5 Tips For Design Students

*Please pardon the un-styled mess why I am rethinking and re-designing my blog!*

This past Saturday I participated in the AIGA 2009 Portfolio Review. Its sort of strange to see the tables turned so soon ( I graduated in 2007). This time I was not a student, but a reviewer. I saw some great design work and have some suggestions for all the design students out there.

1 Don’t be afraid of the web

The Internets wont bite! ( I swear) I saw LOTS of great print work, but not very much web work. Don’t worry if your school does not have a web design class! Search the internet, buy a book and take a crack at it! I can’t stress how important it is to at least understand how to design for the web, even if you cant code a web page. I learned more about web design outside of school that I did when I was in school. So jump right in – and don’t forget that you absolutely NEED a portfolio website! And while you are at it start a blog!

2 Don’t be afraid to experiment

Go crazy! Make scribbly type, violate hierarchy rules, break the grid, include hand drawn elements with vector elements. Follow design principals and then break them! Design school is when you have the most freedom. You are your own client (most of the time) so push yourself as far as you can. Experiment with different design styles. This will help you learn and grow as a designer.

3 Always have business cards, and always carry them with you

Some of the students I reviewed didn’t have business cards. MISSED OPPORTUNITY!!! Business cards are so cheap and easy to make (overnightprints.com, 48hourprint.com uprinting.com ) You can get 100-250 cards for 20 bucks! I would also recommend having a few cards in your wallet. You never know when someone will mention that they need a designer.

4 Take your class projects further

So you were assigned a magazine cover and a spread – why not design the rest of the magazine and make it look as complete as possible? Logo Design assignment? Take the identity further and design a website. It’s awesome to see student projects that are taken further than the proposed assignment. It also makes you stand out from your classmates. Don’t be afraid to mention that you went above and beyond and took something further in a job interview either.

*ignore the random sticky note guy pic…. i just liked it so much I had to include it somewhere

5 Make a habit of talking about your work

If you are a graduating senior (or super senior when I graduated hehe) you need to make a habbit of talking about your portfolio. Participating in portfolio reviews is a great way to pratice for job interviews. It might also help to show your portfolio to non-designers and explain your work. When I was looking for jobs right out of school I had interviews with HR departments and other non-designers. Often times these people won’t understand designer lingo – so its best to get practice with non-designers!

Any More Tips?

Do you guys have any tips out for soon to be job hunting designers? Or tips for design students in general?

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299533 Responses5+Tips+For+Design+Students2009-04-23+11%3A22%3A29Niki+Brown to “5 Tips For Design Students”

Nicole Peterson says:

Great advice.

I was also surprised to see the amount of portfolios that were just books with images of the projects printed in them. I think that’s more of a difference in how students are taught to do things at other schools, but I think designers like to see the actual product. If you designed a magazine, actually print out and mock up the magazine. There’s a difference between seeing a picture of something in a book, and being able to pick it up and turn it over and look at it from every angle. At least that’s what I was taught at MassArt.

April 23rd, 2009 at 6:50 am

Yana says:

I was just reminded of last summer when I was interviewing for an internship and I knew absolutely NOTHING about the process, and the CEO (small company!) says to me, “So, tell me about your work.” And I’m like, “…excuse me? You want me to… tell you about it? …Which pieces, all of them?” I was totally confused.
Got the job anyway, but still.

Great post as always!

April 23rd, 2009 at 9:44 am

Cedric says:

Hello,

Being a student myself, these things are taught to us at school, although most of the times we just dont have time to do MORE work then whats asked for(unfortunatly).
I just started my education so who knows what the future gives us

I want to thank you for the bussiness-cards idea.
I got one question, you said we should make a blog. You’d say start it on blogger and promote our work or something?

April 23rd, 2009 at 11:38 am

Tim Smith says:

Great tips Nikki!! I agree with you 100%.

April 23rd, 2009 at 12:11 pm

Prescott Perez-Fox says:

Here’s a controversial tip for students: Don’t try to be a freelancer! You have the rest of your life to worry about clients and money and deadlines — take this time to work on your own shit, make connections, invent things, goof around, and most importantly, learn!

When students live double lives as freelancers, they often engage in less-than-stellar business practices and thereby affect the whole industry. Plus, you have to realise that you actually not that good, so wait a few years and you’ll be much better at serving client needs and conducting business.

April 23rd, 2009 at 3:19 pm

Mig Reyes says:

These tips seem really basic and obvious, but they’re so true, and so many students—for whatever reason—forget them. A lot of the job offers and opportunities I’ve come across since graduating have all requested some web experience, even if it’s a foundation of web at best.

So, right on.

April 24th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

Lex says:

Wow. I’m sad that you actually had to write this list. I’ve known these things since my sophomore year in college.

And if I don’t have time to finish the extra work on a class project for the deadline I keep working on it after. There’s no rule that says your work stops after it’s graded.

April 24th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

Niki says:

@lex aww come on be nice! Not everyone is at the same spot on the learning curve. I’m just trying to be constructive and helpful.

Totally agree that the work should not stop after its graded.

Thanks for the comment!

April 24th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

Ashley says:

get an internship. get an internship. get an internship.

oh, and get an internship.

April 24th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Rachel says:

A great way to for students with little experience designing for web is to build your personal site. Use it to post portfolio pieces, create a blog & update often – You’ll learn a lot while building your personal brand. Embrace social media! Use your blog & twitter to learn from & connect with other designers – build your professional network.

April 24th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

Jim says:

An internship is the best way in the world to learn what you DON’T KNOW. Most designers come out of school, maybe freelance a little, or possibly get a job at a small firm. They think they’re on top of the world…

Until they work with a real designer/art director. You tend to find out quickly all the things you don’t know, that are much more important than what you DO know.

While you feel humbled, it’s also a great feeling to find out something, explore it, perfect it.

I also wish every designer had to work at least a month or two in a print shop pre-press department. You learn valuable technical skills, and see every mistake you can possibly make setting up files for commercial printing. You also get the opportunity to see a lot of work from other designers – which can go a long way in helping to develop your own style.

April 24th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

Lasha says:

I definitely agree with all these tips. Being a 3rd year design student myself, utilizing all these skills are essential. This also remind me…I need to get some new business cards designed and printed.

April 24th, 2009 at 11:31 pm

Abbas says:

Never turn down a job, no matter how big or small.

Brand yourself: Develop your own identity, get yourself online, translate your branding across your website and stationery. Setup your own personal email account. Approaching clients with a professional email address instead of a Hotmail/Gmail account will work wonders.

It’ll cost you a bit of cash to get online, but you should see this as an investment not a burden.

April 25th, 2009 at 6:24 am

Donar says:

Great tips.Thanks!

April 25th, 2009 at 8:30 am

Tiph says:

Internships! Did someone already mention that?
But yeah, any practice for your designing skills is great; I tend to do my friends’ projects at the same time they’re doing them – even if it’s not one of my assignments! It’s great being able to see what you can do.

Ooh.. thanks for the reminder on the business cards; I need to design some. :/

April 26th, 2009 at 1:30 pm

thepicklebot says:

Good to see tips like this being put into the public domain. Great stuff

April 26th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

Bec Matheson says:

Thanks for that!

Interesting comment about the freelancing (in the comments). I’m doing a bit of that juggling as I find real-world work helps me to experiment a bit in designing to a brief, mind you it does tend to take over a bit (even if it’s just taking over headspace).

April 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm

John says:

Don’t take critiques personally… and always hear people out. As senseless and inane as it may be, it is important to listen and absorb what people say. You may be right and you should always stand by your work, fully explaining why you did what you did – but remember we ARE in a service industry (as much as that pains us). Finding your balance can be frustrating but rewarding.

April 27th, 2009 at 5:56 am

Anne says:

TIP: KNOW THY TYPE. What typefaces did you use in your portfolio? It’s your book, and type should not be chosen randomly, but for a purpose. Own it.

TIP: CRAFT MATTERS. If it looks messy, it says you are lazy or don’t care.

TIP: WHAT’S YOUR CONCEPT? Make it more than “meh.”

TIP: NO MORE TYPOs. If there’s a spelling error in your project. Fix and reprint.

cheers,
anne
@AnneLikesRed

April 27th, 2009 at 3:34 pm

adam says:

re: john : “. . . but remember we ARE in a service industry (as much as that pains us). . .”

i disagree about graphic design being a service industry. design is and should be a partnership between the client and the designer. as you get on with your career as a designer, you need not just be handed a brief that says “make a brochure” and you make a brochure. maybe a better solution would be some environmental signage or a viral web video. maybe the client wants blue for their restaurant because its their wife’s fav color but the designer knows orange is more related to hunger?

it is our job as designers to educate the public on what it is we can add in relation to the bottom line of their business and that we dont just “make things look pretty.”

about the interviews, though . . . make sure you are confident and actually enjoy talking about your work as much as you enjoy the creative/doing aspect of it. maybe talk about some little detail that no one may notice but you thought really helped make the piece and that you really enjoyed thinking about or adding in.

April 29th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

Catherine Cantieri, Sorted says:

Great tips — for anyone working solo, really. The school projects tip might sound inaccessible to someone who’s out of school, but when you think of every work project as a source of a portfolio piece or a client testimonial, you can apply it to your work. Nice list!

May 5th, 2009 at 10:44 am

Heather Kyle says:

Once you’re out of school, Continue to check out all areas of media to keep your ideas flowing. Make it a habit to look at design books, magazines, newspaper ads, billboards, mailers, business cards, online, etc., for inspiration.

May 7th, 2009 at 9:16 am

Mauro says:

Nice tips. Really apreciated…

It’s really important to take internet as a big tool to grown as a professional.

Here were i live, Argentina, it’s very difficult to work as a local-graphic designer because the majority of the companies don’t look this area like an important step to grow. So receveid young mens have to work as a freelance.

Cheers

P/D: My english isn’t the best xD

May 14th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

@printpixels says:

Amen. I'm not the most experienced or best designer, but your words ring true.

I got into design after landing a job in a pre-press department and went back to college as I enjoyed the work so much. The things I knew from working at entry-level design were so useful. I was able to help classmates with simple things such as setting up for print, pre-flighting and basic typography. Things they often don't have time to teach or gloss over in favour of live projects and hitting targets.

The business cards tip is brilliant too. I made sure I had a box of them for end of year art show on the stand with my work, a small stock of them in my portfolio and I try to keep some on me at all times.

Keep practising and experimenting even after you graduate though. It's sooo easy to fall into a trap of thinking you're no longer in education so you're done with learning. Strive to learn something new. Set yourself some goals. Even if it's just picking up an inspirational book, a book on typography or the latest design magazine. Never stop learning, or you'll never progress

January 12th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

joseph says:

I'm going to be graduating as super senior too. Another thing I see is a lot especially interning is just graduating graphic designer just buy there portfolio! I made mine by hand it cost a lot more cause i use plexi glass but it might be extra push that make you hired or still looking. It that going extra mile that make different especially in this market.

March 1st, 2010 at 9:40 pm

sarah says:

you could use the "sticky card guy pic" under the business cards heading overall nice article btw!

April 13th, 2010 at 7:41 am

simon webb says:

@ Abbas – sorry but you are giving some terrible advice there with "Never turn down a job".

Of course you have to take risks, but you should never just blindly accept a job, never!
There are a lot of questions you have to ask yourself.
Am I the right person for this job? Can I really bring something to the job and really satisfy the client? Do I have the time? Am I experienced enough to fulfill all requirements?

No, it doesn't cost much to get online. You can get a free email account and use it, you can set up a free blog online. What matters is the quality of your work. I would really think twice about working for someone who would judge you on the fact you use gmail. Free email account, free blog, nice work. Simple.
My recent post The Left Ribs by Boudicca

October 20th, 2010 at 3:26 am