I'm so glad I found your channel.
Don't forget fighting middle management who somehow are in position deeming what's good or not - despite having no experience in the craft. I don't know how many times I've heard "it's good but I feel like something is missing". What's missing? Your constructive and rational feedback so we can proceed? Wandering around in the dark, wasting countless hours until it's good, or when the actual boss steps in and tells us it how it is. Seagull management.
Skill issue
I've been in the motion design business for 20+ years and this is good advice. When I've mentored student designers, I tell them: get a creative hobby that feeds you. Sculpt, paint, play an instrument, whatever. Relying on the creative business for personal satisfaction is a recipe for burnout (I know this from experience). 85% of your job as a designer is grunt work. Menial, bullshit tasks. Your ability to handle them efficiently and be pleasant to work with is what gets you repeat jobs, not your work. There are MUCH better designers out there than I am, but I stay employed because I am easygoing.
If you want to be a hotshot, visionary creative who makes what they want: go be a lawyer and paint as a hobby,
At the end of the day, the client always has the best taste.
This is real content and no bullsh*** around ads and coaching. Love it, really needed.
My new favorite channel because Elliot is like a smart Max Headroom on his his third cup of coffee talking about design!
probably the best channel I ever find about graphic design journey...Thx
Keep your taste and hold onto it, but the cure for this is to collaborate with others, let go of ego, save your personal taste for the right job.
Perfect timing I just got fired
Bummer
Fired or laid off? Either way, best of luck
Thanks for sharing this story. Very powerful stuff. Helps my own journey
Clients are not looking at the work as a designer they are viewing it as a user (most of the time). So, sometimes, ya, the logo should be bigger.
I had a pretty much similar experience.. when I started I thought we were going to design and develop new ideas .. i was given a set of files with color codes and pictures and logos in different formats and of course guides on how to use them for our clients and was not allowed to change absolutely nothing.. after working there for months my portfolio was mostly pre-designed BS.. my job was resizing them..
This video would have saved me a big headache had I seen it last week. It’s not too late to salvage things though. Thanks for the great content.
7:50 YES this is it right here. I have been incredibly guilty of this numerous times, of course without initially realizing I was allowing myself to fall into the trap, as you said requiring the individual project to act as a confirmation of my intelligence or creativity. This is such a surefire way to destroy your momentum and confidence when the thing inevitably falls short of that requirement.
The best part about these videos : Simple and Specific Procedures.
This is the best advice I've heard all year. Thanks, Elliott!
When I graduated college I got a production artist job for an up-and-coming company. I had that arrogant attitude and after a couple years I got fired. This was in 2008 and the Great Recession happened at the same time, and I ended up getting out of graphic design completely because I couldn’t find a new job. I remember going to an interview and the guy told me he was shocked at the number of applicants. For years afterwards I regretted my decision to not just do the job and shut up, I could have had a secure, well-paying job. Nowadays I paint, and I have a non-art related desk job. I’m actually glad it worked out this way in the long run, but I had some lean years during the recession that I could have avoided with a better attitude.
Love, love, love this. As a developer/marketer, these videos have been greatly entertaining and helpful.
Really good. Thank you for making these videos.
Wow this is really helpful, so I guess I have to flush down my ego😂😅
God bless y'all God loves y'all ❤
Verse of the day
Romans 8: 38-39
Good morning class, today in Design 101 we will discuss the MOST important lesson in creating successful commercial art. So will everyone please open to chapter 1 of Machiavelli's The Prince so we can get started.
Agree. I think the problem arises when trying to mix being an Artist with being a Graphic Designer. The two are very different.
Good video 👍
I think for some clients, you're sometimes better off just firing yourself. I worked for five years for an .. Unreasonable employer, and couldn't actually develop my own skill during that time - it wasn't until I started doing freelance work for a diverse set of clients that I feel that I actually improved. In retrospect, I should have moved on after a couple of years.
That is a EXCELLENT point.
Great content sir.
Love the process and not the end result. This advice I heard the other day. I think this is what you are trying to say. By the way I got fired several times too XD. I send love to all the fellow firees around the globe. Keep going.
Utterly brilliant, thank you.
You’re welcome.. thanks for the positive feedback
Love this!
The worst is taking specs from one person and then having your work judged by another person.
another banger, mr. earls.
I love advice that becomes an excuse to talk about yourself
Off to get a new sweater
Great video
Hey. Sincere thanks for the super. 🙏. I’m touched.👊
Elevate your mind to a lower level of thinking - Carl Sandburg or someone from Chicago back then
It is always a challenge to design any kind of promotion for something that you're just not into. But that is a skill that will put you into the top tier of designers in any agency. You really need to step back and ask yourself the right questions like... "I'm not into the Eagles, but what type of design would make me curious about this music?" Every job becomes an opportunity to shine if you really want to succeed in graphic design. For all of you up and coming designers, people tend to remember really good design work and opportunities will present themselves.
And oh... by the way, a lot of smaller companies will begin to rely on AI to design their ads but that's okay. You wouldn't want to work for those cheap bastards anyway. The high-end companys will always prefer the human touch.
Great video! What do you use for making those png s appear? I see you constantly pressing keys, does that help with avoiding a certain part of the editing?
Thank you for the vid, these ideas resonate with me as a new designer at my first job (in-house). I believe I actually haven’t been fired mostly because of my lack of arrogance and “good attitude,” because my work is generally not AMAZING. Do you have any advice on improving my work WITHIN THE CONFINES of one visual identity besides simply practicing/studying?
Ayyy y y y y! I think Magic: the Gathering is actually a pretty apt metaphor as it is asymmetric; you and your opponent are both trying to win by some means, but you can play different strategies and can have entirely different means to win the game. The client and you (the designer) both want the project done but are looking for different things; maybe they are thinking about company metrics they need to advance while you're trying to make an "award-winning" piece of design like you intimate. It could also be as simple as they just want to express that they are dominant over a younger, weaker, or poorer person and just want to fill the air with feedback. Worse than the prescriptive feedback you mention is when it is unclear and somewhere approaching abstract (ie "make it funkier").
I think the other part of this that is apt is that, I haven't played chess or go at a high level, but when you are playing someone who is one a comparable skill level it feels less like you are opposing each other but like you're...upholding a system you're both maintaining. Feels like you're spinning plates with someone else but also trying to make their plates fall over slightly faster. It's less that you lose when you lose an individual game, but you lose when you stop "playing the game" on a larger scale (ie fall down nine times but get up ten)
That's the problem with many client relationships is that they can be or feel antagonistic, when you're actually not playing on or thinking along the same axis. When you're playing against someone new in Magic (which can happen often), you're kind of educating them, but you have to do it respectfully so they don't feel stupid. I think that's something that can often benefit both sides of a client/designer relationship.
Something I've been struggling with talking to more people (mainly younger students), and probably watching too much finance bro TH-cam stuff, is how art/design school has "infected" my thinking and separated me from other people. For example, I kind of...internally wince when someone casually talks about "modern art" to mean contemporary art...and have had to deprogram myself from implicitly judging them on some level. I don't know if you still talk about "flipping info burgers" but I think it is important to be able to do that, not in and of itself, but also to allow you to more efficiently give yourself time to work on the "serious gourmet"/freaky shit when you are not working.
So it's kind of like being in a band. Your job is not to play screamin' solos all over the entire song. Your job is to play the screamin'-est solo you can at the appropriate time in a way that elevates the song as a whole and doesn't outstay its welcome, and then to shut up and let the other musicians take the spotlight when appropriate.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
as a hireling I assume the person writing me checks is smarter than I am, and if I pay attention I might learn something from them
WORKING IN ARAB COUNTRIES LIKE UAE AND SAUDI IS LIKE SHIT. YOU'RE ALWAYS BE BUG BY THEM FOR 10X REVISIONS JUST FOR 1 PROJECT. HATE THOSE PEOPLE
I'm above commission work. Unless Da Vinci commission me, I may consider it.
The people who know how to do graphic design without getting fired aren't typically making youtube videos.
Like I said…. I got fired
Are they typically commenting on them?