Why I Am No Longer A Designer

Posted on 09. Jul, 2010 by in Art & Design

I knew I wanted to be a graphic designer from the moment my high school art department got an iMac.  Those bulbous brightly colored computers mesmerized me.  I soon found myself spending every free moment in the design lab learning my way around Photoshop and the other, now archaic, programs installed on the machine.  I took all of our schools courses in Commercial Art where we kicked it old school, mocking up layouts with non-repro blue pencils and non-digital clip art.  I adored my art teacher, Mr. Kling, an incredibly charismatic man with the most contagious laugh.  He fed my budding passion for design and encouraged my efforts.  He even let me help out with the high school website, which made me feel extra fancy and important.

Senior year came, I remember sitting in the guidance counselor’s office discussing ‘my future’.  What college did I want to attend?  What did I want to major in?  The decision was simple – I wanted to be graphic designer.  The next fall, I enrolled in Drake University‘s graphic design program.  Freshman year I took what they called our ‘core’ classes – everything from drawing to sculpture.  These classes were meant to develop our skills in composition, color and proportion.  I loved these classes – while my friends were off taking more bookish subjects like accounting and biology, I was in the studio elbow deep in charcoal and slicing my fingers with X-Acto knives.

At some point I decided to add an Advertising major.  I thought it would make me more ‘marketable’.   So at the end of five, yes five, wonderful years, I graduated with a double major in Graphic Design and Advertising.  I was ready to kick the world’s ass and design the crap out of anything that came my way.

Then reality sank in.  Something they never tell you in school is that in the real world, you are no longer creating things that YOU like.  You are designing for your clients.  So if your client wants you to make a six foot banner full of low-resolution .jpegs and they prefer that you use Comic Sans because they want it to look ‘fun’, you have to find a way to make it work.   As a designer there is a fine balance between satisfying your client, and creating work that your are proud to claim as your own.  Just because YOU think that you’ve come up with the best idea ever, it doesn’t mean that your client will agree, and you must find middle ground.  I spent five years deciphering vague feedback like, ‘let’s make this pop’, ‘the colors aren’t right’, ‘i like it, but it’s not quite there’, and bevy of other lines I’m sure you’ve heard from other annoyed designers or read on Clients From Hell.

I was finally burnt out – I just couldn’t do it anymore.  I’d lost my passion.  It had been drained out of me.  I stopped looking at my projects as fun puzzles with multiple solutions and as client feedback as exciting challenges to work towards a mutually satisfying end product.  Instead, I halfheartedly completed projects using the input of my clients and at the end of day wasn’t proud of what I was producing.  That’s when I knew that it was time for a change.

I’ve always been a pretty social person, so when the social web started to evolve I naturally became an active participant.  The more I dabbled, the more I fell in love with where this field was going and I wanted to be a part of it.   So about a year ago, I transitioned careers from a graphic designer to a community manager.   Don’t get me wrong, I miss design – I love the creative outlet that it provides me – I crave that, I need that.  However, now it’s something that I can do on my own time, and it’s become fun again.  I still enjoy reading passive aggressive  exchanges between clients and designers,  lost cat poster email thread, but now it doesn’t hit so close to home, and I can actually laugh instead of cry.

Are you a designer?  What is your biggest frustration with your job?  What’s your favorite part?

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  • http://www.karriwells.com Karri Wells

    Note – @lindsayjean11 inspired this post when she sent me the Lost Cat Poster link.

  • Thomas Knauer

    Erm…

    I am pretty sure that I told you about clients being stupid and stuff. In fact I am pretty sure I spent about half of my time in classes explaining just how stupid the world was, especially clients, art directors, marketing departments, and the audiences. Designers occasionally get to make some good work despite the world, but only rarely.

    *Pauses…*

    Actually I should probably be quiet now; I could go on for a good 30,000 words right about now…

    *Pouts…*

  • Katie Popp (aka Hentzen)

    Have you seen the video about designing a stop sign? I’m sure you have but if not you need to watch it. Now that you’re not designing anymore I think you’d get a laugh out of it:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wac3aGn5twc

  • http://kevin.tumblr.com Kevin Burg

    Fascinating! Do you think you would ever transition back in to doing more design if you reclaim your passion for it? If you create your own work and niche, then maybe you will find clients that specifically want what you do? Or more likely they would find you.

    I’m still a designer — web design exclusively — and pruning bad clients is a huge effort and sometimes tough decision. At my company we parted ways with a client who had just gotten $5 million in funding (and later another $10m+) because working together was unpleasant. Enjoying our work is as important as the work itself.

  • http://www.karriwells.com Karri Wells

    haha – touche – Yes, you did tell us about working with clients and warned us about how difficult it could be :) I think it’s very difficult to re-create real world client/designer scenarios in academia. I was still all starry-eyed about it didn’t realize that not everyone had the same standards for what what makes good design. Kinda one of those things you have to experience for yourself. Like knowing that a plate is hot, but touching it anyways and getting burnt.

    For the record you were hands down my favorite professor and learned SO much from you. You even managed to even explain Flash in a way that actually made sense! You are the reason I was so passionate about ‘making things that don’t suck’, I got so discouraged and wasn’t proud of my work anymore. Design will always be in my blood and a part of my life, and who knows, maybe one day I will get back there. For now I am on a hiatus :)

  • Tiffany Tauscheck

    Karri,
    I like this blog. It pops. The colors are right. It’s totally “there.” ;)

    Cheers to having the guts to follow a new path!

    • http://www.karriwells.com Karri Wells

      Haha – Thanks Tiff! For the record, you give good feedback – you were always very articulate, organized and had a knack for giving suggestions that were actionable. I always really appreciated that, just so you know :)

  • http://www.karriwells.com Karri Wells

    Hey Kevin – I definitely think that at some point I could transition back into design. I’m a creator at heart, whether it is painting, a written piece or customizing a WordPress theme. I still do things here and there, but I am much more selective about what I do. If you ever want some weird shit involving duct tape and found art I’m your lady. You are absolutely right, pruning clients is very difficult! I’m so happy to hear that you are working in web design – you were always so talented.

  • http://www.karriwells.com Karri Wells

    Katie – I just watched the Stop Sign video – that basically sums everything up. It made me laugh and also want to puke. It was all very familiar!

  • lindsay

    haha. I love it. I totally know what you mean, even though I’m not, nor will I ever be, a designer. :)

    Glad I helped inspire you.

    • http://www.karriwells.com Karri Wells

      Dude – you totally learned how to use Photoshop :) I am proud of you!

  • Kay

    Duct tape and found objects? Sounds like Business Horizons! Great post, Karri!

  • http://fluffytaildesign.com Betsy

    Oh Hai. Would you mind designing me a poster? I really like Lust Razor. And want something bling blingy with sparkles that really pops. Maybe bold face or underline the headline so it really stands out.

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