Aspiring graphic designer looking for tips and advice

annazukowska

New Member
Hi! I'm Anna, and I've just joined the forum today. I am currently in my second year at university studying Graphic Design, and just was wondering if someone experienced / professional could tell me a little bit about their experience, so about how you got into the field - did you also study at university or went for an internship or something along those lines instead? When getting your first job, did you get it through contacts you've made and people you knew, or did you apply through a job site and had an interview? What was your first job like, and what do you currently do? I'm just really interested about people's experiences and how they got to where they are today, and what kind of things to expect in general.

Thank you for your time and any replies short or detailed are very much appreciated :)
 
Although it is some years back now since I did it, I suspect the process is not much different. After I graduated, I moved to London and slept on friends couches for a few weeks, then either found out about particular jobs that were going, or more often researched (without the benefit of the internet or mobile phones!) the companies I wanted to work for. I then found out who the Art Director was, made an appointment to see them to show my portfolio. Most of the time you get a polite, ‘thanks we’ll keep your details on file…’, but with enough pavement-pounding, eventually it pays off. Persistence and tenacity. It always has been about making real connections with real people. Eventually you will click with one of them. It is rarely easy, but nothing worth having ever is. That said, the internet makes it sooo much easier now than it was back then.
 
Although it is some years back now since I did it, I suspect the process is not much different. After I graduated, I moved to London and slept on friends couches for a few weeks, then either found out about particular jobs that were going, or more often researched (without the benefit of the internet or mobile phones!) the companies I wanted to work for. I then found out who the Art Director was, made an appointment to see them to show my portfolio. Most of the time you get a polite, ‘thanks we’ll keep your details on file…’, but with enough pavement-pounding, eventually it pays off. Persistence and tenacity. It always has been about making real connections with real people. Eventually you will click with one of them. It is rarely easy, but nothing worth having ever is. That said, the internet makes it sooo much easier now than it was back then.

Hi, thanks for you reply :) you've mentioned moving to London, do you think living in a main city is important if you want to be successful?
 
At the time, I’d say if you wanted to build a serious career and be taken seriously, you had to be in London. These days, there is a lot of good stuff going on in other cities, but London is still London. In the long term you don’t need to be there. I no longer live there and haven’t done for a number of years now, but my biggest clients are still there. Also, although it’s expensive, it is the such an amazing place to be for a young designer. Dripping with inspiration and the best of design (and every other) culture. I still miss being around that. I don’t regret the 10 years I spent there for a second. One of the best things I ever did. I would never have got to work on some of the projects and with some of the great people I did if I hadn’t taken the leap and moved there.
 
At the time, I’d say if you wanted to build a serious career and be taken seriously, you had to be in London. These days, there is a lot of good stuff going on in other cities, but London is still London. In the long term you don’t need to be there. I no longer live there and haven’t done for a number of years now, but my biggest clients are still there. Also, although it’s expensive, it is the such an amazing place to be for a young designer. Dripping with inspiration and the best of design (and every other) culture. I still miss being around that. I don’t regret the 10 years I spent there for a second. One of the best things I ever did. I would never have got to work on some of the projects and with some of the great people I did if I hadn’t taken the leap and moved there.

What do you do now if you don’t mind me asking, and how does that work compare to the work you did in London?
 
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