What next after Graphic Design?

H

hocksta

New Member
Hi.
I've been a graphic designer for nearly 15 years. I'm in my mid thirties and recently I've been thinking about the future and how long I really want to be a designer for. I love graphic design and I love my job but the thought of being 60 sitting in front of a computer screen doesn't excite me that much. I'd love to know if anyone has any ideas what I could do next. I'd love a job that is creative but something that get's me out and about and away from the screen - ideally outdoors.
I'm more than happy to re-train and will consider most things....I thought some of you on here might have some ideas or knows somebody who has moved from a career in design onto something else successfully....

Paul
 
You sound a little like me, although I'm only 26, I've already thought about this and recently started doing something on the weekends. I've started collecting driftwood from my local beaches and building things with it. With the larger planks, rustic looking mirrors, shelves, cup holders etc, and with the smaller bits, candle holders, bits carved into letters / words etc.. It's still creative, gets me out to the beach every weekend, and fun! Not to mention I've got my own workshop to do it all in!
 
ARRIVALS said:
You sound a little like me, although I'm only 26, I've already thought about this and recently started doing something on the weekends. I've started collecting driftwood from my local beaches and building things with it. With the larger planks, rustic looking mirrors, shelves, cup holders etc, and with the smaller bits, candle holders, bits carved into letters / words etc.. It's still creative, gets me out to the beach every weekend, and fun! Not to mention I've got my own workshop to do it all in!
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This sounds great fun... do you think it's something you could make a living out of?

Working with wood is definitely something that appeals to me.... I love DIY and I've made a few basic cabinets which I really enjoyed. Maybe I need to look into furniture design courses or something like that...
 
hocksta said:
Maybe I need to look into furniture design courses or something like that...
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Not at all. Just play around with it and see what you can do. I got the idea when walking around Padstow. It's filled with little shops selling all sorts of bits and pieces made of driftwood, for absolutely ridiculous prices. A few hundred pound for a mirror made of 4 planks of funky driftwood, pegged together with carved wooden pegs, a bit of reclaimed glass, decorated with a few shells, and whatnot. Sounds so stoneage, but they really did look nice. Have a look online.

I've sold a few pieces. I could probably make a living if I had enough wood.
 
ARRIVALS said:
You sound a little like me, although I'm only 26, I've already thought about this and recently started doing something on the weekends. I've started collecting driftwood from my local beaches and building things with it. With the larger planks, rustic looking mirrors, shelves, cup holders etc, and with the smaller bits, candle holders, bits carved into letters / words etc.. It's still creative, gets me out to the beach every weekend, and fun! Not to mention I've got my own workshop to do it all in!
Click to expand...

This sounds great fun... do you think it's something you could make a living out of?

Working with wood is definitely something that appeals to me.... I love DIY and I've made a few basic cabinets which I really enjoyed. Maybe I need to look into furniture design courses or something like that...
 
I have started to think in a similar fashion to yourself, not so much because of sitting at a computer but more to do with job opportunities, etc. I have started to contemplating moving sideways a little into creative marketing and was thinking of doing a CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) course in the evenings.

I don't think there are many people who see themselves doing the exact same role for their entire working life any more.
 
DAVOR said:
I don't think there are many people who see themselves doing the exact same role for their entire working life any more.
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I think is very true. You know what you're interested in and what 'floats your boat', try different things - garden design combines outdoors and design! Luckily nowadays changing career is possible.
 
hocksta said:
Hi.
I've been a graphic designer for nearly 15 years. I'm in my mid thirties and recently I've been thinking about the future and how long I really want to be a designer for. I love graphic design and I love my job but the thought of being 60 sitting in front of a computer screen doesn't excite me that much. I'd love to know if anyone has any ideas what I could do next. I'd love a job that is creative but something that get's me out and about and away from the screen - ideally outdoors.
I'm more than happy to re-train and will consider most things....I thought some of you on here might have some ideas or knows somebody who has moved from a career in design onto something else successfully....

Paul
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I am also in my 30's...


I would say that you should look at DIY and building work.. They are good honest jobs..


Lets face it.. banking, graphic design, solicitor etc..


Are all phoney pretend jobs.


Nowadays we see the economy collapsing because a real ecnomy needs factory/production jobs. Not media arts and finace.

1 thing i will say is that. I regret wasting so much time in front of computer screen. But England has such horrible people and weather.. and the locations are so full of scums that you were probably not missing out on much.

I now work on building site. Its the best job there is !
 
bobchops said:
But England has such horrible people and weather.. and the locations are so full of scums that you were probably not missing out on much.

I now work on building site. Its the best job there is !
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A beautiful, balmy English day here...not all English people are 'horrible'. And surely working on a building site you would be working out in the 'horrible weather'?
 
Yeah - see ya: good luck invading Poland (for those that missed it, it turns out that the fingerprints of my pisspoor English design work are all over Stalin's terror famines and symptomatic of the kind of narrow thinking that keeps the master race from fulfilling its destiny).

Meantime, back to the thread: I always kind of felt that graphic design was a young man's game but I'm no longer sure, what with me getting older and everything; I think it probably seemed that way because of the explosion in demand at the end of the 20th century and the fact that much of the supply was picked up by young people. There's still plenty of room for old geezers (let's say 'mature designers') and I don't see myself doing anything else any time soon.
 
I have also wondered about this a few times and I think as Dave mentions, that Graphic Design has only become a mainstream job over the last two decades because of available tech. There are older grapahic designers out there, they just call themselves artists. on a completely different note I want to be a mountain guide, but thats just me :)
 
ARRIVALS said:
I've started collecting driftwood from my local beaches and building things with it. With the larger planks, rustic looking mirrors, shelves, cup holders etc, and with the smaller bits, candle holders, bits carved into letters / words etc.. It's still creative, gets me out to the beach every weekend, and fun! Not to mention I've got my own workshop to do it all in!
Click to expand...

That sounds awesome! I want to give that a go now!
 
Dave L said:
...I always kind of felt that graphic design was a young man's game but I'm no longer sure, what with me getting older and everything; I think it probably seemed that way because of the explosion in demand at the end of the 20th century and the fact that much of the supply was picked up by young people. There's still plenty of room for old geezers (let's say 'mature designers') and I don't see myself doing anything else any time soon.
Click to expand...

The one thing we 'mature designers' have over young people is age...and experience. The two things we 'mature designers' have over young people is age and experience and industry knowledge. The three things we "mature designers' have is.....
 
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