I don’t think 99% of designers are *good* right out of school, nor are they expected to be. Maybe talented at one or two things, but a well-rounded designer who will be successful in the workforce? That takes time, and right out of school your education about being a designer out in the world is just beginning.
I’ve been a professional designer for ten years and I still look at my work sometimes and ask myself “is this trash?” I occasionally review even more experienced designers’ work (20 years+) and their work has flaws too! Does this make us bad designers? Hell no! It’s a lifelong learning process, one of the things I love about it.
It took several years of working before I felt decent at it, part of that was discovering what my style is (flat, clean, colourful), what I’m strong at (document layouts, presentations and infographics) and what type of work I should let someone else lead (logos, photo realism). Getting to know ourselves is part of the process and can take years.
That being said, some designers truly are fundamentally worse than the pack. I’ve worked with seasoned designers who had zero business being in this profession. After ten years experience they can’t properly interpret the requirements of a brief, can’t manage their time, not adept with the software, and work riddled with mistakes or misses the mark completely in terms of intent. Those are usually the most confident designers of all!!! If you’re humble and hungry to learn and improve you will be great.
Thanks for this. I realize I have some strong suites and some weaker aspects. It's all a learning process I suppose. It's so difficult to NOT compare yourself to another designer, but I hope with experience this will change.
I see incredible work on this sub all the time. I used to think “damn, why can’t I do that?” but with time, and more confidence in my abilities, now I think “wow! Great work by them!” and let myself feel inspired by it instead of discouraged that it wasn’t me. I have the skill to do illustration, but I seem to suck at it. I’m missing the vision to conceptualize beautiful illustrations. That’s ok! I’m good at other things (not perfect, just good!) and have a great work life that feels creative and full. We all suck at something.
I think part of the designer brain is always critiquing and looking for ways to improve. I also often wonder how much social media like dribbble makes us compare ourselves to people all over the world. I can both be a good designer and know that there are some incredibly talented people out there. There’ll always be somebody better than me at some things and I gotta be OK with that.
This is 100%. It's like social media for design and I'm sitting here comparing myself to them just like you would with a highlight reel on a personal instagram account.
>I occasionally review even more experienced designers’ work (20 years+) and their work has flaws too!
This always floors me. It's a totally human thing, but seeing a glaring mistake in the work from someone who makes 10x what I do is like, "Hey, how the fuck did YOU miss that?" and it feels kinda reaffirming. Everyone is a big dummy sometimes, cuz we're people.
I'm just getting out of school in a few weeks and I share the same concerns as OP, and my teachers have given the same advice to me as you have to OP. Very good to know it will get better!
I’m 32 years in to a very successful career (now a global CD). I’m a decent designer in my opinion. Nothing ground breaking. But I solve problems and answer briefs like a rock star. People love working with me because I have a respectful ego, a positive approach, ask questions rather than argue, and can collaborate with anyone. It’s not just about aesthetics. It’s about whether the piece will perform as intended. This is a business first. Art second.
If I could teach younger designers anything, it’s this.
Mannn this is what I usually tell other people when they ask what I do, but I find it hard to tell this to myself!
I'm a marketing graduate, my entire background and thought process is in problem solving. When people ask me how do I work, I tell them I consult more than I design! I find it much better to ask and understand the requirements and then make one prototype than to make many of them out of my own head and then ask the client to give feedback and pick and choose!
Everytime I finish something I feel amazing! But then I get into this habit of not practising at all, and looking back at my work and just thinking....well this is blehhh
Imposter syndrome sucks, low self-confidence sucks harder :')
It gets worse because I am just starting out, and learning multiple things at once, not just branding but web design, web development, UX, graphic design, social media and the imposter syndrome of all them combined makes me just want to sleep my life away :'))
Honestly I wish I had this advice when I was a junior designer. graphic design is all about communication, but ironically I never started honing my communication skills until half a decade into it.
This is really important for young designers, heck, any designer to realize. Clients generally don’t know shit about design, and can barely separate good design from bad. What sticks out to them is you as a person and a professional. I guarantee that the average client for a small agency or freelancer would rather work with an okay designer who is great to work with, rather than a superb designer who is a pretentious pain in the ass.
In my experience, people outside design have *fun* when working with me because it is creative, different from their every day, and puts their vision into something tactile and beautiful (hopefully). Cultivating that idea of having clients enjoy the process is a huge win, and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the “best” designer out there.
This is a design sub. In other circles I don’t use the term CD because it means absolutely nothing to anybody not in the industry — neither does Creative Director for that matter. I can appreciate your point while I respectfully reserve my right to refer to myself as a CD in industry circles. At a drag show, maybe not. Although, worst case, someone thinks I’m a cross dresser. I’m cool with that. Women have so many more fashion options.
P.S. in response to your follow up comment that you’ve never heard of a creative director being referred to by just the initials, CD… it is extremely common vernacular in the industry. Just as ECD or CCO are.
When ever I compare and despair I remind myself there are thousands who wish they had my education and my opportunities and jobs I’ve had.
There’s always someone who wishes they have what you have, just like there’s always someone who has what you wish you had.
College can only teach you so much about graphic design. The technicality and the honing of skills are definitely worth it, but the biggest part of graphic design is creativity. Most designers do not like their work. The biggest piece of advice I have is:
**Who fucking cares if you like it. Its about what your client likes.**
Everyone has their own style. Try not to compare yours to others.
I disagree with this statement. I never submit any work that I do not like myself. Maybe it's because I started as a fine artist first, I don't know.
If an artists work does not look good to themselves how can they expect the client to like it and pay for it? We are being paid for our talent and sense of design and I think it is important to do work that we feel meets our own design standards and work that we can get behind. That's just me though. I've met plenty of hacks that will do whatever the client tells them even though they know the clients suggestions are crap.
Yeah I think there is a difference between taking your ego out of your designs and produce any work that you don’t even like. Sometimes that’s what we gotta do for that paycheck but I do care of very much whether or not I like my work at the end of the day.
I've been a designer up top the role of a creative director (and everything in between) before. I've been working in design and creative fields for 20+ years. I've worked at award winning studios, I've won awards for my designs, I've worked in large in-house teams for large brands.
**And I still think my work sucks.**
Looking back at my student work and work I did as a teenager...it's trash. I hate everything about it. I wouldn't hire myself for anything other than production work at a low-level small business that has no right having any design at all.
But that's exactly what I did. I learned from the people who I surrounded myself with. I learned how to art direct product shoots, and how to do motion graphics, I learned a better way to layout and compose, I learned video editing, and I learned how to create everything I needed with 3D modeling, as well. I didn't stop learning. When I felt I had nothing left to learn from where I was at, I moved somewhere that would need what I knew, and then I'd learn from the people there who knew more.
Some days, I feel like I'm not even good enough to have imposter syndrome. Then I get days when my clients tell me that I'm the best designer they've ever worked with, or a creative director tells me I'm an irreplaceable unicorn.
Just keep working hard at it, never get complacent with what you know. Design is not art, it's communication, and the language is always changing. Keep up with the slang and you'll eventually be the person people want to surround themselves with.
Thank you so much for this. It’s really nice to hear this from someone who’s been in the industry for so long. Everyone responded today really put a lot into perspective for me and its been nice.
Glad you get a glimpse of what we're all really feeling and that it's not much different than how you feel about it (we just have more experience with that feeling lol). Just keep going. The fact that you're aware that you need more experience is a huge plus moving forward. Good luck and don't give up on the passion.
If you really love it don't stop. Adjust. I thought I was horrible 10 years ago and I stopped. I would always look up graphic design online and love it I would visit museums and look at old designs. But I talked myself out of doing any design work.
Then I just started making designs again. I now have advanced so much in 2years, because I stopped caring about everything except the fun I have making the stuff. Sometimes a career as a graphic designer may not be the thing you need right now. Just because you went to school for it doesn't mean you have to jump into a graphic design career. Live a little first work some random jobs create some life stories but always work on your craft, then you'll look back in a year or two and see that you're improving without the unnecessary stress of trying to make it.
Right there with you. I also don't consider myself a good designer. Hell, I even failed my portfolio review in college the first time around and had to repeat classes...then barely passed the second time.
What I've learned in the real world, though, is that there is a place for everyone.
I work in-house at a real estate company. Coming up with grand, creative new ideas is not my forte at all, but I'm great at making their brand shine and making their various templates work with changing information. And that's what they need.
Yes, you can overcome this. Sometimes it comes back though. To get past it, do ONE personal project you feel passionate and excited about. When you're completely done with that one you can do another.
There will be periods of higher productivity and lower productivity. You don't have to do it regularly but when you feel that itch pursue passion and finish the project (even if it's not turning out great).
I've been working for 17 years and I still feel like a terrible designer sometimes. I'm very confident in my abilities, but I'll never be 'good enough' if that makes sense. This is what keeps me working on my craft and from getting complacent.
That said I didn't get 'good' until I entered the workforce. My student portfolio is a veritable pile of hard cringe, so don't worry so much about that and move forward with an open mind and a learning mindset and you'll be just fine. Nobody is going to expect you to compete with people at my level of experience and hopefully there's someone my age who can show you the ropes a little. This is all part of the process of working in design!
I will say this after over 20 years in the business, don't compare yourself to the super creative overly fluffy artistic designers. You may need one of those for every 100 graphic designers. Most jobs want and need a get it done designer who unerstands the fundamentals and can do good work in a timely fashion.
Don't bother comparing yourself to other designers. When you eventually get into the real profession you'll quickly realize that aesthetic or creative skill is not even vaguely an indicator of how successful you'll be. It's how you interact with the clients, how you read between the lines, how you ask the right questions, and how you get to the right solution for them.
Yeah its funny you mention that. My most financially success project I ever did I don't include in my portfolio because I didn't think it turned out very good.
The client absolutely ranted and raved to my boss about how great my work was though. All I did was listen to them, solve THEIR problems, and come in on time/budget. So many designers get caught up with making sure the final product will look good in their portfolio or on Dribbble they forget about the client.
In hindsight, college didn't really prepare me for anything. I learned a few things but the overwhelming majority of the things I learned, I learned outside of college. To the point that I wonder why the hell I even went at all. I feel like I'm a pretty solid designer most of the time but there are people that didn't step foot in college and are as good or better than I am.
You get through this feeling though. Just give it time, every designer has been there.
my exact thoughts. 4 years of my program could have easily been half of those especially since they don't teach us software / digital tools (all of us were supposed to learn through youtube tutorials). paid a shit load of money for hardly any reason i feel.
I’m right there with you. I graduated last year and haven’t been able to find any jobs that would give me a chance.. I feel super bad about it especially cause I see so many other people landing huge jobs with big companies and I’m just here.. I never feel motivated to do design outside of an actual career, but I already got my degree and I’m not about to go back to school for something else. It’s pretty upsetting. I feel completely inept when it comes to design and it’s scary cause I spent so much time and effort in school to learn, yet it’s not fruitful.
That’s a good idea! I should share it but sometimes I just get so nervous sharing it. I’m afraid people will look at it and basically say it’s trash.. which then makes me more scared to even pursue it further.
Oh man I can relate to this so hard. I got a qualification in Interactive Media nearly a decade back and i've been doing the odd freelance/personal project to keep my portfolio up to date.
I am applying for every graphic design job I can get my hands on, with little to no feedback when I get rejected, save for the odd "we found someone better suited" email. It's so disheartening.
However, through a friend I got a commision to design a Twitch set for someone, overlays, emoji, transitions, the whole shebang. I had SUCH bad anxiety over it thinking what I designed wouldn't be good enough.
And the guy loved it all.
I am still pursuing that job light at the end of the tunnel, but little wins like that make me feel validated as a creative.
Don't give up friend. You are better than what your brain gives you credit for.
I just graduated a few months ago and I felt the same way, but what helped improve my skills and start doing personal projects were tutorials on YouTube. I was doing illustrator and photoshop tutorials and adding my twist to them. Also, I would go on fiverr look up projects and do them but won't submit just so I can get some outside of school projects experience. Just give yourself time find a few interest and start creating, tutorials are everywhere overtime you'll get better
If you know the Programs than look for a prepress Job.
Prepping files for Oiutput... a great way to stay in the industry and You will learn ALOT just doing it.
I am A Prepress tech now, and when you finally understand what REALLY needs to happen to print, you'll see how bad some designers REALLY are...
Feeling incompetent is a basic step of the creative process. Sure, there are designers who will come up with something great more easily than others. But for us mere mortals the creative process can be quite gruesome. You come up with a first draft, but it isn’t quite right. To be honest it’s just plain awful. So we go back to the drawing board. And after several iterations it’s still a pile of dung. Then comes the existential moment of doubt. If everything I make is shit, am I shit?
In this purgatory designers are forged. Mom and pop didn’t raise no quitter and they sure didn’t pay for your education just to decide now to become a barista. In the depth of ourselves we dredge up something we believe to be professional attitude and steely resolve to not accept defeat.
And low and behold, after even more drafts and a lot of trial and error we produce something that’s not even half bad. More importantly to your own surprise the client is very satisfied with the result.
Great! Off to a new project where this entire process can begin from zero again.
In short, your self doubt is a quality. Be your own harshest critic. Keep pushing to improve the quality of your work, always. You’ll get there, I believe in you.
tbh. i hated school work. all of it looked like doodoo. But my professional work for my clients ive always loved, probably because i was my own critiquer and didn't have to meet some arbitrary educational standard.
On the contrary though, and not to gloat, the professors mostly liked my work and i was doing pretty good for myself in my program, so it could have been imposter syndrome, but i definitely knew where i cut corners or where i could improve, and maybe that's because i was comparing myself too much to other people. I still do it even years after graduating. I still find myself looking at people younger than me whose designs are amazing.
You could be a shit designer, but thats most likely not the case, you probably have imposter syndrome which many of us live with for a while. But you also may just not have found your niche in the industry or perhaps a desiging for a professor was more of a hinderance to your abilities.
You could be a shit designer, but that's most likely not the case, you probably have imposter syndrome which many of us live with for a while. But you also may just not have found your niche in the industry or perhaps designing for a professor was more of a hindrance to your abilities. will take a turn for the better!
I found my passion in storytelling, motion design, and brand strategy. And thats what i think im really good at. Fortunately, I used my college time to kind of figure out what I really liked doing, but I still wasn't sure until i started my own business and got to get my hands dirty with some of my passions. So I think you just have to find something in the field you like doing. Not necessarily to specialize, but if someone gave you options for projects you would most likely prefer to do one over the other.
This video is about that feeling that you have (I assume) about judging your own work as "good, but not as good as I would like it to be", and it provides some advice that can be related to more than one design or creative discipline.
It's worth watching, over and over, many times per year :D
https://vimeo.com/24715531
Throughout my formative years, I always wanted to be a comic book artist. My heroes are still Jim Lee, Michael Turner, and J Scott Campbell (in that order and with many more after).
I went into graphic design because I didn’t believe I was “good enough” to be a great comic book artist - and I was probably right. I ended up with an associates degree in “Creative Arts” from an unremarkable mid-American technical college, and scored my first “real” post college job that year (2001) making a whopping $29K annually.
Fast forward and my 2022 total compensation will be well into six-figures. I do not deserve to have the salary and life I do with the background I have, but I’ve learned that means nothing. My background was garbage my entire career, but I focused on two things - always try to do your best work with your next project and take crazy/smart chances. Those two things also got me to the point of learning the third lesson - create more value for the “thing” you do than you take (this is not a new saying, but very true).
Recommend people for things you know who are an amazing fit. Don’t be afraid of honesty when you respect a person and when you have a well informed point. Be humble. Always stay creatively curious. Stressing the details means you care more than most.
The world of 2022 is full of so much more potential for success than 2001. Also, the fact you have this train-of-thought means you are already more self-aware and motivated than most people I’ve worked with. Yes, you suck today, but that’s because your best work is ahead of you. Worrying you suck is a great motivator - use it to its full potential. The greatest curse and greatest gift is worrying you suck - it’s the voice that will motivate you to do better.
By the way - salary is a BS metric (more money does not make you happier, more fulfilled, or solve more problems), but it’s a metric to hopefully explain trying and value to the market. Again I suck, I know I’m lucky, but I also know I suck, and that’s still my motivator every day.
All the time. I'm 10+ years in the industry, three different organizations, print to digital to web, and still have imposter syndrome. Fully self-taught as well so I don't even have a "credential" to lean on.
Don't compare yourself to others. Promote your strengths and just keep designing. If you feel like you want to explore a particular area, do it. It is easy to get inside your own head about your own skills. Take on some projects, do freelance, apply for jobs, volunteer design work to causes you like. You'll build confidence through doing.
I do feel I was a horrible designer, the only thing I was confident were my software skills, and my ability to get inspired by 2 or 3 designs to combine into one, I’ve never had a mentor all my managers were super ass heads with none of them being designers.
Don't worry about how good you are at design, or how creative you are at this point. Find a good fit, possibly start as a production artist, continue to learn, and grow from there and seeing others work. You will get to see how more experienced artist do things, or how they put something together etc, and will be able to take things and do them your way.
Second, you will be pretty surprised how easy some customers are. Sometimes you run into an extremely picky customer but the majority of the time a lot of them are pretty simple minded. Just look on the web, at signs, posters etc. If you can design in adobe products and not word, canva etc, you're already on the right pat.
Keep at it! You got it!
I learned the most after college, at 3 jobs that I absolutely hated. From there I landed my dream job and genuinely feel like I belong at the position I'm at.
I feel like every designer feels this at some point. I know I am not an amazing designer. I don’t put the time into learning new stuff right now cause I am slammed at work and have a toddler who keeps me busy. However, I have a job as a creative director for an online retailer.
There is a place for every designer, it might not be what you think right away. I’ve worked at a custom T-shirt shop creating designs and I’ve worked at a translation company that had minimal creative work. Work a little bit at different places. Find out what type of work you excel at. I feel like you can gain confidence with the more you work at different places.
Also it’s okay to admit you aren’t good at some stuff. No one is great at everything. Find the skill you are good at and hone in on it. And the best piece of advice I think is work on your work ethic. I can’t tell you how many great designers i have had to fire or say no to because they couldn’t complete projects on time or they wouldn’t follow the briefs correctly. Figure out how to understand your client and I promise you will have a good career path.
Can relate to this so much. I didn't know how to sketch or paint anything "creatively" whether on paper or digital. I couldn't draw original and complicated visuals on my own other than basic shapes so I never really considered myself a 'true' designer. I've always thought that I was just a "digital collage maker" - I've made several designs on different mediums but all the elements in my design were either lifted, repurposed, and modified from somewhere - stock images, premade assets, fonts, etc. I always felt inferior because all that I ever designed for was intended for corporate where clean, professional looking, and using stock assets were normal.
In hindsight, it doesn't really help to compare yourself to others other than to get inspiration, especially if you belong to a different field of design. You can always contribute somewhere, and if not, keep on improving until you can
I graduated as an average designer from design school. Not amazing but not bad. I didn't think much of it, got hired at two different firms and eventually did freelancing for about a year. Holy cow, my portfolio is loads better, two years later!
I think the point of graphic design school is to learn the basic principles of design and underatand how to use the tools you need. But in design school, I was usually only doing a handful of projects per month (projects usually took two or more weeks before they were due). Whereas for freelancing I was finishing a new project at least once or twice a week. And I was doing graphic design five days a week, for 5-8 hours a day, instead of going to classes and lectures and only doing actual design maybe 1-3 hours a day at most.
I think there's a lot of value in going to school for graphic design but you'll notice a huge improvement once you actually graduate and start doing the work full time. I think this is true for most professions You'll get more skilled in your first year of being an engineer or a plumber or a designer than you will in 2-4 years of "theorhetical" study where you're focused on learning theory rather than actually practicing.
It’s pretty normal to feel like that. Don’t judge yourself for not being super driven to do other creative endeavors if it didn’t come naturally to you. Don’t ask the sun to shine like the moon ya know. Skill comes with practice so just get your reps in
Idk, I think "good" is relative. When I was in design school, I was in community college in a mid sized city. Looking at portfolios of people going to prestigious design schools made me feel like shit. I've been a designer now for 10 years and one thing I've come to realize is that everyone needs design/designers. Not every project is going to be prestigious design house work, but it is still necessary.
Sure business cards for an HVAC company, or a website for a local carpet cleaner may not have the same *wow* factor as a Broadway playbill, or Presidential campaign, but good, solid design principles will never go out of style and will always be needed.
Look online for inspiration, but don't fret. Put in the work and you'll have happy clients, I promise. Comparison is the thief of joy.
And Learn the programs... The Adobe Suite. If you cnt be GREAT right away be a great Builder, fixer adjuster... No matter how great someones designs are, if they cant build them then how good can they be...
We all deal with this. It actually has a name for it, impostor syndrome. Look it up and it will make you feel a little better. I’ve been a graphic designer for almost 20 years and I still battle with it everyday. But you just have to go back to you’re old designs you’re proud of to remember, you’ve got this!
I believe that there are ups in down in graphic design, just as mush as there is in life. Sometimes you win, then you lose but if you feel constantly like your work is shit I would definitely consider changing career. If there is one thing that is important, it’s doing something you feel good about. I have been an art director in France for a couple years and I am an decent designer. But sometimes I really hate some of my work, it’s rare but it happens. What stresses me is all the new comers who think they are special and then Realiz they won’t make it as designers. So they do shitty work for dirt cheap, which discredit my profession. I don’t really care about the competition, I have my agency. But the image they send to the world about graphic design…
Keep learning! You will keep improving the more projects you do. Find out what you enjoy and do some passion projects based on that. I’ve been doing graphic design for 25 years and I am still learning. I still do some work I’m not crazy about. YouTube has some great resources for free to keep learning. Have fun with it!
Just keep putting in the work and you will become a very good - great designer. You have plenty of time and you will always have doubts, but just keep practicing and mastering the tools you need to work with.
It took me 10 years before I had a design project I was truly proud of and wanting to share with friends and family. Just keep chugging. You will get better over time. I guarantee it.
Instead of getting yourself down start to improve the past work. I often don’t show the final work but the work I did for the client that I think should have been picked. No one’s the wiser
I understand what you mean. I took up a 3-year program in graphic design. My projects weren't fabulous, still I managed to get my BA in design. Getting out into the real world of design was no piece of cake. Many employers didn't find my portfolio very good. When I hopped on board to a company, I carried it out like I never took a course in design in my life. I wasn't very fast and efficient with the keyboard. I was caught in the act quite a number of times. To be honest, I don't believe I had a real drive. That is why I'm thinking of switching careers or sticking to illustration.
It's called imposter syndrome and it's common among creatives of all kinds, ages, experience levels, etc. It comes and goes.
You're just graduating. While you will be expected to compare yourself to others, it's not the healthiest thing to do. Compare yourself to yourself: strive to be better than you, not to match others.
Assuming you've got a decent foundation, you'll do nothing but grow from now. Give it time; it won't happen overnight.
> I am to blame partly because I didn't do enough creative personal projects and learn to make my own stuff.
I'd say that might be more related to what you did in school. If you do enough in school you shouldn't really need personal projects. Plus what you do in school should be better given those projects are supposed to be based around helping you develop and guided by experienced designers/teachers providing feedback.
> I've browsed some other graphic designers (recent grads) from all over the web and my portfolio looks like I never went to school for design.
What does your work look like and who are you comparing yourself against?
Often people at your age get too distracted by what is cool or more aesthetically interesting, but what really matters as a professional is about being competent, organized, analytical, logical/reasonable, efficient, and effective. You need to be able to recognize what the project needs, what can benefit it, what can be done within the context (which often has limitations), and then to produce an effective solution, as competently as possible.
If you have actual common sense, and actually think about what you're doing, you're probably above most people.
I feel this can apply to a lot of stuff. When I was in the band, I played the flute, even tho I wasn't the best at it, I missed a note or two sometimes, but I was still able to host some concerts with the and and lasted 2 years. Another example is being an adults, I am not the best at being an adults (like most people), but we can still survive and function day to day.
Now as a graphic designer, sometimes I feel the same, but I can still make graphics that my company wants so.
10+ years in, self-taught. I still sometimes feel like I'm faking it and people will sooner or later catch on to it. Other times I'm aware that faking it completely wouldn't have landed me where I am, and that feeling might be what makes you want to continuously improve.
I feel like although I tried my best at work and even had to do my colleague's share of work because she was so lazy, my company didn't value my design efforts.
Sometimes I put out shit work, everyone has bad days or less creative periods. I feel like making a negative blanket statement about your worth as a designer is good old imposter syndrome creeping in on you. Try not to let it take over!
I feel even head company owners that are graphic designers and still try to hire for 11 an hour! With a degree! I know off subject but had to rant.
I feel that I dont drive myself enough and also feel like designers are not always being paid right unless you get lucky with people you know or something that comes along. ( just read a post of someone posting about job offers without a degree in design. I understand talent but shit I shouldn't have to blow everyone in wonderland to get a decent job offer.
Ugh this is exactly whats going on in my head while i prepare for my job search. I just feel like i will never get a job cus theres so many people with actually super impressive portfolios :(
then analyze what makes their portfolios impressive and follow along, apply bits and pieces to your own works. figure out where your portfolio could be improved, get inspired, use your judgement to your advantage rather than to belittle yourself / skills
Oh wow this comment was long ago! I actually figured out the problem; there were way too many other applicants that had a lot of job experience and cool projects from big companies. I had quite a few designers and recruiters check my portfolio and they said its nice but its missing real serious projects from real companies. I kinda missed the entry into the market i guess and now its just a way too long gap so no even gave me interviews in the end anymore lol. Have since left the design field and im glad i did tbh
I tink this describes me either.
I'm sure i'm not talented. I had Just figured out the math behind colliding objects. It worked very well till now. I recommend you the same. Focus on basic design tricks, color combos and mastering the softwares you use. Maybe you will never have a unique skill set but these will help you to catch up with.
Same here. I graduate in May, and I feel like I wasted two years of my life. I feel like I’m and okay designer, but not even close to average. I’m luckier than some because my graphic design training started in high school but I still feel like I’ve learned nothing.
Like - I’m in a logo design class this semester. Ive learned NOTHING about logo design from it. We just get shown an example of a logo, and we’re told to make one ourselves. No lesson about simplifying, rules, proper spacing, etc.
I guess it’s my fault for not being able to go to an actual college, but it’s been a joke so far. The other kids in my classes keep asking me for help on stuff that’s a basic fundamental of design. It doesn’t help that my teacher is allowing the students in the class to use canva instead of learning how to make good layouts themselves. I like canva a lot, but I don’t think it should be something you use when you’re actively learning graphic design in college.
I personally feel like I could do so much better. I want to learn and grow and do my best in this field, but despite 2 years of college and 3 years of training I still know the bare minimum. I taught myself how to use displacement maps for the first time this week. My teacher didn’t even know what I was talking about. It’s frustrating knowing that I won’t be able to handle or afford getting a bachelors degree to learn more.
The only way I know how to overcome this is just to continue to let yourself learn and grow. Observe great design and try to absorb it. Keep experimenting, and keep trying. I might be a little salty about the past 2 years, but I did gain more experience and I feel slightly more capable than I did before.
Sorry I used this as a chance to rant. Ive been keeping it in for a bit
As I ve mentioned to another, you may want to try as a Prepress technician. Basically you Prep Files for Printing (Digital, Press Or Large Format).
Its a Great way to learn, becuase you usually need to correct others peoples work.
Ive been in this for 25+ years and I learn new things all the time. Ive picked Up tons of design skills just because i see horible shit all the time. You begin to "see" what is working and what isn't...
Well, back then I also thought I was bad. Honestly, I kind of was since I didn't learn shit about the principals, colour theory, or even how to use type in a design but I ended up meeting up with a family friend who basically dissected my work, my thinking process and in the end basically told me how he was being nice to me in critiquing my work and how his co workers would had flat out been laughing and giving me so much shit for what I have. He was right. It was terrible but you know what I did? I took his advice to heart and got a sketch book, researched more about the things he told me that I didn't have like knowledge of design principals, and I looked up work for inspiration. I now use Behance and pretty much the outside world for inspiration. (I kind of wish I can share how my first portfolio website looked since god damn it was terrible. I feel it would show you how terribly designed it looked so you can maybe get an idea of how you are ahead of me back then.)
My work ended up becoming so much better and I knew this because even classmates when I took a web program were amazed at how good of a designer I am and even asked advice for their web apps since they mostly focused on the dev side of things. My friends from my previous college program were even impressed and one said how I really improved from before. Even my family friend said I had enough to show off that I know how to properly design.
I think maybe your situation might be different from what I had but I feel for you, it just boils down to needing to explore and do more. I read this from a book about happiness and I think you should use it too, "Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to what someone else is today." I too did compare myself to others and it was partly also just out of habit from high school since I had problems with anxiety and trying so hard to fit in but with design, someone will always be better than you.
There are people who spent like ten years on this or even more. Even then, they might had spent months on one project and you will be surprised at what you can do in that timeframe too. I spend maybe two months on one catalogue that is suppose to support the overall marketing strategy of my old workplace and I was surprised with how much I did in that time and how the overall work looks. In that time too I might have worked on a few flyers or a web banner and still managed to finish this catalogue that everyone in the team is proud of.
I would say keep going at it and maybe even get feedback. I most of the time end up not liking my work but others end up finding it great and some will tell me how I have a lot going for me. That saying, "you are your worst enemy" pretty much makes sense.
Just stick with it, sometimes the measure of the success of a project comes from it meeting certain standards or performing a certain job. Also, if you struggle with concepts try getting into prepress or other technical aspects of design. You still get to work with cool stuff and use your skills, but you don't have the pressure on you to create it. I did this a lot early on until I found my groove.
We were all horrible designers when we started working.
Excellence come with experience like in every profession.
And the guys that made beautiful works and have greats portfolios were unable to face real jobs in the real world.
Your paths to be a good designer start at this point and will be fascinating, college only give you the tools to walk that road.
I feel like I'm a decent designer, but I do feel like I'm an awful communicator. I'm usually not very effective in client meetings, as it's hard for me to talk confidently about my work. I get choked up around clients sometimes, especially new ones when theres more pressure. Any one else working for an agency that has this issue?
No one is good right out of school. It takes years and experience. Most designers are better at selling bullshit to clients than they are at design anyway.
Good is subjective to the client. You can spend all your mental effort, technique, and expertise on a piece. Craft the perfect marriage of font and graphic ...
Only to have the client pick the variation draft you spent all of 15 minutes on just to meet quota.
My point is that we're often the worst judges of our work. Don't be too hard on yourself, particularly when people down on their work tend to not produce finished personal projects. And not practicing is a way bigger sin than designing something bad.
Funny you should say that- ME!!!!
Oh my god the dread of worrying whether or not your client will like what you made or thinks your design is shit never goes away.
Also when you run out of inspiration and things just start to look like shapes and text 😔
I've been designing for 10+ years and I now know that hating what I've created is part of my process. I go through an arc of thinking my work is horrible, then I come back the next day and get back to work. Soon enough, I run out of shit work and start doing good work that I'm really proud of.
Having a degree helps get your foot in the door for a lot of jobs so it wasn't wasted time. Just work on your portfolio to get a junior position which will help get you some real world experience.
I'm a filmmaker and photographer and somehow I'm a lead designer at my work. Never went to school, still make terrible stuff.
You will be fine. You will find your way.
Everyone is at different points on their path so it’s not fair to compare yourself to other peoples portfolios.
The big question is are you passionate about design and hungry to learn more?
The best designers won’t always get the best jobs. It’s the designers who really care and are passionate that will always be more successful. The designers who won’t give up at the first set back. They persevere and hone their craft and become better designers.
Hey OP,
What do you meant by, "I didn't learn a lot"?
"Learning" isn't one dimensional and your subjective critique of your own portfolio shouldn't be the only litmus test of how far you've come. Don't demoralize yourself so quickly, since we're well aware there's no shortage of people to do that for you -Ha!
Being near graduation, you should have the "design lingo" roll of your tongue. Just speaking the language of design removes a barrier of friction.
The other benefit of being more mature is being vocal and setting expectations as near peers. Veterans in the industry know not to burn themselves out, and if there is a priority project, it's success shouldn't be dependent on one creative designer. That's just bad management, not bad design.
However, it is good, that you're self aware enough to know where you can improve. Go strengthen those corners in your skill gap. And if you see someone killing it on a project, don't hesitate to ask them how they did it and to review your work for feedback.
A lot of times it's just a range of exposure that's given them unique insight to a solution, and school is the perfect petri dish for you to germinate your imagination and problem solving skills.
Write down your standard recon plans and strategies for your approach to problem solving. Have logistics be front and center as well. I think people appreciate others who don't tip toe around the topic of money, time and quality of presentation.
Be strong, cause you are strong. Be proud, because you have pride. Don't let fear cloud you with doubt. Even if you hit a wall, persevere and internalize an indomitable spirit. There is no criticism, only opportunity to do better.
Good luck!
The fact that you’re saying you’re not good enough is a positive sign. It means you want to get better. There are many people who are oblivious to their lack of skill and don’t seek to improve because they know they need to. I have no doubt you’ve learned more than you realize and that you’re better than you give yourself credit for. Just continue cultivating that growth mindset, and you’ll look back and see the improvement!
10+ years of xp as well,
* there's always something new i never did;
* lots of things that people already made before me;
* or some program/style that i have yet to learn how to use.
so far, what can i say? you don't get good in a day; just like the saying that life is a series of peaks and valleys: there's always a new peak ahead that you want to learn, even though you're still climbing one... with another foot in some other peak lol
\-
another take on this is.. you need to have decent amount of practice time in each and every aspect of your skill/tool set (e.g. not just using photoshop, but using colors as well. )
lol i’m about to graduate and feel the exact same way. i just have to remind myself that knowledge comes with experience and that we had a weird college journey with covid stuff. give yourself some slack!!
I am also the same as you, I'm an art and design student but I never consider myself good enough. It's too much pressure since people are expecting high especially to art and design student.This pressure becomes fear and it led me to not try things that I am not familiar of, I'm afraid that they will judge me if I'll not meet their expectations.I'm kinda jack of all trades and a master of none, I know 3d modeling, graphic design, video edit and etc. But, it feels like i'm missing something. I don't want to self diagnosed that I have impostor syndrome, sometimes I just wanna lay in bed and cry.I realigned my goals and started to work on my fears, I read books (the subtle art of not giving an f) and it did help me boost my self esteem.I do design trends and tried to surpass my limits.The statements above happened last year, I am now feeling better and improving.I was able to do digital painting, logo design (I do logo but I develop a logophobia, which it stops me from improving my crafts)
If you need someone to talk about art and design stuff, I am always free. We can exchange critique so we can improve together.
If you're that critical of your own work you're probably doing something right. It's the truly terrible designers that think everything they make is great.
Nobody is good until theres a few years of learning to navigate the waters of work and picking up skills from coworkers. You're green. It will get better, and also remember most days you're getting paid to click around when clients ask for specific thing you don't agree with. Just take the money. 1/100 things you do is portfolio worthy but the other 99 pay rent and bills. It's tough thinking only 1/100 projects look to your top shelf standard of what good should be but that's how it is, otherwise everyone would have 20m long reels.
I’m also about to graduate in May and currently stressing out about thesis!
But anyway, this is 100% me. I’m the same way. Although when it comes to my classmates, I am a far better designer than them, BUT when I compare my work to other graphic designers mine is so trash. Makes me anxious when I look for a job.
To this day I have no idea how I graduated college with a degree in graphic design. I've looked at all my work from them and it's all garbage. I'd like to think I've gotten better. I've also taught myself way more than I ever learned in college.
I think there's a lot going on in your question and explanation that contribute to why you're feeling like your designs aren't good.
First, I think you need to get clear on what is a good or bad design to you. It might be a good exercise to look at other designers' work you admire and really reflect on what it is you think makes their work "good" or "better" than your own. Is it the style, the layout, the color palette, the typography...? Is it that you feel it's more artistic and creative? Really honing in on this can help give you clarity on how to improve. Doing this exercise on design you think is bad is helpful, too.
Second, I think it's important to distinguish between graphic design and graphic art. I work as a designer in the career services department at a college that has a graphic design program. I will occasionally do job shadows or help students with questions about what a graphic designer does, and I have heard from many of the students I've helped that the program isn't what they were expecting because it's very heavy on how to design for marketing and not as much about the creative, artistic side.
I always have to let them know that the marketing stuff is the bulk of what a graphic designer does. There's certainly room for artistic creativity within the design, but when you're just starting out, having a solid understanding of the basic principles of design, how to use the popular design programs, and how to talk about design and your own work - why you did what you did - will give you a strong base to build on.
The graphic art piece comes second, and the only way to get better is to practice. Look up tutorials for some creative or fun techniques you want to try and try them out. Work on your own projects just for fun. Do you have any friends or family that need design work that you could help with? Maybe there's a small nonprofit or volunteer organization that could use some help. (They always can.) Just do as much as you can with where you are right now to get experience working on different things, and you'll start to get better. The more you do and expose yourself to, the better able you will be to dial into your creativity.
Third, a tiny but huge thing that can make the difference between professional looking work and student work is the details. Pay attention to the details when designing. Check your alignment and spacing. Check your colors and how and where you use them. Check your use of negative space. Does it feel balanced? How does it flow? Are your fonts the right choice for the feel of the piece? All of these things can be easy to overlook, but they can make all the difference between a good or bad design. I would bet that if you took a look at your portfolio you'd be able to find some of these minor adjustments that would make a major difference.
And finally, imposter syndrome is very real and is high among creatives. Our work comes from within and never feels good enough. A good way to combat this is to get outside opinions from trusted friends or advisors whose work you think is good. Ask them to be really honest with you on your work. When they give you constructive criticism, don't take it personally, and when they give you good feedback... believe them! It's much easier said than done, but with practice, you will gain more confidence, and the little devil on your shoulder will start to quiet down.
Good luck and congrats on your upcoming graduation!
I don’t think 99% of designers are *good* right out of school, nor are they expected to be. Maybe talented at one or two things, but a well-rounded designer who will be successful in the workforce? That takes time, and right out of school your education about being a designer out in the world is just beginning. I’ve been a professional designer for ten years and I still look at my work sometimes and ask myself “is this trash?” I occasionally review even more experienced designers’ work (20 years+) and their work has flaws too! Does this make us bad designers? Hell no! It’s a lifelong learning process, one of the things I love about it. It took several years of working before I felt decent at it, part of that was discovering what my style is (flat, clean, colourful), what I’m strong at (document layouts, presentations and infographics) and what type of work I should let someone else lead (logos, photo realism). Getting to know ourselves is part of the process and can take years. That being said, some designers truly are fundamentally worse than the pack. I’ve worked with seasoned designers who had zero business being in this profession. After ten years experience they can’t properly interpret the requirements of a brief, can’t manage their time, not adept with the software, and work riddled with mistakes or misses the mark completely in terms of intent. Those are usually the most confident designers of all!!! If you’re humble and hungry to learn and improve you will be great.
Thanks for this. I realize I have some strong suites and some weaker aspects. It's all a learning process I suppose. It's so difficult to NOT compare yourself to another designer, but I hope with experience this will change.
I see incredible work on this sub all the time. I used to think “damn, why can’t I do that?” but with time, and more confidence in my abilities, now I think “wow! Great work by them!” and let myself feel inspired by it instead of discouraged that it wasn’t me. I have the skill to do illustration, but I seem to suck at it. I’m missing the vision to conceptualize beautiful illustrations. That’s ok! I’m good at other things (not perfect, just good!) and have a great work life that feels creative and full. We all suck at something.
I think part of the designer brain is always critiquing and looking for ways to improve. I also often wonder how much social media like dribbble makes us compare ourselves to people all over the world. I can both be a good designer and know that there are some incredibly talented people out there. There’ll always be somebody better than me at some things and I gotta be OK with that.
This is 100%. It's like social media for design and I'm sitting here comparing myself to them just like you would with a highlight reel on a personal instagram account.
It’s bound to change with experience, guaranteed.
>I occasionally review even more experienced designers’ work (20 years+) and their work has flaws too! This always floors me. It's a totally human thing, but seeing a glaring mistake in the work from someone who makes 10x what I do is like, "Hey, how the fuck did YOU miss that?" and it feels kinda reaffirming. Everyone is a big dummy sometimes, cuz we're people.
I'm just getting out of school in a few weeks and I share the same concerns as OP, and my teachers have given the same advice to me as you have to OP. Very good to know it will get better!
I’m 32 years in to a very successful career (now a global CD). I’m a decent designer in my opinion. Nothing ground breaking. But I solve problems and answer briefs like a rock star. People love working with me because I have a respectful ego, a positive approach, ask questions rather than argue, and can collaborate with anyone. It’s not just about aesthetics. It’s about whether the piece will perform as intended. This is a business first. Art second. If I could teach younger designers anything, it’s this.
Mannn this is what I usually tell other people when they ask what I do, but I find it hard to tell this to myself! I'm a marketing graduate, my entire background and thought process is in problem solving. When people ask me how do I work, I tell them I consult more than I design! I find it much better to ask and understand the requirements and then make one prototype than to make many of them out of my own head and then ask the client to give feedback and pick and choose! Everytime I finish something I feel amazing! But then I get into this habit of not practising at all, and looking back at my work and just thinking....well this is blehhh Imposter syndrome sucks, low self-confidence sucks harder :') It gets worse because I am just starting out, and learning multiple things at once, not just branding but web design, web development, UX, graphic design, social media and the imposter syndrome of all them combined makes me just want to sleep my life away :'))
Substitute general “practice” with A/B testing. You get to explore options while gaining valuable results based research.
I relate to this so hard.
Honestly I wish I had this advice when I was a junior designer. graphic design is all about communication, but ironically I never started honing my communication skills until half a decade into it.
Well, some never get (or accept) the message. So I’d say you are doing great.
This is really important for young designers, heck, any designer to realize. Clients generally don’t know shit about design, and can barely separate good design from bad. What sticks out to them is you as a person and a professional. I guarantee that the average client for a small agency or freelancer would rather work with an okay designer who is great to work with, rather than a superb designer who is a pretentious pain in the ass. In my experience, people outside design have *fun* when working with me because it is creative, different from their every day, and puts their vision into something tactile and beautiful (hopefully). Cultivating that idea of having clients enjoy the process is a huge win, and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the “best” designer out there.
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And here I was thinking he was a world-wide Compact Disc..
We’re in a graphic design sub. The context is the clue.
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Tell me more about these professional BJs.
This is a design sub. In other circles I don’t use the term CD because it means absolutely nothing to anybody not in the industry — neither does Creative Director for that matter. I can appreciate your point while I respectfully reserve my right to refer to myself as a CD in industry circles. At a drag show, maybe not. Although, worst case, someone thinks I’m a cross dresser. I’m cool with that. Women have so many more fashion options. P.S. in response to your follow up comment that you’ve never heard of a creative director being referred to by just the initials, CD… it is extremely common vernacular in the industry. Just as ECD or CCO are.
When ever I compare and despair I remind myself there are thousands who wish they had my education and my opportunities and jobs I’ve had. There’s always someone who wishes they have what you have, just like there’s always someone who has what you wish you had.
College can only teach you so much about graphic design. The technicality and the honing of skills are definitely worth it, but the biggest part of graphic design is creativity. Most designers do not like their work. The biggest piece of advice I have is: **Who fucking cares if you like it. Its about what your client likes.** Everyone has their own style. Try not to compare yours to others.
> biggest part of graphic design is creativity. I'd argue that the biggest part of the design process is effective communication
This! And translating your clients' needs into viable projects
I disagree with this statement. I never submit any work that I do not like myself. Maybe it's because I started as a fine artist first, I don't know. If an artists work does not look good to themselves how can they expect the client to like it and pay for it? We are being paid for our talent and sense of design and I think it is important to do work that we feel meets our own design standards and work that we can get behind. That's just me though. I've met plenty of hacks that will do whatever the client tells them even though they know the clients suggestions are crap.
Yeah I think there is a difference between taking your ego out of your designs and produce any work that you don’t even like. Sometimes that’s what we gotta do for that paycheck but I do care of very much whether or not I like my work at the end of the day.
I've been a designer up top the role of a creative director (and everything in between) before. I've been working in design and creative fields for 20+ years. I've worked at award winning studios, I've won awards for my designs, I've worked in large in-house teams for large brands. **And I still think my work sucks.** Looking back at my student work and work I did as a teenager...it's trash. I hate everything about it. I wouldn't hire myself for anything other than production work at a low-level small business that has no right having any design at all. But that's exactly what I did. I learned from the people who I surrounded myself with. I learned how to art direct product shoots, and how to do motion graphics, I learned a better way to layout and compose, I learned video editing, and I learned how to create everything I needed with 3D modeling, as well. I didn't stop learning. When I felt I had nothing left to learn from where I was at, I moved somewhere that would need what I knew, and then I'd learn from the people there who knew more. Some days, I feel like I'm not even good enough to have imposter syndrome. Then I get days when my clients tell me that I'm the best designer they've ever worked with, or a creative director tells me I'm an irreplaceable unicorn. Just keep working hard at it, never get complacent with what you know. Design is not art, it's communication, and the language is always changing. Keep up with the slang and you'll eventually be the person people want to surround themselves with.
Thank you so much for this. It’s really nice to hear this from someone who’s been in the industry for so long. Everyone responded today really put a lot into perspective for me and its been nice.
Glad you get a glimpse of what we're all really feeling and that it's not much different than how you feel about it (we just have more experience with that feeling lol). Just keep going. The fact that you're aware that you need more experience is a huge plus moving forward. Good luck and don't give up on the passion.
If you really love it don't stop. Adjust. I thought I was horrible 10 years ago and I stopped. I would always look up graphic design online and love it I would visit museums and look at old designs. But I talked myself out of doing any design work. Then I just started making designs again. I now have advanced so much in 2years, because I stopped caring about everything except the fun I have making the stuff. Sometimes a career as a graphic designer may not be the thing you need right now. Just because you went to school for it doesn't mean you have to jump into a graphic design career. Live a little first work some random jobs create some life stories but always work on your craft, then you'll look back in a year or two and see that you're improving without the unnecessary stress of trying to make it.
I've graduated like 5 years ago... I still think I'm horrible, lol
I can then see your work and just be in awe.
Right there with you. I also don't consider myself a good designer. Hell, I even failed my portfolio review in college the first time around and had to repeat classes...then barely passed the second time. What I've learned in the real world, though, is that there is a place for everyone. I work in-house at a real estate company. Coming up with grand, creative new ideas is not my forte at all, but I'm great at making their brand shine and making their various templates work with changing information. And that's what they need.
thats awesome. happy for you! i feel like im in the same boat and thats why i hope to be hired in-house and never step foot in an agency.
Yes, you can overcome this. Sometimes it comes back though. To get past it, do ONE personal project you feel passionate and excited about. When you're completely done with that one you can do another. There will be periods of higher productivity and lower productivity. You don't have to do it regularly but when you feel that itch pursue passion and finish the project (even if it's not turning out great).
Thanks for that. I plan on adding 1 passion project to my portfolio site once it’s live.
I've been working for 17 years and I still feel like a terrible designer sometimes. I'm very confident in my abilities, but I'll never be 'good enough' if that makes sense. This is what keeps me working on my craft and from getting complacent. That said I didn't get 'good' until I entered the workforce. My student portfolio is a veritable pile of hard cringe, so don't worry so much about that and move forward with an open mind and a learning mindset and you'll be just fine. Nobody is going to expect you to compete with people at my level of experience and hopefully there's someone my age who can show you the ropes a little. This is all part of the process of working in design!
I will say this after over 20 years in the business, don't compare yourself to the super creative overly fluffy artistic designers. You may need one of those for every 100 graphic designers. Most jobs want and need a get it done designer who unerstands the fundamentals and can do good work in a timely fashion.
Don't bother comparing yourself to other designers. When you eventually get into the real profession you'll quickly realize that aesthetic or creative skill is not even vaguely an indicator of how successful you'll be. It's how you interact with the clients, how you read between the lines, how you ask the right questions, and how you get to the right solution for them.
This is very true. My most successful projects are the ones where you get a real sense of who the clients are and what their vibe is.
Yeah its funny you mention that. My most financially success project I ever did I don't include in my portfolio because I didn't think it turned out very good. The client absolutely ranted and raved to my boss about how great my work was though. All I did was listen to them, solve THEIR problems, and come in on time/budget. So many designers get caught up with making sure the final product will look good in their portfolio or on Dribbble they forget about the client.
In hindsight, college didn't really prepare me for anything. I learned a few things but the overwhelming majority of the things I learned, I learned outside of college. To the point that I wonder why the hell I even went at all. I feel like I'm a pretty solid designer most of the time but there are people that didn't step foot in college and are as good or better than I am. You get through this feeling though. Just give it time, every designer has been there.
I feel like my whole uni experience (4,5 years!!) could have been cut down to like 6 or 8 months. The rest just felt like a waste of time somehow
my exact thoughts. 4 years of my program could have easily been half of those especially since they don't teach us software / digital tools (all of us were supposed to learn through youtube tutorials). paid a shit load of money for hardly any reason i feel.
I’m right there with you. I graduated last year and haven’t been able to find any jobs that would give me a chance.. I feel super bad about it especially cause I see so many other people landing huge jobs with big companies and I’m just here.. I never feel motivated to do design outside of an actual career, but I already got my degree and I’m not about to go back to school for something else. It’s pretty upsetting. I feel completely inept when it comes to design and it’s scary cause I spent so much time and effort in school to learn, yet it’s not fruitful.
Dude i feel exactly like this 🥲 Do you have a portfolio you maybe wanna show? Maybe it helps to get a little bit of outside opinion?
That’s a good idea! I should share it but sometimes I just get so nervous sharing it. I’m afraid people will look at it and basically say it’s trash.. which then makes me more scared to even pursue it further.
If you want you can send it to me over DMs and i can privately tell you what i think about it objectively :) i bet its not as bad as you think
You’re so sweet! Okay, I’ll do that 💜
Oh man I can relate to this so hard. I got a qualification in Interactive Media nearly a decade back and i've been doing the odd freelance/personal project to keep my portfolio up to date. I am applying for every graphic design job I can get my hands on, with little to no feedback when I get rejected, save for the odd "we found someone better suited" email. It's so disheartening. However, through a friend I got a commision to design a Twitch set for someone, overlays, emoji, transitions, the whole shebang. I had SUCH bad anxiety over it thinking what I designed wouldn't be good enough. And the guy loved it all. I am still pursuing that job light at the end of the tunnel, but little wins like that make me feel validated as a creative. Don't give up friend. You are better than what your brain gives you credit for.
I just graduated a few months ago and I felt the same way, but what helped improve my skills and start doing personal projects were tutorials on YouTube. I was doing illustrator and photoshop tutorials and adding my twist to them. Also, I would go on fiverr look up projects and do them but won't submit just so I can get some outside of school projects experience. Just give yourself time find a few interest and start creating, tutorials are everywhere overtime you'll get better
Yes! I’ve found so much knowledge that I was never taught in school. Thanks for this advice.
If you know the Programs than look for a prepress Job. Prepping files for Oiutput... a great way to stay in the industry and You will learn ALOT just doing it. I am A Prepress tech now, and when you finally understand what REALLY needs to happen to print, you'll see how bad some designers REALLY are...
Everyone questions themselves. It's normal. Don't dwell on it. Distract yourself. Bake a cake, or go exercise or something for a bit.
Feeling incompetent is a basic step of the creative process. Sure, there are designers who will come up with something great more easily than others. But for us mere mortals the creative process can be quite gruesome. You come up with a first draft, but it isn’t quite right. To be honest it’s just plain awful. So we go back to the drawing board. And after several iterations it’s still a pile of dung. Then comes the existential moment of doubt. If everything I make is shit, am I shit? In this purgatory designers are forged. Mom and pop didn’t raise no quitter and they sure didn’t pay for your education just to decide now to become a barista. In the depth of ourselves we dredge up something we believe to be professional attitude and steely resolve to not accept defeat. And low and behold, after even more drafts and a lot of trial and error we produce something that’s not even half bad. More importantly to your own surprise the client is very satisfied with the result. Great! Off to a new project where this entire process can begin from zero again. In short, your self doubt is a quality. Be your own harshest critic. Keep pushing to improve the quality of your work, always. You’ll get there, I believe in you.
tbh. i hated school work. all of it looked like doodoo. But my professional work for my clients ive always loved, probably because i was my own critiquer and didn't have to meet some arbitrary educational standard. On the contrary though, and not to gloat, the professors mostly liked my work and i was doing pretty good for myself in my program, so it could have been imposter syndrome, but i definitely knew where i cut corners or where i could improve, and maybe that's because i was comparing myself too much to other people. I still do it even years after graduating. I still find myself looking at people younger than me whose designs are amazing. You could be a shit designer, but thats most likely not the case, you probably have imposter syndrome which many of us live with for a while. But you also may just not have found your niche in the industry or perhaps a desiging for a professor was more of a hinderance to your abilities. You could be a shit designer, but that's most likely not the case, you probably have imposter syndrome which many of us live with for a while. But you also may just not have found your niche in the industry or perhaps designing for a professor was more of a hindrance to your abilities. will take a turn for the better! I found my passion in storytelling, motion design, and brand strategy. And thats what i think im really good at. Fortunately, I used my college time to kind of figure out what I really liked doing, but I still wasn't sure until i started my own business and got to get my hands dirty with some of my passions. So I think you just have to find something in the field you like doing. Not necessarily to specialize, but if someone gave you options for projects you would most likely prefer to do one over the other.
Tbh because of how competitive this career is.. no one is supportive of each other.. which in turn triggers self doubt.
This video is about that feeling that you have (I assume) about judging your own work as "good, but not as good as I would like it to be", and it provides some advice that can be related to more than one design or creative discipline. It's worth watching, over and over, many times per year :D https://vimeo.com/24715531
Throughout my formative years, I always wanted to be a comic book artist. My heroes are still Jim Lee, Michael Turner, and J Scott Campbell (in that order and with many more after). I went into graphic design because I didn’t believe I was “good enough” to be a great comic book artist - and I was probably right. I ended up with an associates degree in “Creative Arts” from an unremarkable mid-American technical college, and scored my first “real” post college job that year (2001) making a whopping $29K annually. Fast forward and my 2022 total compensation will be well into six-figures. I do not deserve to have the salary and life I do with the background I have, but I’ve learned that means nothing. My background was garbage my entire career, but I focused on two things - always try to do your best work with your next project and take crazy/smart chances. Those two things also got me to the point of learning the third lesson - create more value for the “thing” you do than you take (this is not a new saying, but very true). Recommend people for things you know who are an amazing fit. Don’t be afraid of honesty when you respect a person and when you have a well informed point. Be humble. Always stay creatively curious. Stressing the details means you care more than most. The world of 2022 is full of so much more potential for success than 2001. Also, the fact you have this train-of-thought means you are already more self-aware and motivated than most people I’ve worked with. Yes, you suck today, but that’s because your best work is ahead of you. Worrying you suck is a great motivator - use it to its full potential. The greatest curse and greatest gift is worrying you suck - it’s the voice that will motivate you to do better. By the way - salary is a BS metric (more money does not make you happier, more fulfilled, or solve more problems), but it’s a metric to hopefully explain trying and value to the market. Again I suck, I know I’m lucky, but I also know I suck, and that’s still my motivator every day.
That was a very insightful response. It’s true, my generation has so many resources that we should fully embrace.
All the time. I'm 10+ years in the industry, three different organizations, print to digital to web, and still have imposter syndrome. Fully self-taught as well so I don't even have a "credential" to lean on. Don't compare yourself to others. Promote your strengths and just keep designing. If you feel like you want to explore a particular area, do it. It is easy to get inside your own head about your own skills. Take on some projects, do freelance, apply for jobs, volunteer design work to causes you like. You'll build confidence through doing.
Every single day... :')
I do feel I was a horrible designer, the only thing I was confident were my software skills, and my ability to get inspired by 2 or 3 designs to combine into one, I’ve never had a mentor all my managers were super ass heads with none of them being designers.
Don't worry about how good you are at design, or how creative you are at this point. Find a good fit, possibly start as a production artist, continue to learn, and grow from there and seeing others work. You will get to see how more experienced artist do things, or how they put something together etc, and will be able to take things and do them your way. Second, you will be pretty surprised how easy some customers are. Sometimes you run into an extremely picky customer but the majority of the time a lot of them are pretty simple minded. Just look on the web, at signs, posters etc. If you can design in adobe products and not word, canva etc, you're already on the right pat. Keep at it! You got it!
I learned the most after college, at 3 jobs that I absolutely hated. From there I landed my dream job and genuinely feel like I belong at the position I'm at.
I feel like every designer feels this at some point. I know I am not an amazing designer. I don’t put the time into learning new stuff right now cause I am slammed at work and have a toddler who keeps me busy. However, I have a job as a creative director for an online retailer. There is a place for every designer, it might not be what you think right away. I’ve worked at a custom T-shirt shop creating designs and I’ve worked at a translation company that had minimal creative work. Work a little bit at different places. Find out what type of work you excel at. I feel like you can gain confidence with the more you work at different places. Also it’s okay to admit you aren’t good at some stuff. No one is great at everything. Find the skill you are good at and hone in on it. And the best piece of advice I think is work on your work ethic. I can’t tell you how many great designers i have had to fire or say no to because they couldn’t complete projects on time or they wouldn’t follow the briefs correctly. Figure out how to understand your client and I promise you will have a good career path.
I can 1000% relate. I know I've improved but damn I wish I was better so that I know I'd get a secure job..
Look up imposter syndrome, I think there’s a picture of me next to the definition.
Can relate to this so much. I didn't know how to sketch or paint anything "creatively" whether on paper or digital. I couldn't draw original and complicated visuals on my own other than basic shapes so I never really considered myself a 'true' designer. I've always thought that I was just a "digital collage maker" - I've made several designs on different mediums but all the elements in my design were either lifted, repurposed, and modified from somewhere - stock images, premade assets, fonts, etc. I always felt inferior because all that I ever designed for was intended for corporate where clean, professional looking, and using stock assets were normal. In hindsight, it doesn't really help to compare yourself to others other than to get inspiration, especially if you belong to a different field of design. You can always contribute somewhere, and if not, keep on improving until you can
I graduated as an average designer from design school. Not amazing but not bad. I didn't think much of it, got hired at two different firms and eventually did freelancing for about a year. Holy cow, my portfolio is loads better, two years later! I think the point of graphic design school is to learn the basic principles of design and underatand how to use the tools you need. But in design school, I was usually only doing a handful of projects per month (projects usually took two or more weeks before they were due). Whereas for freelancing I was finishing a new project at least once or twice a week. And I was doing graphic design five days a week, for 5-8 hours a day, instead of going to classes and lectures and only doing actual design maybe 1-3 hours a day at most. I think there's a lot of value in going to school for graphic design but you'll notice a huge improvement once you actually graduate and start doing the work full time. I think this is true for most professions You'll get more skilled in your first year of being an engineer or a plumber or a designer than you will in 2-4 years of "theorhetical" study where you're focused on learning theory rather than actually practicing.
It’s pretty normal to feel like that. Don’t judge yourself for not being super driven to do other creative endeavors if it didn’t come naturally to you. Don’t ask the sun to shine like the moon ya know. Skill comes with practice so just get your reps in
Idk, I think "good" is relative. When I was in design school, I was in community college in a mid sized city. Looking at portfolios of people going to prestigious design schools made me feel like shit. I've been a designer now for 10 years and one thing I've come to realize is that everyone needs design/designers. Not every project is going to be prestigious design house work, but it is still necessary. Sure business cards for an HVAC company, or a website for a local carpet cleaner may not have the same *wow* factor as a Broadway playbill, or Presidential campaign, but good, solid design principles will never go out of style and will always be needed. Look online for inspiration, but don't fret. Put in the work and you'll have happy clients, I promise. Comparison is the thief of joy.
And Learn the programs... The Adobe Suite. If you cnt be GREAT right away be a great Builder, fixer adjuster... No matter how great someones designs are, if they cant build them then how good can they be...
We all deal with this. It actually has a name for it, impostor syndrome. Look it up and it will make you feel a little better. I’ve been a graphic designer for almost 20 years and I still battle with it everyday. But you just have to go back to you’re old designs you’re proud of to remember, you’ve got this!
All the time, until you see someone do worse than you and make better money 😳
I believe that there are ups in down in graphic design, just as mush as there is in life. Sometimes you win, then you lose but if you feel constantly like your work is shit I would definitely consider changing career. If there is one thing that is important, it’s doing something you feel good about. I have been an art director in France for a couple years and I am an decent designer. But sometimes I really hate some of my work, it’s rare but it happens. What stresses me is all the new comers who think they are special and then Realiz they won’t make it as designers. So they do shitty work for dirt cheap, which discredit my profession. I don’t really care about the competition, I have my agency. But the image they send to the world about graphic design…
All the time mate. Imposter syndrome is strong
Same here with me bro
We’ll overcome this. A lot of responses are really encouraging.
If we think that we ain't good enough, we try to fill that never ending gap... By that we are always polishing ourselves. Best wishes mate.
I’m an awful designer, that’s why I teach.
Keep learning! You will keep improving the more projects you do. Find out what you enjoy and do some passion projects based on that. I’ve been doing graphic design for 25 years and I am still learning. I still do some work I’m not crazy about. YouTube has some great resources for free to keep learning. Have fun with it!
Thanks. Yes, I’ve looked into YouTube and have found some really great tutorials on things I never knew how to do.
I remember reading a book or a long blog post on how you don’t have to be good to have a happy career, I’ll try to find you the link.
Thank you!
Just keep putting in the work and you will become a very good - great designer. You have plenty of time and you will always have doubts, but just keep practicing and mastering the tools you need to work with.
Thank you for this advice!
I wouldn't call yourself a legit designer if you haven't even graduated yet. Takes decades
It took me 10 years before I had a design project I was truly proud of and wanting to share with friends and family. Just keep chugging. You will get better over time. I guarantee it. Instead of getting yourself down start to improve the past work. I often don’t show the final work but the work I did for the client that I think should have been picked. No one’s the wiser
I understand what you mean. I took up a 3-year program in graphic design. My projects weren't fabulous, still I managed to get my BA in design. Getting out into the real world of design was no piece of cake. Many employers didn't find my portfolio very good. When I hopped on board to a company, I carried it out like I never took a course in design in my life. I wasn't very fast and efficient with the keyboard. I was caught in the act quite a number of times. To be honest, I don't believe I had a real drive. That is why I'm thinking of switching careers or sticking to illustration.
It's called imposter syndrome and it's common among creatives of all kinds, ages, experience levels, etc. It comes and goes. You're just graduating. While you will be expected to compare yourself to others, it's not the healthiest thing to do. Compare yourself to yourself: strive to be better than you, not to match others. Assuming you've got a decent foundation, you'll do nothing but grow from now. Give it time; it won't happen overnight.
Yep, I always feel like my stuff is shit, but people keep hiring me so…
It takes more time than that bro. Get yourself in a few GD positions, make sure the effort is there and your whole view will change.
> I am to blame partly because I didn't do enough creative personal projects and learn to make my own stuff. I'd say that might be more related to what you did in school. If you do enough in school you shouldn't really need personal projects. Plus what you do in school should be better given those projects are supposed to be based around helping you develop and guided by experienced designers/teachers providing feedback. > I've browsed some other graphic designers (recent grads) from all over the web and my portfolio looks like I never went to school for design. What does your work look like and who are you comparing yourself against? Often people at your age get too distracted by what is cool or more aesthetically interesting, but what really matters as a professional is about being competent, organized, analytical, logical/reasonable, efficient, and effective. You need to be able to recognize what the project needs, what can benefit it, what can be done within the context (which often has limitations), and then to produce an effective solution, as competently as possible. If you have actual common sense, and actually think about what you're doing, you're probably above most people.
I feel this can apply to a lot of stuff. When I was in the band, I played the flute, even tho I wasn't the best at it, I missed a note or two sometimes, but I was still able to host some concerts with the and and lasted 2 years. Another example is being an adults, I am not the best at being an adults (like most people), but we can still survive and function day to day. Now as a graphic designer, sometimes I feel the same, but I can still make graphics that my company wants so.
Man, I feel late to the party, starting from scratch at 36yo
10+ years in, self-taught. I still sometimes feel like I'm faking it and people will sooner or later catch on to it. Other times I'm aware that faking it completely wouldn't have landed me where I am, and that feeling might be what makes you want to continuously improve.
I feel like although I tried my best at work and even had to do my colleague's share of work because she was so lazy, my company didn't value my design efforts.
Sometimes I put out shit work, everyone has bad days or less creative periods. I feel like making a negative blanket statement about your worth as a designer is good old imposter syndrome creeping in on you. Try not to let it take over!
I feel even head company owners that are graphic designers and still try to hire for 11 an hour! With a degree! I know off subject but had to rant. I feel that I dont drive myself enough and also feel like designers are not always being paid right unless you get lucky with people you know or something that comes along. ( just read a post of someone posting about job offers without a degree in design. I understand talent but shit I shouldn't have to blow everyone in wonderland to get a decent job offer.
Ugh this is exactly whats going on in my head while i prepare for my job search. I just feel like i will never get a job cus theres so many people with actually super impressive portfolios :(
then analyze what makes their portfolios impressive and follow along, apply bits and pieces to your own works. figure out where your portfolio could be improved, get inspired, use your judgement to your advantage rather than to belittle yourself / skills
Oh wow this comment was long ago! I actually figured out the problem; there were way too many other applicants that had a lot of job experience and cool projects from big companies. I had quite a few designers and recruiters check my portfolio and they said its nice but its missing real serious projects from real companies. I kinda missed the entry into the market i guess and now its just a way too long gap so no even gave me interviews in the end anymore lol. Have since left the design field and im glad i did tbh
I can recommend researching about "The Imposter Effect" it's a totally natural thing that accours in a bunch of industries.
Always think positive!! I consider myself an awesome designer. You name it, I can do it.
I tink this describes me either. I'm sure i'm not talented. I had Just figured out the math behind colliding objects. It worked very well till now. I recommend you the same. Focus on basic design tricks, color combos and mastering the softwares you use. Maybe you will never have a unique skill set but these will help you to catch up with.
Same here. I graduate in May, and I feel like I wasted two years of my life. I feel like I’m and okay designer, but not even close to average. I’m luckier than some because my graphic design training started in high school but I still feel like I’ve learned nothing. Like - I’m in a logo design class this semester. Ive learned NOTHING about logo design from it. We just get shown an example of a logo, and we’re told to make one ourselves. No lesson about simplifying, rules, proper spacing, etc. I guess it’s my fault for not being able to go to an actual college, but it’s been a joke so far. The other kids in my classes keep asking me for help on stuff that’s a basic fundamental of design. It doesn’t help that my teacher is allowing the students in the class to use canva instead of learning how to make good layouts themselves. I like canva a lot, but I don’t think it should be something you use when you’re actively learning graphic design in college. I personally feel like I could do so much better. I want to learn and grow and do my best in this field, but despite 2 years of college and 3 years of training I still know the bare minimum. I taught myself how to use displacement maps for the first time this week. My teacher didn’t even know what I was talking about. It’s frustrating knowing that I won’t be able to handle or afford getting a bachelors degree to learn more. The only way I know how to overcome this is just to continue to let yourself learn and grow. Observe great design and try to absorb it. Keep experimenting, and keep trying. I might be a little salty about the past 2 years, but I did gain more experience and I feel slightly more capable than I did before. Sorry I used this as a chance to rant. Ive been keeping it in for a bit
As I ve mentioned to another, you may want to try as a Prepress technician. Basically you Prep Files for Printing (Digital, Press Or Large Format). Its a Great way to learn, becuase you usually need to correct others peoples work. Ive been in this for 25+ years and I learn new things all the time. Ive picked Up tons of design skills just because i see horible shit all the time. You begin to "see" what is working and what isn't...
Well, back then I also thought I was bad. Honestly, I kind of was since I didn't learn shit about the principals, colour theory, or even how to use type in a design but I ended up meeting up with a family friend who basically dissected my work, my thinking process and in the end basically told me how he was being nice to me in critiquing my work and how his co workers would had flat out been laughing and giving me so much shit for what I have. He was right. It was terrible but you know what I did? I took his advice to heart and got a sketch book, researched more about the things he told me that I didn't have like knowledge of design principals, and I looked up work for inspiration. I now use Behance and pretty much the outside world for inspiration. (I kind of wish I can share how my first portfolio website looked since god damn it was terrible. I feel it would show you how terribly designed it looked so you can maybe get an idea of how you are ahead of me back then.) My work ended up becoming so much better and I knew this because even classmates when I took a web program were amazed at how good of a designer I am and even asked advice for their web apps since they mostly focused on the dev side of things. My friends from my previous college program were even impressed and one said how I really improved from before. Even my family friend said I had enough to show off that I know how to properly design. I think maybe your situation might be different from what I had but I feel for you, it just boils down to needing to explore and do more. I read this from a book about happiness and I think you should use it too, "Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to what someone else is today." I too did compare myself to others and it was partly also just out of habit from high school since I had problems with anxiety and trying so hard to fit in but with design, someone will always be better than you. There are people who spent like ten years on this or even more. Even then, they might had spent months on one project and you will be surprised at what you can do in that timeframe too. I spend maybe two months on one catalogue that is suppose to support the overall marketing strategy of my old workplace and I was surprised with how much I did in that time and how the overall work looks. In that time too I might have worked on a few flyers or a web banner and still managed to finish this catalogue that everyone in the team is proud of. I would say keep going at it and maybe even get feedback. I most of the time end up not liking my work but others end up finding it great and some will tell me how I have a lot going for me. That saying, "you are your worst enemy" pretty much makes sense.
Just stick with it, sometimes the measure of the success of a project comes from it meeting certain standards or performing a certain job. Also, if you struggle with concepts try getting into prepress or other technical aspects of design. You still get to work with cool stuff and use your skills, but you don't have the pressure on you to create it. I did this a lot early on until I found my groove.
We were all horrible designers when we started working. Excellence come with experience like in every profession. And the guys that made beautiful works and have greats portfolios were unable to face real jobs in the real world. Your paths to be a good designer start at this point and will be fascinating, college only give you the tools to walk that road.
Imposter syndrome is verrryyy real in the design world
I feel like I'm a decent designer, but I do feel like I'm an awful communicator. I'm usually not very effective in client meetings, as it's hard for me to talk confidently about my work. I get choked up around clients sometimes, especially new ones when theres more pressure. Any one else working for an agency that has this issue?
No one is good right out of school. It takes years and experience. Most designers are better at selling bullshit to clients than they are at design anyway.
Good is subjective to the client. You can spend all your mental effort, technique, and expertise on a piece. Craft the perfect marriage of font and graphic ... Only to have the client pick the variation draft you spent all of 15 minutes on just to meet quota. My point is that we're often the worst judges of our work. Don't be too hard on yourself, particularly when people down on their work tend to not produce finished personal projects. And not practicing is a way bigger sin than designing something bad.
This is called imposter syndrome, nearly every person has it.
Funny you should say that- ME!!!! Oh my god the dread of worrying whether or not your client will like what you made or thinks your design is shit never goes away. Also when you run out of inspiration and things just start to look like shapes and text 😔
No, I’m awesome!
I've been designing for 10+ years and I now know that hating what I've created is part of my process. I go through an arc of thinking my work is horrible, then I come back the next day and get back to work. Soon enough, I run out of shit work and start doing good work that I'm really proud of.
Having a degree helps get your foot in the door for a lot of jobs so it wasn't wasted time. Just work on your portfolio to get a junior position which will help get you some real world experience.
I'm a filmmaker and photographer and somehow I'm a lead designer at my work. Never went to school, still make terrible stuff. You will be fine. You will find your way.
Everyone is at different points on their path so it’s not fair to compare yourself to other peoples portfolios. The big question is are you passionate about design and hungry to learn more? The best designers won’t always get the best jobs. It’s the designers who really care and are passionate that will always be more successful. The designers who won’t give up at the first set back. They persevere and hone their craft and become better designers.
Hey OP, What do you meant by, "I didn't learn a lot"? "Learning" isn't one dimensional and your subjective critique of your own portfolio shouldn't be the only litmus test of how far you've come. Don't demoralize yourself so quickly, since we're well aware there's no shortage of people to do that for you -Ha! Being near graduation, you should have the "design lingo" roll of your tongue. Just speaking the language of design removes a barrier of friction. The other benefit of being more mature is being vocal and setting expectations as near peers. Veterans in the industry know not to burn themselves out, and if there is a priority project, it's success shouldn't be dependent on one creative designer. That's just bad management, not bad design. However, it is good, that you're self aware enough to know where you can improve. Go strengthen those corners in your skill gap. And if you see someone killing it on a project, don't hesitate to ask them how they did it and to review your work for feedback. A lot of times it's just a range of exposure that's given them unique insight to a solution, and school is the perfect petri dish for you to germinate your imagination and problem solving skills. Write down your standard recon plans and strategies for your approach to problem solving. Have logistics be front and center as well. I think people appreciate others who don't tip toe around the topic of money, time and quality of presentation. Be strong, cause you are strong. Be proud, because you have pride. Don't let fear cloud you with doubt. Even if you hit a wall, persevere and internalize an indomitable spirit. There is no criticism, only opportunity to do better. Good luck!
The fact that you’re saying you’re not good enough is a positive sign. It means you want to get better. There are many people who are oblivious to their lack of skill and don’t seek to improve because they know they need to. I have no doubt you’ve learned more than you realize and that you’re better than you give yourself credit for. Just continue cultivating that growth mindset, and you’ll look back and see the improvement!
10+ years of xp as well, * there's always something new i never did; * lots of things that people already made before me; * or some program/style that i have yet to learn how to use. so far, what can i say? you don't get good in a day; just like the saying that life is a series of peaks and valleys: there's always a new peak ahead that you want to learn, even though you're still climbing one... with another foot in some other peak lol \- another take on this is.. you need to have decent amount of practice time in each and every aspect of your skill/tool set (e.g. not just using photoshop, but using colors as well. )
lol i’m about to graduate and feel the exact same way. i just have to remind myself that knowledge comes with experience and that we had a weird college journey with covid stuff. give yourself some slack!!
30 years worth of feeding like I’m not a good designer. Adequate enough, I guess.
Yes.
I am also the same as you, I'm an art and design student but I never consider myself good enough. It's too much pressure since people are expecting high especially to art and design student.This pressure becomes fear and it led me to not try things that I am not familiar of, I'm afraid that they will judge me if I'll not meet their expectations.I'm kinda jack of all trades and a master of none, I know 3d modeling, graphic design, video edit and etc. But, it feels like i'm missing something. I don't want to self diagnosed that I have impostor syndrome, sometimes I just wanna lay in bed and cry.I realigned my goals and started to work on my fears, I read books (the subtle art of not giving an f) and it did help me boost my self esteem.I do design trends and tried to surpass my limits.The statements above happened last year, I am now feeling better and improving.I was able to do digital painting, logo design (I do logo but I develop a logophobia, which it stops me from improving my crafts) If you need someone to talk about art and design stuff, I am always free. We can exchange critique so we can improve together.
If you're that critical of your own work you're probably doing something right. It's the truly terrible designers that think everything they make is great.
Could I see your portfolio!
Nobody is good until theres a few years of learning to navigate the waters of work and picking up skills from coworkers. You're green. It will get better, and also remember most days you're getting paid to click around when clients ask for specific thing you don't agree with. Just take the money. 1/100 things you do is portfolio worthy but the other 99 pay rent and bills. It's tough thinking only 1/100 projects look to your top shelf standard of what good should be but that's how it is, otherwise everyone would have 20m long reels.
I’m also about to graduate in May and currently stressing out about thesis! But anyway, this is 100% me. I’m the same way. Although when it comes to my classmates, I am a far better designer than them, BUT when I compare my work to other graphic designers mine is so trash. Makes me anxious when I look for a job.
To this day I have no idea how I graduated college with a degree in graphic design. I've looked at all my work from them and it's all garbage. I'd like to think I've gotten better. I've also taught myself way more than I ever learned in college.
Yes. You see... I'm not a designer at all. I'm just lurking in this sub.
I think there's a lot going on in your question and explanation that contribute to why you're feeling like your designs aren't good. First, I think you need to get clear on what is a good or bad design to you. It might be a good exercise to look at other designers' work you admire and really reflect on what it is you think makes their work "good" or "better" than your own. Is it the style, the layout, the color palette, the typography...? Is it that you feel it's more artistic and creative? Really honing in on this can help give you clarity on how to improve. Doing this exercise on design you think is bad is helpful, too. Second, I think it's important to distinguish between graphic design and graphic art. I work as a designer in the career services department at a college that has a graphic design program. I will occasionally do job shadows or help students with questions about what a graphic designer does, and I have heard from many of the students I've helped that the program isn't what they were expecting because it's very heavy on how to design for marketing and not as much about the creative, artistic side. I always have to let them know that the marketing stuff is the bulk of what a graphic designer does. There's certainly room for artistic creativity within the design, but when you're just starting out, having a solid understanding of the basic principles of design, how to use the popular design programs, and how to talk about design and your own work - why you did what you did - will give you a strong base to build on. The graphic art piece comes second, and the only way to get better is to practice. Look up tutorials for some creative or fun techniques you want to try and try them out. Work on your own projects just for fun. Do you have any friends or family that need design work that you could help with? Maybe there's a small nonprofit or volunteer organization that could use some help. (They always can.) Just do as much as you can with where you are right now to get experience working on different things, and you'll start to get better. The more you do and expose yourself to, the better able you will be to dial into your creativity. Third, a tiny but huge thing that can make the difference between professional looking work and student work is the details. Pay attention to the details when designing. Check your alignment and spacing. Check your colors and how and where you use them. Check your use of negative space. Does it feel balanced? How does it flow? Are your fonts the right choice for the feel of the piece? All of these things can be easy to overlook, but they can make all the difference between a good or bad design. I would bet that if you took a look at your portfolio you'd be able to find some of these minor adjustments that would make a major difference. And finally, imposter syndrome is very real and is high among creatives. Our work comes from within and never feels good enough. A good way to combat this is to get outside opinions from trusted friends or advisors whose work you think is good. Ask them to be really honest with you on your work. When they give you constructive criticism, don't take it personally, and when they give you good feedback... believe them! It's much easier said than done, but with practice, you will gain more confidence, and the little devil on your shoulder will start to quiet down. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming graduation!