In essence

The best way to initiate someone in the mysteries of the daily life of a graphic designer is to tell it like it is. Let’s not lie people. It’s better to tell the padawans the reality of the work we do everyday. After we graduate, we suffer because we struggle getting a job in a saturated market that is already looking for experienced people. We also have a hard time communicating with the clients, both sides can be a hassle. That is until we get the hang of it. The key is persistence and not be afraid. You’re not going to overcome the problems if you don’t make mistakes and learn from them. It might not be fun most of the time doing things like writing briefs, doing research and preparing contracts and proposals, but it’s extremely necessary and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We’re not here to make things look pretty. We’re not artists, we are more like artisans. We learn the craft and use it as a tool to make something we can sell. We must never stop learning. We can’t sit around and wait for an idea to come to us. We gain knowledge and drive inspiration from different sources. We organize our chaotic thoughts into coherent visuals. We add and move graphics and letters in a white space to make sense, to communicate, to be functional. We do not disregard any type of media. Our personal preferences have to be put aside when we are working for somebody else. Our work is not ours and in most cases is not our clients either, it is for the consumer. But what makes it worth it and rewarding is to see your work actually working and accomplishing it’s purpose. To know that people you’ve never met in your life is using what you make. Finding it useful and easy to understand.

This is my rant for today after a long day of work and a long period of time of realizations, struggles and some wins as well. I still have a long way ahead of me but I need to keep on, no matter what comes ahead.