How do you learn and develop your skills as the only designer in the team?
Hello,
I’m an in-house graphic designer who has worked alone for over four years’ and have missed working under a senior creative or art director.
While I am grateful to have the opportunity to make creative decisions in my work I have missed guidance and support from a senior creative.
Apart from looking into mentorship, I wondered if anyone had tips on what they have done to learn and help develop themselves in a role working as the sole graphic designer.
Thanks!
Replies5
- Perhaps share your work online. Explain the task, process and ask for a feedback. You may get some harsh comments but if you can learn from it then it for sure helps you to develope further.
- Hi, I had the exact same problem straight after university! But looking at works of different designers in my field definitely helped, I'd watch YouTube tutorials from more senior designers and the studios to learn more about better design practices. Also ask your employeer, they likely to sponsor the mentorships and conferences and classes you can attend. You can always seek feedback from your clients/managers and find what you can improve and then find appropriate masterclasses.
- Check out things like D&AD's masterclasses and see if your boss will pay for your development - it's an investment for making their work better!
- Hi @Greta Beccarello,Thanks so much for commenting.I'll will definitly look back on this as there are a lot of good questions to ask myself but most importantly you're right about nurturing yourself first around your passions and interest.That said, It would be great to get in touch as I do have a few specific questions to ask, so thanks for offering your support.
- @Maria Sagun what a great question! First of all, it shows that you are a curious person, a skill that I personally think is essential for any creative person and secondly because motivation can be so hard to find when working alone.Here's what helped me: during the moments when I felt quite "isolated" in my job, I went back to the things I felt drawn to naturally (even if they were not related to what I was doing). I found that going to art galleries, attending workshops and listening to other's experiences have always helped me feel "less alone" and essentially helped me balance my work with what I really loved most.I think it's incredibly important to continue nurturing your own passions and interests outside of your 9-5 job: do you want to illustrate more? Do you want to try different mediums? Do you want to collaborate? Make the time to explore, indulge and find people who can appreciate you and support you regardless of what you do/need to do. I think it starts with asking yourself "What am I missing? What's stopping me from doing something? or What do I really want to do?". take it from there :))) You got this!! (feel free to reach out if you have more questions! Happy to jump on a brainstorming call should you need that!)
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