A little while ago I was contacted by a student that was considering design as a career.  Instead of answering her questions myself I thought I would ask my twitter friends.  Below you will find their answers including  some useful advice and suggestions and insight into what a career in design is like. Feel free to leave a comment and answer the questions yourself. Thanks to everyone who helped out!

1 Rags Vorm

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

have an eye for it. get some formal training. live/love it. be obsessed with it and you also need to be cocky, i think, to win.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

not sure. graphic design?! B.A.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

more art. more web. but mostly more hands on art classes.

2 Sascha W.

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

I work about 24/7…I even dream about new innovations, I write songs, I write about society, I wirte about what I hate but what the people want. You always need an anti society feeling to know, what they want. you manipulate them, by knowing what they think. You are not allowed to stand in line…you make the line where they stand to buy the stuff you make!

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

don’t care about the location, education…I never had the marks to be a successful designer here in germany, but my portfolio and my will to design and the motivation to be on top of everything made my personality…you always have to fight…like life is…a whole fight where you can reach your goals, but not without fighting…so never lose your desitny if it is really the thing u want to do.

in short text: you just need to find a way outside yourself…be free…but never say you need to be creative…thats bullshit and you know it, if you do advertisment who was never made before…because you are all alone a CREATER and not a copycat! if your brain is that free, you made a right decision.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would have done more for school and less about going skateboardin’…but it also made my life…I saw lots of things, landscapes, seas, the ocean and big citites which now inspire my design…

no, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I had to fight hard to become the person that I am…and with bad marks, I now design for chrysler, mercedes, siemens, bosch etc! its just what you do with yourself. life is learning and you never learn enough.

3 Patrick McCoy

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

It takes lots of practice and patience. I think one of the key skills would be listening to other people’s criticism and taking it with a grain of salt. While it’s important to absorb other people’s views it’s more important to develop your own style. Also a big thing if your going to be good at ad design please, please learn pre-press. One of the most sad things I ever see in the design field are designers who have no idea how to send files to printers in such a way where the printers won’t have to fix your crap! Ask, listen and learn.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

A degree of any kind in the design/arts will give you a solid footing for understanding colors, composition and get your creativity really kicking. Location is a hard one big cities are great for life long job seekers and offer enough choice to learn. Some states including the one I live in don’t understand design and most jobs are hard to come by. If your a self starter it’s good to understand that you can start from anywhere at anytime.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I don’t think I would change the fact that I focused in design but I would focus more on web design. In my class people would come to me and ask me advice for web stuff even though I am hardly the expert person on all things web. I would say without a doubt to pick a niche and stick with it. Design is too big to generalize there are too many different areas you could specialize and earn higher income.

4 Mike Kivikoski

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

You need a strong desire to learn. Things change so fast and peoples demands become greater you have to be willing to understand, adapt and execute. Being a perfectionist helps and superior design is definitely in the details.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

I have a BFA in Visual Communications with a concentration in Graphic Design from a Liberal Arts College located just outside of Boston, MA and I loved every moment of it. The work ethic I developed as an undergrad helps me the more then anything. Understanding everything that is expected from you, keeping open communication and making sure to hit all of your deadlines is a hard lesson to learn, but is invaluable.

The foundation design classes are also important and the web design classes were instrumental in pushing me in the direction I am currently headed.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would have taken my typography classes more seriously. If you indulge in type early, you will set yourself ahead of a lot of your competition/fellow classmates. I also would have networked with more of the Computer Science students for projects that need advanced backend functionality.

5 Brian Klepper

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

If you want to succeed in the design and advert market place you need to stand out from the crowd by pushing the limits but also understanding the core principals. Better to have 5 amazing portfolio pieces than 50 ok random bits.

Focus on your key strengths and stick to what you know best. No reason to be an all around designer like everyone else. If you’re looking to make it big with a Agency you’re going to be part of a larger team so you’ll need to know your key role very well.

You’ll need to know your strengths and weaknesses

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

This all depends on your focus and whether you want to Freelance, work with an agency or just a Small company etc..

Get a degree in whatever you feel will help with your overall success. The degree will teach you how to learn everyday skills in life and any working environment you may fall upon. A general Art Degree will help with key principals where Graphic Design is a little more specific. Nothing is more valuable than wanting to learn and having the passion to grow as an individual, I personally feel this will take you farther than anything else.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

Nothing. Im comfortable with the steps I have taken to get to where I am. I own a small business and have worked for 2 Agencies and am happy with that.

6 Ros Horner

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

Work Experience, Work Experience, Work Experience. So many graduates say that they can’t get a job because they haven’t got any experience, and can’t get any experience because they haven’t got a job! Go and work for free. And if that doesn’t sound very exciting, make it exciting… I went to work for free at a fashion magazine in New York, my boyfriend worked for free at Sagmeister inc. and our friend went to work for Interbrand in Amsterdam… Working for free doesn’t seem so bad then! It’s hard hard work to get good placements but that just adds to your experience.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

I don’t know many designers who haven’t done the traditional Foundation course and Ba (hons) in Graphic Design. Having said that I know some technically brilliant designers who started their careers straight from school working for printers. Having a specialist knowledge is a huge bonus, so if you don’t fancy going to uni go and become an expert in print, (but you may have to find a way to keep your creativity going outside of work!)

Once you have experience and a portfolio it doesn’t really matter where you got your degree or what grade. Your work speaks for itself.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

Ask more questions. It is always better to ask, even if you think the question makes you look stupid. And if you don’t understand the answer?… ask again. That would have saved me sending my entire final major project to print in RGB! as well as too many other mistakes to mention.

7 Brianna Young

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

It takes dedication to learning. You must constantly keep yourself updated on the latest web standards, coding languages, and programs so you will have the tools to get the job done. The best way to go about it is to learn one thing at a time, master it, then move to the next thing…however long that takes.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

A degree in art is helpful, but some schools offer a production degree, in which you learn the various programs you will need to know to create your designs.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would have interned with a small firm before I started my own small firm – even if they didn’t pay me. It took so long to learn the ins and outs of the business on my own! If only I’d had a mentor…

8 Matt Ventre

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

The best designers have deep intuition, empathy and the ability to communicate effectively. They also have no fear of failure. Experiment, try new things, take risks, but most of all listen to your peers, colleagues, clients, and mentors and you’ll learn more about design than you ever knew possible.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

Choosing an education will vary depending on which kind of designer you aspire to be. If you’re interested in visual design then perhaps a fine arts degree would be most appropriate. If you’re looking to get involved heavily in experience design or interaction design, then taking some classes in human computer interaction or behavioral psychology would be beneficial. The beauty of design is that school is just a starting point for many people. Some of the greatest names in their respective disciplines have no related education at all in their chosen field.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I don’t know that I would have changed much, but I think I would have done more to round out my graphic design skills to complement my experience design skills a little better. I spent a lot of time in my younger days drawing and painting and I would have loved to have continued that aspect of design on into my post secondary education.

9 Debbie Campbell

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

Creativity. Love of design. A thick skin. The ability to drink in what you see. Strong skill at problem-solving. Willingness to do a lot of research. Being organized also helps. And if you want to freelance, learning basic business skills before taking the leap is often a good idea.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

I’m not sure if the type of degree matters so much – it depends on what you want to do. A general design degree may be more valuable than a highly specialized one. I think travel is also a really important part of a designer’s education – exposing yourself to new places and new experiences (even going to local museums counts). If you can get one, an internship at any kind of design company can be a very useful thing.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would probably have stayed in the graphic design track instead of switching to a more specialized one. But I’m a professional web designer; what I do now is about 90% from learning on my own and had nothing to do with school. At some point I may go back and enhance my design education further. Running your own studio is hard – I jumped into that without knowing much about how to run a business and that would have made it easier at the beginning.

10 Mary Dolan

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?
Researching design techniques and keeping up on your design skills is a must. Continuing your education helps keep a designer up to date on the changing times, especially when it comes to graphic design and web design. I keep up on this by using design forums or other design tutorials to help me better my skills and know what the new and current design trends are.

Having a kick ass portfolio also keeps you above the crowd. If you find you don’t have any really good pieces from prior design jobs, then make them up! I’ve done this before when I realized that I didn’t have some design pieces in my portfolio. Having a website to show off your work and personality is also a must.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

I believe that all you need is a BFA in graphic design and web design. (or a minor in web design) Designers only get masters if they want to become a professor in Graphic Design. A lot of future employers shy away from hiring someone with a Masters since they have to pay them more for what a designer with a Bachelors can do. I’ve had a few friends fall into this.

If you’re going to become a Graphic designer, then you should definitely get a minor or degree in web design too. Those 2 fields are starting to go hand in hand today. I get as many print design offers as I do web design offers. If you can do BOTH then that is a plus

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would have gotten a double major in web design and graphic design. I only have a minor in web design, and what I learned wasn’t very beneficial to me. I wasn’t taught Flash and what I was taught in coding didn’t make me feel confident that I could actually create a website for clients. Currently I have to outsource my web design clients to someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to coding. If I had a full degree in web design I believe that I would be making more in this field and I’d be more useful to some of my clients.

11 Liza Unson

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?
To be successful in design, you have to understand that learning it is an ongoing process. You have to love it, and love to learn it as it changes with the times and the trends of the Interwebs. And when it comes time for critiques, thick skin is a must. Know that constructive criticism is for your benefit, and use the knowledge to hone your skills.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

I got a degree in web design and interactive media from the Art Institute of California, and I work in NYC. With the recession, it’s hard to pinpoint where design jobs are available. I don’t think that the degree matters as much as a strong portfolio though.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would’ve gone into design sooner instead of pursuing a chemistry degree

12 Brad Weaver

What does it take to be successful in design and advertisement? What are the best ways to go about it?

You have to be willing to learn from others but not copy them. You have to be willing to not listen to trends always and be willing to go with tradition when tradition makes the most sense for the project. You must develop the analytical side of your mind and not only live as an artist, otherwise you have the same shot at design success as a high school basketball player does at making it in the NBA. There are some great artists doing great work who don’t analyze, but they find success through a combination of hard work, good fortune, and the ability to live a long time without a paycheck.

What is the most beneficial education for the field? What type of degree, education, location etc.?

A traditional education can help or hurt you. If you are able to start working as a designer before or during school and do work outside of student projects then I think an design education works well. If your goal is to work at an agency then an education works well. If, however, your goal is to be freelance or an entrepreneur I don’t think that design school does a very good job of preparing you for what real clients will want nor will your portfolio be applicable. So a good balance of both is good if you can handle it. If you want to go it on your own, then learn from the web, from books, seminars, conferences, and your own gut.

If you were given the ability to go back and change previous decisions, what would you have done differently?

I would have started designing much sooner in life than my late teens and I would have kept everything I ever created so that I could learn from it.

What do YOU think?

Feel free to leave a comment and answer the same questions in the comments.