“A piece of my soul is invested in this work and I will not reshape it without a struggle!”, Every designer thought at least once.

How can you do your job well, get decent pay and pleasure, but not sell your soul to the devil?

The book is about the everyday life of a graphic designer, many everyday problems and specific ways to solve them.

Who is this book for?

For novice designers or those who are just planning to become one. For those who want to make the world a better place. And for everyone who has not yet understood how you can achieve (and is it possible?) Success in this field and keep your soul intact.

What is this book about?

The book is about the profession of a designer in general and in particular: about a professional start and job search, freelancing and opening your own studio, finding orders and communicating with clients and, of course, about the creative process.

Job search

The most pressing issue today is finding a job. And Adrian Shaughnessy reveals this topic very fully. How and where to look for vacancies, in what type of company is it better to start a career, how to get interviews, and what do employers really want? It is very interesting to learn about the important details of self-presentation from an experienced designer, who, by the way, has already conducted many interviews with novice specialists.

For example, the original packaging (well, at least a little different from the boring black folder) of your portfolio will immediately set it apart from the general background. And many interviewers who are busy with work (otherwise, why would they need a new employee) prefer to look at the paper version of your work (if we are not talking about web design). Adrian Shaughnessy himself still prefers paper letters to electronic ones, especially if they are executed on a beautiful letterhead.

Own studio?

The book is aimed not only at beginners, but also at those who are experienced enough and are thinking about opening their own studio. Although in domestic realities it seems not so simple, the information is still useful.

The author talks in detail about how to start your studio, touching upon all the details: where and how best to rent space, how to plan finances and find clients. The chapter on starting a studio even has step-by-step instructions.

Creating a studio is only half the battle; it needs to be able to competently manage. About this difficult matter, where you are a cleaner, and a technician, and a graphic designer, the author writes in detail and with feeling: it is immediately clear what is on his own experience.

Communication with customers

Whether you work as a freelancer, have your own studio, or work for a large company, one thing is inevitable – communication with clients.

“There are no bad clients, but bad designers with their own hands can turn good clients into bad ones” – this is one of the author’s key principles. In this chapter, he talks about how to build partnerships with a client and stop demonizing his image.

Also, it tells how to make a competent presentation, retain a client, how to refuse and how, in the end, learn to cooperate with clients equally fruitfully, regardless of the volume and cost of their order.

How was the book made?

Large format paperback book. Printing is not happy with the color variety: only black and blue. However, this was reflected in the cost of the book. If you are not a fan of color pictures, then here you will definitely not overpay for them. The text is positioned 2/3 of the page wide. Personally, it seems convenient to me, in the margins there is room for your notes.

Outcome

Many designers are happy to share with you the secrets of their inspiration, but few – everyday work information. This book contains a lot of useful and non-obvious things, from looking for a job to running your own studio and communicating with clients. And as a nice bonus – several interviews with famous designers at the end of the book.

Buy the book “How to become a designer without selling your soul to the devil”

Adrian Shaughnessy’s book “How to Become a Designer Without Selling Your Soul to the Devil” is available for purchase in the online stores Ozon.ru and Labyrinth at a price of 450 rubles, as well as on the website of the publisher Piter.com (according to the promotional code infographics get a 25% discount on all books from the publisher).