{"id":7434,"date":"2020-03-09T17:49:11","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T21:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=7434"},"modified":"2021-04-21T11:45:19","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T15:45:19","slug":"which-designer-path-is-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/which-designer-path-is-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Designer Path is Right for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

You\u2019re fresh out of school, degree in hand. Everyone and their mother is giving you the same career advice: Start low on the ladder in a big firm and work your way up. The idealists among us might be wondering, is this really the best place to put my creativity to use?<\/em> And the cynics among us might wonder, do we really have a choice?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design jobs are more competitive than ever these days, so there is some wisdom to just taking what you can get. That said, there are plenty of reasons why some designers are better fit for certain office environments than others. Especially in creative fields, what makes somebody the right fit for a gig often comes down to their soft skills<\/a>, rather than their training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, are you somebody who\u2019s naturally good at working in groups, or do you have a bit of a reputation for going rogue? Are you looking for a creative director to be your mentor, or are you most interested in learning on the job yourself? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a guide to see which designer job fits best for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is an agency right for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a fast-paced environment like a creative agency or studio, a junior designer would get to work on a range of projects, learning the ins-and-outs of the business behind a variety of brands and industries. Designers would also get to watch how a campaign is built from the ground up\u2014working closely with marketing and sales teams, who oversee everything from market research to product rollout and testing. This kind of exposure would be amazing for anyone, really, but especially for someone who likes working collaboratively, will volunteer for jobs nobody really wants to do<\/a>, and is curious about the market trends behind successful design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ije Nwokorie, the current senior director of Apple and former CEO of Wolff Olins<\/a>, said that <\/a>the best piece of advice he was ever given was: \u201c\u2018There is no limit to what you can get done if you don\u2019t care who takes credit for it.\u2019 For me that\u2019s huge. Focus on what you\u2019re trying to create, not what you\u2019ll get out of it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, if you want to make it at an agency, you should feel comfortable (or even excited) by the prospect of putting your creative talents towards helping the team achieve collective goals, whether or not you get the credit. You might also have to be okay with doing great work that no one ever sees, since so much effort goes into pitches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft Skills:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Able to work collaboratively, and under the supervision of a senior designer
\u2014 Interested in marketing and sales
\u2014 Willing to take one for the team\u2026 because you might be a doormat for a while<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about working in-house?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Working as an in-house designer lets you build a great brand from within. For some, that might sound a little creatively restrictive\u2014in some ways, it is. The scope of your work would only concern a single brand. But the more businesses realize that their overall success is predicated on exceptional design, the more essential the role of the in-house designer becomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, these businesses are realizing that design is important at every level of commerce. As Alex Center, a designer who worked in-house for Coca-Cola, explained<\/a>, \u201ca broader audience is recognizing that design is not just about how a product looks, but how it works\u2026 We\u2019re no longer simply craftsmen who are brought in at the end of a project to make it sparkle. We\u2019re leaders who have a hand in building big picture brand experiences and innovative product systems from the inside out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a sort of corporate empathy at which in-house designers have to be particularly adept. Julia Hoffman, the creative director of MoMA, thinks that working in-house<\/a> \u201celiminates the individual ego.\u201d The designer must become the brand and \u201cmust take into consideration the bigger picture. To some extent, you are your own client, whom you truly care about.\u201d This requires a designer with an artful diplomacy\u2014someone who\u2019s comfortable in boardroom settings, persuasive about the value of design, good at managing other people\u2019s expectations, and can take on whatever design project comes up.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft Skills:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>\u2014 Able to work with many kinds of personalities, including the difficult ones
\u2014 Interested in building a brand on the ground floor
\u2014 Can wear many hats<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you a born freelancer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For some, going the freelance route is a great career move\u2014you get to choose the clients you take on, make your own schedule<\/a>, and even charge more than you would if you were in-house. But it\u2019s not right for everyone. Part of the difficulty with the freelance lifestyle is that you\u2019re also your own administrator: You have to be looking for new business and managing your own payments<\/a>, all while keeping up with your creative projects. That can be a lot to juggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest perk of freelance work is that you have total agency of your creative output, dipping in and out of various projects at a variety of brands. Over the course of a career, a freelancer can build up a reputation based on a particular skill set,<\/a> style, or area of specialization. If that kind of artistic-driven expertise is attractive to you, then you might be someone who\u2019s suited to work alone in a freelance capacity. But before you take the plunge and go freelance, consider beefing up your rolodex while you\u2019re working a 9-to-5 by doing some work on the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft Skills: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Able to juggle many projects (including paperwork) at once in an organized fashion
\u2014 Interested in working directly with clients, including on tasks like billing
\u2014 Does their best creative work alone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the above <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These three tracks aren\u2019t siloed from each other\u2014there\u2019s no rule that says that once you start down one path, you can\u2019t switch it up. Every designer seems to have a more crooked origin story than the next, falling into jobs without any idea of where they\u2019ll lead. Why not move from freelance to in-house, then jump ship to start your own studio<\/a>? Who says you can\u2019t leave your own creative agency<\/a> to work in-house? The key to having a varied, exciting career is just to play to your own strengths. As long as you have a good idea of the environments in which you thrive, you\u2019ll end up on the right path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n