{"id":21963,"date":"2020-01-29T10:10:27","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T10:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/?p=21963"},"modified":"2020-01-29T10:10:27","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T10:10:27","slug":"the-things-they-dont-tell-you-about-being-a-designer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/the-things-they-dont-tell-you-about-being-a-designer\/","title":{"rendered":"The things they don\u2019t tell you about being a designer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do colleges and universities really prepare you for life as a Designer?<\/p>\n

There are some great teachers across the length and breadth of the country, no doubt, and they are doing their best to get you through your exams and<\/em> arm you for the real world.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying that a well-equipped Design department is also a great place for you to access hardware and software that you maybe, otherwise, couldn\u2019t afford to buy for yourself. Likewise, uni is a great place to learn new skills and best practice from your peers – which is invaluable, given that the Designer\u2019s profession can often be a fairly solitary one.<\/p>\n

And, don\u2019t forget, you still get student discounts on your Creative Cloud. Just saying.<\/p>\n

But, it seems, unless you are working on real briefs from real clients, with a real danger of rejection, you aren\u2019t getting the full Designer experience.<\/p>\n

From shifting deadlines, to ever-changing briefs, to client feedback and design by committee, does anything ever really prepare you for #ADesignersLife?<\/p>\n

#1 Artistic differences<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Every designer thinks they\u2019re the best – right? Of course, that\u2019s a matter of opinion…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#2 The client knows best<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You know that saying: the customer is always right? Sure you do. In fact, most designers quickly find out there\u2019s no accounting for lack of taste when it comes to client management.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#3 Team work makes the dream work<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2026 or so they say. If design isn’t a democratic process, then why is there a committee overseeing every project you do?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#4 It\u2019s going to be a late one<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike Dolly Parton, there\u2019s no working 9 – 5 for designers – unless it’s 9pm – 5 am.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#5 Crash test dummies<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even the most powerful computer in the world will struggle to run three Creative Cloud programmes at the same time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#6 Word up!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hunting down images, logos and fonts from clients can take a while. In fact, you might have to wait a decade or two. Then, when they finally arrive, you\u2019ll often receive them in an unworkable format.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#7 It\u2019s not an idea(l) situation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s nothing more frustrating that floating a brilliant idea, having it batted back by the client, only for them to present it back to you a month later as their own.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#8 Shifting deadlines<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>For designers, deadlines change more regularly than the British weather. One minute it\u2019s sunny, the next\u2026 you\u2019re pulling an all-nighter.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#9 How much do you charge? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

You might be the best designer on the planet, but some customers will make it about budget. Be prepared. They\u2019ll always know \u2018a mate who will do it cheaper\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

#10 But, then, the reason we do it is\u2026<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/h2>\n

Over to you\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Somethings can only be experienced in the workplace – just ask any designer. Do you agree with our list? Do you need to vent your own experiences? Then you can do so over at our Facebook page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From shifting deadlines, to ever-changing briefs, to client feedback and design by committee, does anything ever really prepare you for #ADesignersLife? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-21963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-your-business"},"yoast_head":"\nThe things they don\u2019t tell you about being a designer - Heart Internet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The things they don\u2019t tell you about being a designer - Written by the team at Heart Internet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/the-things-they-dont-tell-you-about-being-a-designer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The things they don\u2019t tell you about being a designer - 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