The 50 Things Every Graphic Design Student Should Know

UPDATE 26/04/11 – www.the-100.org:

Thank you to everyone who has shared The 50. I am truly astonished at the response.

The 50 has had over 150,000 visits and counting. I’ve seen it shared across the world and now those who spread the The 50 are contributing feedback for The 100, the next phase of The 50.

The 100 is an invitation to share your own tips, tricks and advice with the world’s creatives. What did The 50 miss? Send your Twitter suggestions to @_the100 at www.the-100.org or leave a comment below, and the best will be credited, edited and published into The 100.

Deadline for all feedback is 30th April 2011.

The 50

From speaking to friends, colleagues and recalling my own experiences I’ve complied The 50, a list of 50 things I believe every graphic design student should know on leaving college. Some of these points are obvious, others less so – but all are brief, digestible nuggets of wisdom that will hopefully go some way to making the transition from graduate to designer a little bit smoother.

Share the 50

The 50 has been crafted to be shared, spread and debated. Each point has been synthesised into just 140 characters (complete with a #the50 hash-tag) making them memorable and Twitter-friendly. Tweet your favourites, share them on Facebook, and send this URL to your friends – The 50 needs to be seen by as many students as possible – because feedback is crucial for the next step…

The 100

Ultimately, I want to have 100 points in total. This list will no doubt throw up debate and I’m sure many will have questions and queries that have yet to be answered. So please email me, tweet me or leave comments and have your say on what the next 50 points should be, and together we’ll write The 100 – a condensed primer for students and graduates-to-be.

Thank you, I look forward to working with you.

1. You are not the first.

There are very few ‘firsts’ these days. Countless others have started studios, freelanced and requested internships. It can be done. #the50

2. There is always someone better.(언제나 나보다 나은사람이 있다.)

Regardless of how good you are, there will always be someone better. It’s surprisingly easy to waste time worrying about this.
(당신이 얼마나 실력이 좋건 간에, 언제나 더 잘 하는 사람이 있다. 이걸 고민하며 시간 낭비하는 일이 얼마나 쉬운지 모른다.)

3. Success is not a finite resource.

College fosters a zero-sum mentality: that someone has to fail for you to succeed. In truth, another’s success doesn’t limit yours. #the50

4. You cannot score without a goal.

If you don’t know what you want, then how can you pursue it? Having a goal defines an end point, and subsequently, a place to start. #the50

5. Starting anything requires energy.

It takes more energy to start than it does to stop. This is true for physics, your career, and that idea you need to work on. #the50

6. The path to work is easier than you think.

To get into the industry you need just three things: great work, energy and a nice personality. Many forget the last attribute. #the50

7. Have a positive self-image.

Your self-perception is your most important asset. See yourself as the person you want to be and others will see this too. #the50

8. Get a clean, simple website up.

An online portfolio is the alpha and omega of your career. With a wealth of web services, there’s no excuse for not having a website. #the50

9. Curate your work.

Never stop editing your portfolio. Three strong pieces are better than ten weak ones – nobody looks for quantity, just quality. #the50

10. Listen to your instincts.

If your work doesn’t excite you, then it won’t excite anyone else. It’s hard to fake passion for mediocre work – scrap it. #the50

11. Make your work easy to see.

People are lazy. If you want them to look at your work, make it easy. Most of the time employers simply want to see a JPG or PDF. #the50

12. Hand-write addresses.

Clients, prospective employers and potential clients gravitate to letters with handwritten addresses. The personal touch goes far. #the50

13. Time is precious – get to the point.

Avoid profuse humour or gimmicks when contacting studios for work, they’ve seen it all before. Get to the point, they’ll be thankful. #the50

14. Never take an unpaid internship.(절대 무급인턴쉽을 받아들여서는 안된다)

This is not a necessary evil – a studio that doesn’t pay their interns (at least the minimum wage) is a studio not worth working for.
(이것은 필요악이 아니다. 인턴들에게 급료를 주지 않는 스튜디오는 일할 가치도 없는 곳이다.)

15. Do as many internships as you can stand.

Internships are a financial burden, but they are vital. They let you scope out the industry and find the roles that suit you best. #the50

16. Don’t waste your internship.

A studio’s work can dip, as can its energy. Ignore this and be indispensable, the onus is on you to find something that needs doing. #the50

17. Make friends with a printer.

A good relationship with a printer is invaluable – they will help you save money and the environment. #the50

18. Find your local D.I.Y. store and pound shop.

These places are invaluable resources of cheap and ready-made artifacts ripe for tinkering, re-decoration and re-contextualisation. #the50

19. Be patient.

It’s not unusual to complete several internships and not find ‘a good fit’. Try applying to a studio you hadn’t considered. #the50

20. Ask questions.

Assume nothing. Ask questions, even if you think you know the answers. You’ll be surprised at how little you know. #the50

21. Ask for opportunities.

It will feel cheeky, but ask for things. Ask to be included in exhibitions, magazines, pitches – if you don’t ask, you can’t get. #the50

22. Seek criticism, not praise.

You learn nothing by being told how great you are. Even if you think your work’s perfect – seek criticism, you can always ignore it. #the50

23. Make friends, not enemies.

The creative industry is a small world: it’s a network where everyone knows everyone else. Remember this before pissing someone off. #the50

24. News travels fast.

A good intern will find their reputation precedes them. Jobs are nearly always offered on this word-of-mouth evidence. #the50

25. Don’t get drunk at professional events.

There’s a difference between being ‘merry’ and ‘paralytic’. The latter costs you your dignity, your reputation and possibly your job. #the50

26. Network.

There’s some truth in ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. Talk to people, send emails; at the very least sign up to Twitter. #the50

27. Dress smart – look business like.

Take your work seriously? Then take your appearance seriously. Clients are more likely to deal with people who look like they care. #the50

28. Never work for free.

Not only does this devalue the profession, but it makes you look weak. Even a ‘nice’ client will take advantage of this. #the50

29. Negotiate.

If you really have to work for nothing, negotiate. Clients and studios have access to many resources that can be viewed as ‘payment’. #the50

30. Read contracts.

Never sign a contract before reading it. Subsequently, don’t begin any job without a contract – you may have to write one yourself. #the50

31. Make your invoice stand out.(돋보이는 청구서를 만들어라.)

Businesses are deluged with invoices. Make yours stand out with colour or shape and it’s likely to rise to the top of the ‘pay’ pile.
(업체들마다 청구서들이 쇄도한다. 청구서를 색상이든 형태든 눈에 띄게 만들어라.그러면 아마도 ‘지급’ 서류함 가장 꼭대기에 놓일 것이다.)

32. There’s no such thing as a bad job.

Always push yourself to do your best. Logically, there’s no way you can be dissatisfied with ‘having done your best’. #the50

33. There’s no such thing as a bad client.

The onus is on you to make the client relationship work, not the other way around. If it’s not working out, ‘fire’ them as a favour. #the50

34. Embrace limitations.

Limitations are invaluable for creating successful work: they give you something to push against. From this tension comes brilliance. #the50

35. The environment is not a limitation.

The environmental impact of your work isn’t a fashionable consideration – as a creative, it’s your most important consideration. #the50

36. Boring problems lead to boring solutions.

Always interrogate your brief: re-define the question. No two briefs should be the same; a unique problem leads to a unique solution. #the50

37. New ideas are always ‘stupid’.

New ideas are conceived with no context and no measures of success – this falsely makes them feel silly, awkward or even impossible. #the50

38. Do not underestimate self-initiated work.

Clients get in touch because of self-initiated work. Ironically, business is excited by ideas untouched by the concerns of business. #the50

39. Justify your decisions.

Clients fear arbitrary decisions – they want problem solving. Have a reason for everything, even if this is ‘post-rationalised’. #the50

40. Show sketches, not polished ideas.

Clients often mistake ‘rough’ digital work for the final design. Show sketches for as long as you can, it makes them feel involved. #the50

41. Work with the client, not against them.

You may think you’re right, but look at the client’s solution along with yours. Occasionally you’ll be surprised. #the50

42. Don’t always take no for an answer.

Fight for superior solutions. Demonstrate your thinking to your client, take them through it – it’s hard to argue with logic. #the50

43. Pick your battles.

The creative industry is often infuriating, but not every argument is an argument that needs to be had. This takes time to learn. #the50

44. If you’re going to fail, fail well.

Being ambitious means you have to take on things you think you can’t do. Failures are unfortunate, but they are sometimes necessary. #the50

45. Be an auteur.

Regardless of who you’re working with, speak up if something’s not right. Take it upon yourself to be the barometer of quality. #the50

46. Take responsibility for failure.

If a job’s going wrong take responsibility. It feels counter-intuitive, but responsibility means you can do something about it. #the50

47. Share your ideas.

You’ve nothing to gain from holding on to your ideas; they may feel precious, but the more you share, the more new ideas you’ll have. #the50

48. Get out of the studio.

Good design is crafted from understanding the relationships between things. These connections can’t be found when locked in a studio. #the50

49. Awards are nice, but not vital.

Awards look good on the shelf, but clients seldom pick up the phone because of them. Solid work encourages that. #the50

50. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Take your work seriously, take the business of your craft seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously. People who do are laughed at. #the50