I received a bachelors in graphic design a few years back, but have done hardly anything with it and have been working in an only marginally related job since graduation. My design software isn’t even up to date. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting back into design lately, but I don’t know where to start. What would you suggest I do?

Life happens but really, it’s never too late to catch up. There are times when we get pulled in different directions or have to take another job that’s not related to our profession and that’s okay. Nobody expects you to be an amazing designer overnight. Possessing a willingness to learn and a sense of follow-through will help you with getting back on track.

Enroll in a Continuing Education Program

If you need a quick refresher, you’re in luck because quite a few art schools now offer Continuing Education programs. I am familiar with these because I was recently invited to review portfolios for design students in the program at PNCA. Many of the students I spoke with had already previously earned degrees in design or related fields and in the meantime, ended up in different professions, took time off to be stay-at-home parents or just wanted to refresh their knowledge and update portfolios.

These programs make a lot of sense when you really think about it. Many aren’t necessarily credit-based and the cost tends to be less expensive than traditional, for-credit programs. And, if you’ve previously earned a degree in design, it’s pointless to go back to school to re-earn the same degree again. Technology and software are always changing and if you’re hoping to re-enter the field after an extended break, one of these programs can provide the tools, motivation, connections and resources to get you up to speed with current practices.

Subscribe to Design Blogs

Become familiar with what your design peers are doing (for free) by subscribing to design-related blogs. Keep an inspiration folder on your desktop and collect images as you go (I upload my saved images into a private folder on my Flickr account about once a week).

Once you learn about a few blogs, a whole world will begin to open up as they link to others. A few good places to start (in no particular order) are: Smashing Magazine, For Print Only, Neusblog, I Love Typography, ISO50, Logo Design Love, Computerlove, Brand New and Brand New Classroom, Friends of Type, The Dieline and Design Work Life. This is just scratching the surface!

Take Online Tutorials

When I was in school, we weren’t required to purchase many books. Instead, we subscribed to Lynda.com, which I highly recommend. Providing an amazingly comprehensive selection of online tutorials, Lynda uses videos to teach you new skills. If you don’t understand something the first time around, it’s easy to re-watch the video again and again. Lessons are divided up by chapters and if you’re more advanced, it’s very easy to skip ahead. In the past, I’ve learned a lot of inDesign and Flash tricks by watching Lynda videos. Finally, the subscription options are really affordable, as low as $25.00 a month and allow you to access over 53,000 online video tutorials instantly. So much knowledge at your fingertips!

Test the Waters With Temporary Work

If you haven’t been in the design market for a few years, it’s hard to know what to expect and if you’re up for the challenge — will you enjoy the work, can you handle the workload, are you up to date with practices, do the clients interest you and do the hours work with your schedule? You can only tell so much from an interview. Many companies have been trending towards hiring freelancers as a way to test the waters, especially in this still shaky economy. This is beneficial for both parties because a freelancer can see if they like what the company has to offer with regards to work quality and culture; at the same time, the company can make sure that the freelancer is a good fit with the rest of the team.

When freelancing for a company that I am unfamiliar with, I personally prefer to go through placement agencies so that I have a liaison between myself and the business via my agent. Your agent can assist you with navigating unfamiliar or tricky situations and act as a confidant if any issues arise. They can also put in a good word if you really like the place and are seeking permanent placement. And, if things don’t work out for some unseen reason, there’s less of a loss for both sides. The company doesn’t have any contractual obligation…and, well, you don’t get fired.

Pay Attention to your Portfolio

As a designer, if you end up in a long-term gig (design-related or otherwise), it’s easy to get too comfortable and neglect your portfolio. We are all guilty of letting things slide at some point. Though, when you take too much time off, it becomes increasingly difficult to catch back up. For this reason, I try to set aside a chunk of time every six months to refresh the look and contents of my book. This is your key to finding steady work, whether it be freelance or permanent. And, if a few years slip by, your book runs the risk of becoming dated and falling behind the competition.

Where should you begin? If you feel too overwhelmed to take on the challenge by yourself, a continuing education program can help you get up to speed. If you lack the budget and time, most agencies and design professionals are willing to set aside 15 to 30 minutes to give you a quick round of feedback as long as you’re polite and clear about what you are looking for (an informal portfolio review, not a job!) If you’re in need of some portfolio tips, pay a visit to two of my previous posts, 7 Tips for Creating a Print-Based Portfolio and Creating a Killer Portfolio Discussion.

Readers, do you have any recommendations or further resources for someone who would like to re-renter the graphic design job market?

I’m a graphic design student at the Hartford Art School. I keep wanting to drop out because I haven’t been getting the best feedback. How do you know if you’re capable of being a designer? We’ve been doing a lot of business logos and I just feel like I’m stuck in this uncreative bubble. Lastly, how much should I listen to my teachers? Design is so subjective. I show some people my work and they love it, while my teachers were overly critical about it. I could use a lot of advice so I can feel motivated again.

First of all, take some relief in the the fact that you’re not the only designer who feels this way. At some point, every person in a creative profession wonders if they’re good enough. It’s human nature to question whether you ‘measure up.’ And, that is so much more admirable than just thinking that you’re the greatest designer that ever lived. Being humble will get you way further anyway, I promise.

But, you’re still wondering if you’re ‘good enough.’ As you mentioned above, design is so subjective. This is where things get tricky. Step back from your teachers and peers. Do you think that you’re good enough? Do you love sitting in front of a computer all day and bringing concepts to life? Do you feel like you can handle constructive criticism and listen to what a client (or teacher) wants, even if you disagree? It’s okay to disagree but are you still willing to give their idea a shot?

School Is a Test

School is meant to prepare you for the real world. As a designer, you’re often creating work for public consumption and if you want to get paid, you have to buckle down and please clients. The views of your teachers and fellow students regarding your work may differ in part due to age and views. While a teacher may encourage you to keep your work timeless and to drop unnecessary content, your peers may love the fresh new technique you just picked up from a tutorial.

Do your teachers ‘hate’ your work or are they just making suggestions on how you can improve? Is their feedback constructive or are they disregarding the outcome altogether? If your teachers are good, they will be critical. They simply want to push you to be your best. Sometimes, they see potential in a project that perhaps you don’t. Teachers understand design principles in ways that a new student might not and it’s true that if you want to break the rules, you have to learn them first.

Accept That Someone Is Always Going To Be Better Than You

Stop comparing yourself to everyone else because it will only make you miserable. I had only one year of community college design courses under my belt when I started interning at my first ad agency. I was surrounded by guys with a minimum of 5 years experience each and sometimes it was intimidating. At times, I felt overwhelmed but I also knew that I wanted to be as good as them someday. Everyone has to start somewhere and the people that you admire were probably in your shoes once. Even if you’re naturally talented, it takes years of hard work. If anything, rubbing shoulders with people who are better than you will push you further faster.

Learn to Accept Feedback, Both Good & Bad

As a designer, you’ve got to develop a tough skin because people love to tell you what they think, good and bad. It’s never easy but over time, it does get better. When you’re still in school and experimenting and developing your style, it’s natural to be unsure about what you’re doing. But as you get more experience, you can more clearly judge if your work is measuring up. I spent nearly two years at agencies where I got constant feedback from art directors and I never took it personally. It’s their job to push you to make the work look its absolute best for a client. A fresh set of eyes can see things that you can’t when you’ve been staring at a screen all day. In school, your teachers are the equivalent of an art director.

Not Everyone Is Going To Love Everything You Do

Work usually falls into one of four categories:

1. You love the outcome of a project. Your client loves it. The public hates it.
2. You love the outcome of a project. Your client is unsure. The public loves it.
3. You loathe the outcome of a project. Your client loves it. The public hates it.
4. You hate the outcome of a project. Your client really hates it. The public loves it.

If you can manage to make everyone happy, including yourself (and get a portfolio-worthy piece out of it), relish that moment!

School Is Not Supposed To Be Easy

Life at an agency (or wherever you end up) isn’t easy. Getting pushed hard in school is a huge benefit in a way because it helps to build a solid work ethic for when you hit the job market. Someday, you may actually look back and miss the carefree (in comparison!) days of school. Knowing what I know now, I sure do. Take feedback in stride. School, just like everything else, doesn’t last forever.

As a fellow creative personality, what would you say to a 19 year old girl who has taken a year off college and wants to pursue a job in graphic design somewhat similar to your own? In a nutshell, what is a common workday like for you? What is the most exciting thing about your job? How much school did you have to go through to be where you are now? Did you ever consider any other careers? Is Portland a booming center of design and if not, do you know somewhere in the U.S. that is?

At 19, I admire your confidence in knowing what you want to do for a career! First of all, if you are really passionate about graphic design, I would recommend enrolling in a college level program. While there are plenty of amazing designers out there who are self-taught, graphic design requires an understanding of basic design principles and a specialized set of skills that a structured program will thoroughly cover.

Even if you naturally have an eye for composition and can put together fantastic layouts, knowing how to properly build those layouts and prep them for production is just as important. Agencies commonly used to have production artists on staff but with economic woes, many will now expect you to do it yourself. What I’ve learned (the hard way) is that designing something just because it “looks cool” is not enough of an explanation, especially to clients! Knowing how to get from point A to point B, why you decided to design a project in a certain manner and being able to accept critiques (both good and bad) is hugely valuable.

Not all of us are able to go to school when we want or where we want but in the meantime, don’t let that slow you down. When I decided to go to school for design, I enrolled really late and didn’t make it off of the waiting list. During the year I had to sit out, I regularly purchased design books, scoured design blogs and worked on art projects. I did my best to stay inspired and keep the momentum until it was finally time to take the plunge.

A Common Workday is Not Really Common.

As a freelance designer, establishing structure can be difficult because you never know what’s going to come up. On a normal day, I usually wake up by 6:30 a.m. If my blog post for the day isn’t ready to go, I try to wrap it up. By 7:30, I am putting on my makeup, getting dressed and then walking to the coffee shop with my boyfriend and dog. When I get home, I quickly scan my emails to see if anything client or agency-related has popped up.

My workdays can vary quite drastically. I could have an entire week at home in my office doing work for my clients (at any time, they range from 5 to 10) or, on the flipside, I could end up double-booked, running back and forth between two agencies. It’s all very unpredictable. I get calls at the last minute, sometimes with a day’s notice to show up somewhere. In the last year, I’ve freelanced at four different agencies in Portland, one in New York and in-house at one company — Nike. Agency hours are usually pretty long. It’s not uncommon to arrive by 9 a.m. and work until 6, 7 or 8 pm. Clients don’t care how late you have to stay….they want the job done. Since I am still young and don’t have a huge amount of responsibility, I don’t mind the long hours but if you have other extracurricular tasks, kids and pets, be prepared for your day to not wrap up at a set time.

The hardest part of being a freelancer is the lack of a division between work and life. I often cancel after-hours plans to get a job done, work through the weekends and feel guilty when I do take a day off because there’s always a job waiting.

Exciting Work is Usually Balanced Out with Production

What do I love about my job? The sheer variety of projects that I get to work on! In the last few months, I’ve designed websites, books, blogs, email ad campaigns, landing pages for online retailers, logos, media kits and more.

Though, not all design work is fun! I think that a common misconception that students have when starting out in graphic design is that they get to be creative all day, every day. From my experience, while graphic design is more creative than your average job, I would say that I only get to be creative HALF of the time. The other half is spent setting up files, doing production work or conducting research. When you walk into a store and see signs for events and promotions everywhere, when you pass window displays, when you pick up a catalog or notice a product’s packaging…someone had to set up those files and send them to the printer. I’ve had entire weeks where I spent 10 hours a day in InDesign, outputting mechanicals to go to print. Being creative is a great asset, but knowing how to properly set up and deliver the files that that creativity is housed in is really important.

I Considered Other Careers Because I Didn’t Know What Graphic Design Was

I wish I’d had a mentor or someone who could have taught me about design. I would have discovered it that much earlier. I always read fashion magazines through my history and math classes (mid-90s issues of Bazaar were so great!) and I loved the world they showcased outside of my suburban town. I think I would have wanted to do something in the fashion industry….though I’m not sure what. Beyond that, I knew that I didn’t want to toil my life away doing mundane office work (which I ended up doing for two summers in college).

School Felt Never-Ending

For school, I am going to go out on a limb and say that overall, it’s less important about where you go — the weight of your employability is mostly based on the quality of your portfolio, your personality (are you easy to get along with and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done?), who you know and of course, your experience / expertise.

My road to becoming a designer was a bit convoluted. When I was in high school, I would scour the school library for advertising books and anything to do with vintage Swiss poster design. I didn’t know any graphic designers though and the connection that design could be a viable career was completely lost on me. When I interviewed at a local art school, the professor told me that my portfolio needed more fine art — but I disliked drawing and painting. Looking at my angular collages, excessive use of rub-on letters and very sparse, graphic layouts, I really wish he had told me about the graphic design program. I walked out of that meeting feeling disillusioned and decided that I didn’t want to be “a starving artist.”

Later, after spending some time in community college, I fell in love with an eBusiness class. Marketing was where it was at for me. I still dabbled in design but it was more of a visual experimentation and nothing professional.

In 2005, once I finished my business degree, I felt unsatisfied. I was a creative person by nature and people had begun to offer me freelance design work. I had a vision for what I wanted to do and started doing some fairly big jobs, but I wasn’t comfortable with my skill level — I wanted to know how to do things the right way instead of guessing. In 2006, I went back to community college for a two year design degree. The classes were small, affordable, thorough and the schedule allowed me to continue working. If you’re on a budget and live on your own, I highly recommend going the community college route. If you still have a thirst to learn more once you’re finished, you can always transfer to a four year school.

For Not Being a Metropolis, Portland Has a Lot to Offer

Besides being home to the behemoths that include W+K and CMD, there are so many small agencies scattered across this town and I am constantly discovering more. It’s quite unbelievable, really. Large companies like Nike, the U.S. headquarters for Adidas and Columbia Sportswear are located in town so there is a constant flow of work funneling down from them that keeps a lot of places busy. Four of the agencies I’ve worked at in the last year have 15 or less people and there are tons more that I’ve learned of only recently. Before I make Portland sound like a perfect utopia for designers, there has been a nonstop influx of creatives for probably the last 10 years now and the market is flooded. Competition can be stiff. Don’t just show up and expect to be handed a job! On the other hand, if you want to be a freelancer and run your own studio, the independent creative spirit is very much alive and well.

Do you have a question that you’re dying to have answered? Ask Nubby!