Trying to get started in the field of design? I won’t sugar coat it. It’s difficult. Design is a massive field with a lot of confusing titles, job functions, and areas of focus. Here, I present the top qualities I value in other designers and helpful tips I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out.

Precision

Be concise with your portfolio.

Emphasize the quality of work over quantity of projects. If you have three great pieces that you can speak about, that’s better than 20 mediocre projects where you may have played a small role. What blew my mind when recruiting designers were the number of applicants who put just about anything in their portfolios, which made it difficult for me—and my short attention span—to know where to even start. Be clear about what best represents your skills and passions. And if you were a partner in a project, specify what your contributions were. 

Consistency

Put forth only your best work.

A single mediocre or poorly executed project will negatively impact how all of your work is perceived. Drop the weakest links in order to improve the overall strength of your portfolio. I’m probably one of the worst culprits of this. I often left things in my portfolio that I really loved, but years later, I came to understand that the work just wasn’t that impressive or had nothing to do with the kinds of work I’d rather be doing. Also, having some good pieces and some ok ones doesn’t exactly assure any client or future employer that you will be an efficient and reliable contributor. 

Communication

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback.

Reach out to members of the design community, look for mentors, and attend portfolio reviews. We tend to overlook our own weaknesses and it’s very difficult to be critical of our own work. Consequently, we are quick to criticize the work of others, so use that to your advantage and get some outside perspectives. Listen to others and get their takes on your presentation style, your work, and even your professional goals. If there’s anything I’ve learned about myself over the years, it’s that I definitely didn’t seek out the opinions of others as often as I should have. And when I did, I failed to act upon those suggestions.

Regeneration

Improve upon some old projects.

Sometimes hindsight allows the opportunity for us to imagine other possible solutions and then act on them. Maybe you have some knowledge now that you didn’t have then. Apply it and compare the old version with the revision. Often artists will do this as a kind of litmus test for themselves to see how much they have progressed over the years. I personally love reworking old projects, because sometimes not having constraints or a client to please can allow you to take risks and explore other solutions. And more often than not, you’ll learn something new that you can build into another project or have a more valuable piece to add to your portfolio.

Empathy

Don’t be an emotionless robot.

Show some emotion, write about your personal experiences, and show the process behind the work. There are a lot of great designers who can execute beautifully, but few are willing to show the process that led to those results, recognize the teams that helped them get there, or outline the problem that they were trying to solve. Process is absolutely important, but most people don’t want to listen to just a technical breakdown of how your team got there. They want to hear insights, actionable advice, and understand how you might help them solve a similar problem. 

Positivity

Maintain a growth mindset.

All of your work is temporary and your best work has definitely not been done yet. Take criticism and constructive feedback as opportunities to improve your work. Don’t take negativity as an assault on you as a person, because you are not the product of your work. If I had a time machine, I’d go back and give myself a few swift kicks for not taking valuable feedback for what it was. When we don’t receive feedback in an appropriate, calm manner, people are less likely to offer their feedback directly in the future. Even feedback that is poorly articulated or delivered in what might not be the best of circumstances is still an opportunity. Sometimes, you’ll just need to dig in deeper and ask for more clarification. Don’t worry, it’s always worth the extra effort in my experience. 

Excellence

Put in the time and the effort.

Starting out, you’ll likely have to spend a lot of time learning the ropes and dealing with projects that senior team members don’t want to do. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be enthusiastic. Embrace opportunities to learn new things and proactively find some problems that you can help solve. I’ve met way too many people that sit around waiting for something to do. I get that, a lot of people need direction or may just not find the work that engaging. If that’s the case, I don’t recommend a career in design. A core component of being a good designer is hitting problems head-on, and the majority of problems out there don’t come in the form of a creative brief. 

Integrity

Don’t try to fake what you’re not.

Your past self is the only one you should ever be comparing yourself to. Never compare your work to other designers—especially veteran designers or influencers. Many of them can make difficult tasks look exceptionally easy, and those on social media almost never publicly share their terrible moments or personal insecurities. I can straight up attest to the fact that I often suffer from anxiety in presenting new ideas or dealing with difficult conversations. I also have been stricken with FOMO and imposture syndrome at various stages of my career. Understand that in order to know where you are going, you need to know where you’ve been—not where others are now.  

Resilience

Don’t take rejection personally.

The hiring process is fundamentally flawed and the best talent isn’t always among those who get the offer letter. The market is oversaturated with designers at all levels and this makes it difficult to even get seen—let alone meet face-to-face. But, the majority aren’t putting in the effort, so keep your head in the game and ensure that you are doing all you can to look professional and stand out. Even the best designers out there are often overlooked or outright rejected by various opportunities. Stay strong and don’t let these small things diminish your drive or stifle your passion. 

Growth

Break out of your comfort zone.

Design is a constantly evolving field requiring continuous learning and development. You must always be striving toward improving your knowledge and skills. Try new things, get out of your comfort zone, and continuously improve and expand upon your skills to set yourself up for perpetual success. They may say practice makes perfect, but deliberate practice ensures mastery. When I started my career, there were far fewer applications for design, webpages waged war against all sorts of browsers, and UX design wasn’t much more than a theory. I invested a lot of time and effort into Flash—which is completely useless now—but I pivoted multiple times, learning JavaScript, Python, Node.js, Visual Basic, Sketch, and Figma. And just like good coding principles, the function of design has inherent qualities that are cross-platform compatible. 

Impermanence

Keep in mind that nothing lasts forever.

Understand that no job is a “dream job” and there is no guarantee that your current gig or company will even exist after today. Look at every opportunity as a milestone in the long road that is your career growth. Try not to get too attached to any group or place, but don’t mistake greener pastures elsewhere today as proof of eternal sunshine there tomorrow. In one job I had, there was a lot of hype in starting something new, building a team, and working on new technology. When I got there, there were actual leaks everywhere—with buckets to collect the water dripping into the office—and I had no support, direction, or even working hardware for the first week. Literally marooned and drowning from day one. Though it never quite evolved into a “dream job,” it was an exciting, interesting, and highly stressful stage in my career. 

Gratitude

Take stock of what really matters.

Be thankful for where you are right now and those who helped you to get this far. If someone takes an hour out of their day to interview you or review your portfolio, be sure to demonstrate your appreciation for their time and attention. Most importantly, don’t forget to follow up. People are more willing to assist you again if you let them know how they helped you. I feel fortunate to have many incredible people in my network that I often rely on. Any time that I receive any amount of help, I try to reciprocate the gesture in any way that I can—even if it’s something as simple as a thank-you note.