#easy-reading

“How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul” by Adrian Shaughnessy is a phenomenal read that has made me personally feel more comfortable with the field I’m studying to get a degree in. The book is all personal opinion, but it’s from his experiences that make his accusations that much more reliable. He’s letting us as young inexperienced designers in on the dos and dont’s in the designing world. He has been through and a part of the design system, and wrote this book for young designers straight out of college. It’s an easy-to-read book that walks you through the proper stages of becoming a professional and successful graphic designer.

Before even reading the Introduction, what Shaughnessy was explaining in the Foreword, “I love being a designer. I love thinking about ideas freely and observe them taking shape; I love working concentratedly on a project all day, losing myself in the work…” (7), made me feel better deep down about listening to my gut and continuing on becoming a graphic designer, despite the obstacles along the way. While reading I have found myself agreeing with a lot of what he was saying in his personal experience moving up in the designing workplace. When he mentions getting so involved in a project that it consumes him and he happens to spend all day on it without realizing. That has happened to me a few times, and those very projects are the ones that I hold the most pride in. Truth be told I didn’t intentionally plan to spend that much time on it, mostly due to the fact that I had other projects to complete, but in the end good design work are what matter most.

I remember a time in eighth grade art class, we were recreating a cartoon drawing, but upside down. While the teacher was explaining the process in which we had to go about the project, the entire class was confused. I now understand that the teacher was trying to get us to see lines and shapes rather than recognizable objects. That is the fundamental to having good functional design using lines and shape. That project helped me enter that mesmerizing zone where it’s you and the work alone.

Talk about clients are brought up quite a bit which is good because for a young designer who has little to no experience with client etiquette, I could use all the advice and pointers I can get. Hearing about all the stumbles and failures a professional and well known art director had when he was standing where I am now is very reassuring. Still keeping in mind that that doesn’t make the process any easier, just comforting that there are people who are willing to take the time out their lives to help the inexperienced get settled on their own two feet, or at least pointed in the right direction.

It’s a misconceived idea that graphic designers never sleep, at least all the time. There are such things as an all-nighter, students just stepping out of the foundation courses pull an all-nighter quite frequently. I used to think, ‘if I become a successful graphic designer, I’m never going to sleep’ but it’s an easier pill to swallow knowing you can take a step back, take a deep breath and reflect on what your achievements and goals are.

I enjoyed reading the section in the reading that Shaughnessy was ‘mocking’ the simplicity of graphic designer’s easy career. “It is an increasing attractive career. Where once it was seen as a purely artisanal occupation with not much status attached to it, it’s now regarded as a meaningful, even mildly glamorous activity” (12). The fact that people say that designers don’t have a career but an activity that pays, it’s an effortless job where we don’t break a sweat or that we simply sit at a computer desk all day throwing shapes and words together and calling it art; that is quite laughable. Back in middle school, maybe even in elementary, I always looked forward to my art and even my choir classes. They were the points in my day that I looked forward to and were more tranquil than the boring textbook classes.

I have never heard anyone ever say ‘graphic designers aren’t original, they are just copying and altering someone else’s idea’ but that thought passes through my head. My very first art class I remember my professor say ‘use a classical art piece as your inspiration for this next project’ and I was confused by that. I always thought artists were supposed to come up with fresh new ideas for all their works, although the more classes I took, the more I’ve come to realize that styles and trends in art repeat themselves just like history does. In an art theory class I had taken, I got to see first-hand how artists aren’t copycats. Artists recreate a piece either because they feel they can do a better job than the original or just taking a beautifully done piece of art and expressing that beauty through their style. The more art classes I enroll in, the more pride I take into saying where exactly I get my inspiration.

A major aspect of artists creating art is to express emotion, create something visually interesting, to get their voice out or to get a message across. First getting into classes that dealt with my major as a graphic designer, I have had many days filled with anxiety and have had my doubts on whether or not I qualified to continue in this career path. Reading this book has reassured me that those scares and doubts are completely normal and that all students in graphic design are feeling the exact same way, it’s just that the students that remain are the ones that want it more and are willing to struggle a little for their dream.

A major debate dealing with graphic design is the fine line of whether it is a service for a client or a personal message from the artist. The more I have read what Shaughnessy has experienced, certain cases call for more personality or maybe more of what the client wants. There has to be a detached connection between how the designer feels and what the client is looking for.

…we have those who believe that graphic design is a problem-solving business tool and that the designer should suppress their desire for personal expression… On the other hand, we have those who believe that although design undoubtedly has a problem-solving function, it also has a cultural and aesthetic dimension (13).

I have also learned that there will be some cases where as the designer, you have to educate the client on why the design is a certain way. Clients sometimes want things that they think would be amazing, but as the designer you know it would not be professionally beneficial for your client. As a designer you want to leave your mark in all of your work, but that doesn’t always work if it’s the opposite of what the client wants.

I agree with what Shaughnessy says about most design schools, how they are very basic because they are trying to cover a lot to send them to more specialized classes. There is only so much time for each class and the professor has to spend time with each student, so not all the students can benefit from the class because of the limited availability and time. A problem Shaughnessy has for education for designers is, “The art schools are preoccupied with producing ‘broadly based’ graduates and have insufficient time to prepare students for every aspect of working life” (15). I personally feel that it has to be taken upon the student to teacher themselves on top of what the professor has taught and then ask questions. That will lead to a better experience and you would have a better chance of retaining more information from the class. If I had the choice to go back in time, I would make myself more organized and have a better handle on my time management, two very important aspects of being a successful graphic designer.

There are pros and cons to working for a design firm or as a freelancer. Design firms are good for exponential feedback from many different point of views and has a good atmosphere for questions and opinions. A downfall in working for a firm is if and when you move up the ranks to possibly be an art director, you do less and less design work because there are so many more people who are doing that work now while you are having to do more organizing and keeping the business flowing nicely. Being a freelancer, on the other hand, is convenient because you are your own boss, you make your own time and availability and you can choose what jobs to do or not do. The cons to being a freelance designer is the fact that you have to do everything by yourself. The only people you can ask for feedback are non-designers, finding a designing job becomes more difficult and financing the jobs becomes taxing because you have to understand and do it correctly when the firm would do that automatically.

A rule that is ingrained into designer’s brains are to always take into consideration the aesthetics and having a cultural awareness that apply to the client best. It’s possible to give the client what they want, or even more, and still put your artistic thumbprint on your work. “…if you want to introduce these elements into your work, it means taking an interest in everything that goes on around you, and having curiosity about areas other than graphic design” (18) is one of many pieces of advice Shaughnessy stresses. I do agree with Shaughnessy that there are going to be plenty of jobs you will not feel like doing, especially if you are working in a design firm, but by completing the task, it can prove that you can do your work professionally and thoroughly no matter the task. That can be another fear of most graphic designers, is that they won’t ever have the opportunity to do work that they enjoy doing and will always dishing out work that have not all one hundred percent of effort.

Graphic design isn’t just about creating good design. It’s about having an awareness of the world around you that will make the work have more meaning and a better aesthetic for the concept you as the artist are trying to convey. Being more open and understanding gives a client more incentive to accept your work and ideas. One of Shaughnessy’s most critical points is, “Cultural awareness is vital for the modern designer and most designers are culturally aware people” (19). The world does not revolve around graphic design, it’s placed into the world to make it enjoyable to look at. The worst thing to do as a designer is be self-centered and be narrow minded; that is when clients and firms are less likely to hire you. A way to get your foot in the door with a client is to know them and their business inside and out. It’s also easier to understand what the client will want from you as the possible designer for their business. The more you listen to what the clients wants and talk less about why your idea is better, the more receptive the client is to accepting the idea you presented because they feel you are doing this with them solely in mind, not yourself. Shaughnessy stated, “…the single most important thing you can do when discussing a job with a new or potential client is to demonstrate understanding openness and receptivity. The designer who shows only signs of self-absorption and narrowness of focus isn’t going to inspire his or her new client” (20). Research becomes your best attribute. The more you know about your client, the easier it is for the client to accept your work and is less likely to be rejected.

Communication has to be a major skill as a designer or you will get nowhere in the world. If you have to explain yourself as to why you did something a certain way in your works, you are not going to get the gig; the work should speak for itself. If you can’t talk about the work at all, that will end with you leaving with not a good impression. Talking about your work is planning for an argument and having a simple explanation as an escape route. A way Shaughnessy has helped young designer form stronger verbal skills is by asking what they had done before even showing the work. If you can explain the work simply and it can be seen in the piece that shows that you can talk about the work with ease.

The presentation and idea of the work has to be just as good as the work if not better. If a client or firm turns you down, it doesn’t always have to do with the work but how the work was presented. This discourages a lot of designers. Was it my work? Did I ramble too much? Was it just not what they were looking for and missed the mark? Did I make a bad first impression? Many questions would run through my head and could be just that it wasn’t a good presentation. That alone is pretty stressful to think about and has me personally thinking about becoming a better speaker.

Relationships or simply knowing people can get you farther into the designing world. Knowing the right people can save you in certain cases. There are some designers that feel that having a bond with the client gives you a more meaningful and easier way to please the client, plus it makes working with them less tense and talking more relaxed. There are also designers who believe that a bond is quite unnecessary between the client and designer. They feel that the bond will blind your judgment in making good, necessary design choices to please the client.

Overall the book is worth reading, especially if going into the graphic designing field is what you want, even if it frightens you. It had me worried for the longest time, but the main reasoning was simply because I didn’t know what there was to be expected. “How to Be a Graphic Designer, without Losing Your Soul” has opened my eyes to information that I didn’t know before and Shaughnessy has given my so much insight and advice to make me feel more confident in my choice of studying to be a Graphic Designer.