Six questions to a graphic designer
When and how did you get your start in the industry?
I was working as a picture researcher for magazines and a night picture editor for newspapers in London when in 1992 I saw Photoshop for the first time and it was love at first sight. I then lied a lot to get my first jobs freelancing in London.
How do you define graphic design?
Like a lot of things it’s indefinable. It evaluates the left brain logic and transforms it to right brain creativity by using imagery, typography, iconography and/or … “ideas” to communicate a message. There is no dividing line between art and design in my opinion. Graphic design has the capacity to involve larger areas of interactivity such as marketing, branding, entertainment and communication.
What is the hardest thing about the industry?
Being told by a client that they don’t like what you’ve done. And then even if the client likes the ideas the best idea often doesn’t make it. (I changed this question from “what was the hardest thing to learn…” I got out of that one!)
What is the best part about your job?
Obviously the feeling of having done a good job. Whether you’ve been told so or shown by sales figures.
I love the variety; packaging, websites, newsletters, marketing, print ads, banners, presentations, branding a new product, corporate literature, viral videos. You name it.
I also enjoy the interactivity with the client. I love getting a call from a new client. I love being able to help people fulfill their aspirations by successfully communicating their company, project, product or message.
A graphic designer or graphic design business can be broadened to encompass the wider spheres of advertising and marketing. A communicator can do what he wants to do.
What is the number one thing you would like to tell new designers?
If you haven’t got one, get a website. If you do print, do web. If you do web, do print. If you do print and web, do animation and movies. Do things you aren’t already doing.
Don’t ever think you’ve made anything perfect and it can’t be improved upon. But at the same time you’ve got to know when to stop doing something when what seemed like a good idea proves not to be.
Look around to see what your competitors are doing; identify people or companies that are a little bit better or bigger than you are and try to get where they are. Don’t be envious, be even.
What is something you wish other designers would understand?
Don’t see the client as the enemy. Somebody once said that design would be a great job if it wasn’t for clients. I disagree; it wouldn’t be much of a job if it wasn’t for clients.
There’s no such thing as good design. In the words of Bob Gill:
There’s no such thing as “good design” or “bad design”. The design is good if it does what you want it to do. It’s bad if it doesn’t.
Or as Shakespeare said: “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”.
These questions were asked by Lauren the Creative Curio, a fantastic design website who asked six different questions for a graphic designer. She encouraged others to give their answers to the six questions.
Here are some other answers.
- Six Questions on Being (or becoming?) a Graphic Designer by Jacob Carter
- Working as a Graphic Designer by Tracey Grady
- Six Questions on Being a Graphic Designer by Andi “Toon” Creffield
- What I Do for a Living or… Six Questions about Graphic Design by RaShell
If you want to join in and answer these questions, give me your details and I’ll include your link!
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I haven’t heard a designer say that before! I think art doesn’t always have a message and often when it does it’s a selfish one, something about the artist or something they care about. Design is about a message that others need or want to hear.
Unless I’m missing something, this is saying, “there’s no good or bad design, but good design is… and bad design is…” So, ill-functioning design would be bad design.
Just no dividing line between them. Not like all design is like art or anything like that. Where does design end and illustration begin for example, and then are illustrators artists? I like your distinction between the messages. But I like to think once you put down a boundary something crops up on the “wrong” side!
As for the Bob Gill quote, I included that to amplify my point that its all a matter of opinion; one person’s ill-functioning is another person’s functioning sometimes. So I think he’s saying be careful of thinking something’s good period. It may work today but not necessarily tomorrow so there’s no such thing as “good”.
I hope you don’t think I’m being too vague. And thanks for reading the post and commenting so well – I’ve been getting a lot of short DoFollow comments lately!
You’re welcome
Thanks for your response. I see what you’re saying, on both counts. Thought provoking… important to keep re-evaluating our ideas on stuff. Thanks for encouraging me to do so!
I like that feeling, too
It sure sounds like you’ve found your niche in life through design, Rob! Awesome!
Don’t be envious… that’s good advice even for the people who’ve been in the industry more than a few years!
Interesting little discussion you and Kris had above. I can see your point about design vs. illustration and I’m often wondering the same thing. Ultimately I know I’m not an illustrator, though I can create some digital effects pretty well. If there’s something I know I just don’t have the skills for, I tell the person requesting it. I tell them an illustrator would more suit their needs. It is a hazy area, to be sure.
I wish I’d said that. It’s been one of my principles for a long time – if someone’s doing better than you, don’t mope about it, but instead use it as an impetus to do better yourself.
Thanks also for linking to my post on this topic – I’ll be linking to all the contributors too.
@Creative Curio
I’m not sure if I have found my niche to be honest! Although I’m happy doing graphic design, I’m very interested in branching out into the wider fields of advertising and marketing. And, related to that point, if I someone requires an illustration (which I can’t do) I will try to find an illustrator and then charge the client myself. I think this will ultimately help me build contacts and learn about other things such as charging and interaction with clients and other professionals.
@Tracey Grady
Actually I think I read somewhere that you can not get rich if you envy or hate rich people. Well, I’m not sure about that but certainly envy has never done anyone any good. You’re welcome for the link, thanks for yours!
@kristarella
As LaurenMarie said, interesting discussion. Thank you for your contributions.
It’s all about who you know, for sure! And being online helps. You meet people you would never have another chance to otherwise.
On a less happy note, I think you may want to look into this. Rob. It looks like scraping. I’ve seen it a couple of times with this meme, unfortunately.
http://sherms3k.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/six-questions-to-a-graphic-designer/
I agreed with Bill Gates on bad or good design. There’s no such thing as perfect design. The important is the client happy with your design for them. Besides you may treat client as enemy because they keep complains or nagging to you. At their mindset, they has the right to do so. That the main problem with them.
@LaurenMarie – I would say that being online is essential and, you’re right, you meet people more targetted to your work. On the less happy note I commented that guy to say he’d stolen my post and he wrote to me apologising. I wrote back to say it’s not the stealing so much as duplicate content and Google nut he didn’t reply. The post is still up there but at least now has a link to me!
@Jimy Wong – I never heard what Bill Gates had to say on the matter. It’s maybe truer to say there’s no such thing as perfect design. Clients have the right to nag but that’s not a bad thing!
[...] Six Questions to a Graphic Designer by Rob Cubbon [...]
dont be envious be even, cool advice. looking to get into the business myself
Thank you bebo whiteboard good luck getting into the business of graphic design!
I got my start in the industry a long time ago when I was 15, my bother showed me the Corel Draw software and I loved it.
I was playing with it and after 2 weeks I started helping him with different logo designs and stuff.
The number one thing I would like to tell new designers is keep doing it, the more you do it the better is you skill. The better is your skill the more you like it
Hello Helen, thank you for your comment. I started using Photoshop in a similar way to yourself. I completely agree with you – the more you design the better you get at it. And the greater your skill the more you enjoy designing. I like it!
Good article, I think you answer all the questions well. Its the variety that I love in my work.
Yes, the variety is one of the great things about graphic design.
Great post!