Tips to help you avoid mistakes and stay in your favorite profession.

Based on the observations of Calvin Cox, we will try to formulate ten main reasons that prevent designers from developing their potential and becoming professionals.

Working as a designer, Kelvin tried for a long time to understand what prevents him from developing. And after long deliberation, a list of the main reasons for the “design stupor” was compiled.

1. Market saturation

The design market has gone global. Now, for example, a designer from Minsk can easily make a project for a customer from Los Angeles. This is the reason for serious competition, because now almost any freelancer can effortlessly work remotely from anywhere in the world. At the same time, this is a huge plus, because it is thanks to the Internet that the entire huge design market with its needs is available to everyone, even a novice designer.

Become a professional in your field. If you clearly define your market niche, you will be more visible and competitive. For example, it will only be informational website design or only online stores. Due to the global nature of the market, any chosen niche will not be narrowly focused, because there will almost always be demand for it.

2. Bad start

A designer’s career can start with a significant and meaningful project for you. In this case, you risk being disappointed in the next project and give up, losing all interest in it.

Don’t forget that very few people become rich and successful in a short amount of time. Start by creating a good portfolio, develop professional skills, communicate with more experienced colleagues in the shop, and learn from their experience. Among the many acquaintances in LJ, on freelance sites, in blogs or on Habré, try to find experts in your field and potential clients.

3. Wrong costs

It’s no secret that money invested in your business can return a hundredfold. Another thing is that you need to invest them wisely. We can spend a thousand dollars renting ad space on a freelance site to get attention. But the result may not be nearly as impressive as one would like, and the money may be wasted.

Calm, only calm. It would be wiser to make the first investment in the future. For example, take a design training, buy a powerful computer, a professional monitor, or make yourself a stunning portfolio site. Or buy, after all, a Photoshop license. Better yet, do it all together. And only then strive for new heights.

4. Money up front

Before getting started, a designer usually wants to get paid in advance. It is important for a potential client to know how professional the chosen freelancer is in the area he needs. To do this, you need to have a good portfolio, then you can count on prepayment and trust. If you still cannot boast of such, then at first you will have to work without a deposit. On the one hand, it is less reliable, but there is a good opportunity to collect work in a portfolio and make useful contacts with employers.

5. Unknown

As in any business, in the design market you need to draw attention to yourself. Post your work on public blogs, do not skimp on business cards for friends and acquaintances. Surprise with an interesting design so that images from your site will be cross-posted by other bloggers with a link to you.

Ask for advice and ask experts to criticize your work on the forums. Remember that your site alone is not enough for a successful freelancer. Most of my business contacts are on design communities and freelance sites. Therefore, join the communities of like-minded people, but also do not forget about your portfolio.

6. You can’t please everyone

Remember that it is impossible to please everyone at once. As one of my acquaintances (a bearded guy of about 40 years old) used to say, “I’m not a nice girl for everyone to like.” At the same time, he correctly chose his target audience: it was cute and beautiful girls who loved him. The opinion of the others was of little interest to him. So you can work for pleasure – make a design that will delight you. In this case, your like-minded people will love your work. And they can also become your market niche as customers.

7. Fear of criticism

This is a problem that almost every designer faces at the beginning of his creative career. If you do not understand that criticism is useful for design, this can lead to the fact that you will only show your work to those people who are guaranteed not to say anything bad about them. It must be remembered that criticism is essential for professional development.

8. Lack of individuality

Any designer should have his own vision of the world. Do not try to be like everyone else, you need to look for your individuality. Novice designers need a lot of time to develop their own style. This can be either an approach to the choice of colors for a layout, or branded “chips”: lines, folds, gradients or lack thereof. As Gosha Kutsenko shaved his head and made it his calling card, so you differ from the crowd of faceless “creatives” with a unique style.

9. Have a plan? No plan

Being a good designer is not enough to be successful. You need to define a goal for yourself (open a studio, conquer the Romanian market, enslave the world, etc.), divide it into tasks and gradually solve them. Try to bring yourself closer to achieving the goal with each next project.

10. Lack of motivation

Many talented designers fail due to lack of motivation. The road to success usually takes a lot of time and effort. And until you reach some heights, many disappointments and difficulties await you. Usually more than you expect. Despite this, you need to remember your goal and continue to work.

The only major mistake is to stop moving forward, and the rest can be resolved. Therefore, do not despair if something does not work out and you will succeed. As the saying goes, “patience and work will grind everything.”

We sincerely hope that none of these points will affect you. Good luck!

Translation: I am designer
Cover photo: ShutterStock