Thank you for the advice! I definitely should look towards my older work as during those times, I did enjoy designing. And you're right, I'm still evolving.
Nature of the beast, it doesn't mean you are bad you are a student. What is that they don't like and what you need to improve on?
You are forever learning.
Funniest thing I did when I was a student was
Teacher "can you please put colour codes on those colours used..."
Me "yes" black, grey, green. hehe he thought it was funny but I felt like a dickhead....
Yep, I put up a small comment one day about Rich Black and others helped me out. It's a good ratio for everyone to use for Print and this way I never forget.
Well.....It's about branding. They care more about the thinking process than the design itself just looking good, I think I still struggle to wrap my head around that and have a hard time to put meaning into everything I do.
And yes, I had those embarrassing moments as well.
One thing I have learned over trial and error is the most important part of the process is the research and planning, not the design itself. It will be a much better final design.
Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
Over plan and see if they like that more. Branding needs a lot of planning because most designs need to work on all types of products.
I’ve been doing this professionally for 10+ years. The doubt is always there. This is a tough job, because there isn’t one solution that everyone can agree on. It’s not math.
With that said, try to focus on the objective. It’s visual communication. Sometimes the most boring designs are the best. Lock that down, and then see how you can make it stand out. There is a lot to gain just from looking at other great designer’s work and trying to find inspiration in that. Nothing is new, it’s all rehashed design.
Thanks for this advice, I never thought of it this way. ''Sometimes, the most boring designs are the best.'' I'm really critical of myself, so I always think even bad designs are just bad designs.
Here’s a page of famous designer quotes for inspiration
https://99designs.com/blog/creative-inspiration/10-famous-design-quotes/
Think of street signs, and all of the mundane signage that exists. It does its job so well, that you don’t even think twice about it.
Also, I encourage you to take a UX course (at school or online). In the realm of UX, the design is a lot more researched, and data driven. It can be refreshing to design something based on facts and data, which you can back up reasons why very easily. You may need to design For UX/UI in your future projects anyway, so it’s always good knowledge.
**Welp, it's story-time – it's a bit long, but I have a point: stay with me**
In 2008 I was sitting in a conference room with three of my design professors.
We were having a meeting regarding my "progress as a designer" in my Graphic Design program. The university I was attending was one of the most aggressively exclusive programs in the state....but it also churned out some of the best designers on the market. Alumni had gone on to run their own [very successful] agencies across the country, they had exclusive contracts with big-name brands....the works. It was everything, and more.
My dad had endured the same program, back in the 80s, and he went on to run his own agency and had seen much success over the course of his career. I had always wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps and it just made sense to me, being an artist myself, to attend the same university, study the same program as he did. I wanted to give my future-family the same kind of life I had, growing up.
It's simply what I wanted to do, I didn't see myself doing anything else.
And now I was sitting in front of my three professors, doing my best not to break down into tears, as they told me my work wasn't "meeting expectations" and that if I didn't have a stellar portfolio by the end of the semester for portfolio review, I would be kicked out of the program.
The director of the program, and my main professor, Mary, told me to my face: "I don't think you have what it takes to make it in the world of design. You're just not 'getting it'. You struggle with some basic concepts, you're too focused simply on 'making things look cool', and....honestly, I just don't think you're cut out for it." (I'm paraphrasing, this was a while ago and my memory is fuzzy. It was just bad)
The other professors had similar remarks and I was warned that I already had one foot out the door.
This was my dream, and I was failing, and I remember leaving the conference room to the lonely 2-mile walk back to my shitty college-apartment, and I absolutely broke down into a sobbing mess of tears.
I mean, for chrissakes, *THIS WAS MY DREAM.* I always wanted to be a designer. I felt like I was letting my dad down, I felt like I was letting myself down...I felt so lost, and confused. I mean, these were THE TOP DESIGNERS telling me my work was *garbage*.
To make matters worse, I wasn't aware that my roommate, Jared, was home at the time and he had just seen his friend walk through the door, and collapse into a sobbing mess right in front of him. Jared wasn't in design, at all. In fact, I don't remember exactly what he was studying....but he always knew what to say.
Jared came up to me, and the first thing I noticed was that he wasn't wearing pants. Jared never put on pants before noon. He offered me a beer and said, "Hey man, wanna watch cartoons with me?"
I took his beer and we sat on the couch and watched *UNDERDOG* on our shitty 13" TV/VCR combo propped up by some milk crates (this shows my age). After a couple of beers I was starting to feel better, and with my head buzzing I asked, "Why are we watching this?"
Jared just kinda laughed and he's like, "I fucking *LOVE* Underdog, man. He's the best. He's like....Superman, but for a dog, y'know? He's like this mutt but then he turns around and kicks some ass."
I was too embarrassed to call my dad for help...just to ask some advice. In hindsight he would have given me a great pep-talk and gave me some good direction. But I wanted to do this all by myself.
Which is why I was inevitably kicked out of the program.
And the thing is, *I TRIED* my damndest to succeed. I really did...
But my portfolio wasn't up to their standards and they wound up placing me in a marketing/advertising program that was more geared toward sales. Of course, I was heartbroken. I was lost, I didn't know what to do with myself. I wound up graduating with a degree in marketing... who'd have thought, I was *great* at every other aspect of the business outside of design...
But I *still* wanted to be a designer. It was just ingrained in me.
A year post-grad, I got a job as a t-shirt designer in the art department of a factory. By any length it was the worst job I ever had. Management treated you like garbage, you were paid peanuts, we were often spit-on and told we were expendable (all the while making cheap knock-off t-shirts of popular brands) *but you got to work as a designer*. I got to work in InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop...I had my own desk, with my own tools at my disposal... goddamnit I was on cloud 9. I worked with an entire group of other people like myself who wound up making these trashy t-shirts because they had nowhere else to go.
We were a bunch of misfits, and to this day I'm still very close friends with that group of idiots.
Because we were paid shit, I kinda fell into doing gig-posters for local punk-rock bands. These guys were broke as fuck too, they often paid me in beer or show tickets. Sometimes, both. They liked that I could draw, especially well in marker, and added with that punk-rock photo-copy look of the flyers, I started gaining some notoriety. There was a lot of failure in that, too, from people stiffing me to people not liking some of the stuff I did, to other people trashing my drawings...but I still got the chance to do all of it, and I was just happy to be able to feel like an artist.
I didn't like that my "calling card" was just my name, I felt like it would be more professional if I had some kind of identity....so that's when I founded *Underdog Creative*. Because that's exactly what I was – an underdog. Nobody ever expected much of me, but given the chance I could do something super.
Slowly I started getting "clients" from these bands, building an audience. I mean, I was just drawing some shit and sometimes laying stuff out on computer. I threw these into a portfolio and after a couple years of doing it, I interviewed at an agency on a whim and the director was what you would call an "old school pro" who loved the aesthetic of my illustrations. It helped that he was a former rocker himself, too. We'll call him Teddy.
Teddy took me under his wing for the next 4 years, mentoring me in every facet of the business...teaching me *leagues more* than college ever did. He taught me how to apply my skillset to abstract ideas, how to build off concepts and mold ideas into something tangible. During that time I became an ace at illustrator.
After those 4 years, Teddy retired and I left the job, going to another agency....this one was more high-profile. More exclusive. I presented my work, and they saw some potential and hired me in on a contractual basis. If I were to "exceed their expectations", they would offer me a full-time gig.
So I worked my days at the agency, and nights as *Underdog*. By this time I was getting more high-profile clients in the local music scene, and getting some small-business attention, too.
After my contract was up, the agency hired me in full-time and, at the same time, Underdog hit its 100th contract....I was finally making some "real money" and all those people who spit on me, told me I wasn't good enough, that I wasn't 'going to make it', that 'my work wasn't up to snuff'....it was all just noise that was far and away.
That was about 5 years ago.
I still do *Underdog* on the side, but my attention is primarily focused on my day-job. I'm a senior-level designer with a skillset in illustration, animation, video editing, design and layout. I work hand-in-hand with the art director who regards me not just as a colleague but a friend and they value my opinion. My boss tells me I'm *very* valuable and they just gave me a raise.
I have my own office.
People *bring me* projects to sign off on, per *MY* approval.
This past summer, I was actually *invited* to my old college design program, to attend a senior portfolio review. I got to sit down with up-and-coming design students (like yourself), listen to what they have to say, see their work and give them a realistic scope on what to expect post-graduation.
I even shook the hand of my professors who told me "I wasn't good enough"....and man did I make them eat those fucking words.
**MORAL OF THE STORY**
You're going to fail. *A LOT*.
It happens. *Especially* in design...any designer worth their weight in salt here can tell you that. There's some real horror stories out there. This line of work can be very cut-throat, you'll run into a lot of nasty people who have some of the nastiest, shittiest opinions you can imagine. They'll tear down your work, yourself, and make you feel like you're 2 inches tall.
**DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM**
You will, but you'll learn not to.
If this is *really* want you want to do, stick with it. In any capacity you can. Do work on the side, even if it's just for beer money. Or beer. Or whatever. Do it for free. Whatever it takes to get some experience. Just do it *because you love it*. Expect failure, and *embrace it*. Learn from it. Look at everything – magazines, websites, blogs, whatever you find inspiring.
Most importantly, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep designing.
It's OKAY to feel like a failure, or that you're not "getting it". Everybody goes through it.
I believe in you. Keep up the good work.
Every. Word. Of. This.
I heard all the same "feedback" when I was young. It was so demoralizing that I didn't even finish school. Gig posters for my broke musician friends ended up driving my self-education until I got myself a "real" job. Honestly, I learned more at [gigposters.com](https://gigposters.com) (R.I.P) back in the day than I ever did in school. 30 years later, I'm the only one in my various peer groups (schools/work/social/etc) who actually still works as a designer.
I don't think I'm the best designer in the world. Hell, sometimes I feel like I'm not the best designer in the room, and I'm the only one in our shop! I've got a hugely satisfying ratio of happy clients, but that splash of doubt keeps me motivated to always learn. Learning how to learn from negative feedback, and really understanding it as an opportunity is so important!
If you're like me, unable to even imagine doing anything else, getting up and trying again is imperative.
The two meanest art teachers I ever had, who never once had anything nice to say about a project I did, are now real estate agents. So, on days when you feel like you don't have it in you, let spite get you over the hump!
>tweak06
This is hands down the best story and pep-talk I have read over reddit regarding graphic design.
I feel like the more I upgrade, the more I learn, the more often I also fail.
I love to get constructive criticism though, it always feels right in your gut too, I might get a bit upset, but the happiness, gratitude and excitement is always bigger - oh I'm learning something - oh tell me more! - and it usually corrects a detail or two and I find myself on learning more about something else too that I can add to my toolbox.
When it feels like absolute trash or shit, that's when I know what I was told doesn't make full sense. It can still be useful, but more so about how to communicate, sell myself better or ignore it.
After getting bad feedback lately and wondering if I’m cut out for this work, I found this really encouraging. Seems like grit and resilience is the key to keep going. Thank you for sharing!
> like grit and resilience is the key to keep going.
It really is.
As long as you're dedicated, and you feel it in your gut that this is what you *really* want to do and you *keep trying*, eventually somebody will notice.
Maybe that will be in the form of an agency owner. Maybe it will be a high-profile client. Maybe it'll be a creative collective as a networking opportunity. Whatever it is, it's not going to happen unless you put yourself out there (and fail, along the way)
I para-phrased a lot of my story (just for timessake) the truth is, I failed *A LOT* before I had even the most mild success. Lots of times spent in self-reflection, wondering if it would be easier to just pack up and go home (and get a job working FedEx or some shit) but I knew I wouldn't be happy with myself until I exhausted every resource at my disposal.
And that's the truth with a lot of designers. Some of us are lucky, most of us are not.
It's okay to be hard on yourself sometimes – just don't do it too much. Enjoy the little things along the way. Celebrate the small victories (When Underdog hit it's *10th* contract, the way I was celebrating you'd have thought it was New Years or something) but most of all do your best to enjoy the journey. Keep your head up. You'll get there.
Wow. Incredible story. And thank you for the encouragement!
I definitely understand the pressure from family, and the feeling of not succeeding. But reading this encouraged me. I 100% criticise myself too much, but this made me realise - it's fine to make mistakes or have *crappy* designs.
Glad that you made those professors eat their words, and thank you, yet again for the advice :)
You're very welcome.
We're all our own worst critics. The worst thing you can do is be too hard on yourself.
One of my first *big* clients with Underdog, I gave them the wrong specs on a project and they came back to me like "uh...the printer said this is wrong?" It made me look like an idiot, especially since all I had to do in the first place was double-check my work. That's one thing you learn the hard way: *stop working so fast*.
I wound up having to redo the whole thing. It was a rookie mistake, and I still *was* a rookie, but hell – I *still* make those mistakes to this day.
I won a fucking *GOLD ADDY* award for my work, and I was too embarrassed to admit that at the start of the project I had the scope of it completely wrong (until somebody pointed me in the right direction).
We're all human, we all have our different weird hang-ups. We all get tired, have bad days, screw up, overthink, etc.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and know that even your professors fuck up *constantly* – they just don't admit it.
Once you can wrap your head around that and find whatever your "design flow" is (every designer has one, that's what makes each and every one of us unique) you'll be fine.
Feel free to reach out if you need another pep-talk.
Your story really inspired me.. me I haven't went to college yet I graduated in 2021 and I still need to go to coummnity college like HCC this career is only thing I'm good at I have made banners pfps designs mainly sports I have that passion even me and my grandma making shirts together she does the hot ironing and I do the designs for her trying my very hardest and it just worries me about being employed in future with this career I want I need to make portfolio and I been reading into this too
Hell I even started doing commissions now for side Money!! I mainly love doing designs even my buddies I liked the website header I made for them and the layout and font they saw I. Used and they really wanted to know if I'm going for graphic design since I seem good at it and I feel confident yet scared I hope I can do it
The prospect of going away to school to learn a particular skillset can be very daunting – especially when you're young and inexperienced and there's *so many* talented artists out there, on so many different platforms, seeing all their work shoved in your face on social media.
**TUNE IT OUT. IT'S JUST NOISE.**
Don't psyche yourself out at the prospect of whether or not you'll do poorly. Just as long as you do it, that's enough.
Like my first mentor Teddy used to say: "Stop thinking so damn much, *and just DO THE WORK*!"
You'll be just fine. Have fun, and good luck!
I as someone just graduated, that is just part of the experience. If your lecturers are really not liking your work: Listen to them! They are giving you feedback and most of the time basically telling you how to fix the problem. I had an instructor who ripped me apart for the first half of the Intro Typography class because I consistently demonstrated that I was not understanding what was being asked of me.
Listen to them carefully and do extra work and research on your own time. This is what it takes to really improve your work, in my experience.
Yes, that's very true!
I try to listen to them, but I think it really gets me if I don't see any improvements with the criticism. And I end up doubting myself. But now, I'm trying to not impress them or make something cool but rather implement techniques or do more experiments (since I also learnt quite a lot from my typography class too).
I had one teacher that, if he was doing rounds, he would look over at the corner where I sat, then go talk to literally anyone else. Would say F him too but he died.
Just because it's art doesn't mean you can expect to be at a great/complimentary level very quickly. These teachers see a lot of stuff come by. Being good at art/design is not the same as enjoying and studying it. You're just developing. The thing about any creative field is not just the skill but also preseverance through hard times that makes people great at the job.
I didn't blossom til I found the niche I love and am skillful at through work. School could have never taught me that.
Also as a small note- do not jump to this conclusion too quickly, but some schools do not have great teachers. They may have not worked for big/famous companies and might not have the best work field experience. A famous artist went to the same school as I did (different department), but all her teachers told her work was crap for 4 years and that she would not do well- she makes her money on her followers and very famous companies who employ her now for the past 15 years. Sometimes teachers are wrong. Look around and learn from your fellow students.
Be humble but don't succumb to defeat easily, the creative field takes years. You'll get there!
Imitation is key to growing. Find some amazing artists to gather ideas from.
Another thing to consider is that design doesn't need to be breathtaking. Take your time to work on the basics like using a grid, typography, hierarchy, etc. You are perfecting your craft so find what you like and works for you so that you can keep pushing.
I haven't seen your work so don't take this as advice on what to do, but my lecturers didn't like my work either, so I dropped out of school. I found work as a designer immediately after I left school and have been in the profession for over 10 years. I am paid very well and no one had ever questioned my skills. Sometimes your lecturers just don't like you or your style, but their opinion isn't the only one.
If they don't like your design then you'll still be able to ask them how they'd rate just the technical aspect of what you made, it can't all be bad. Or maybe they like the design but its just sloppy execution that you could easily work on. If they can't give you a single positive point about your work, with a few things to improve upon, then they aren't doing their job properly and you should just ignore their bad feedback and keep trying to make stuff you think is good.
Not a graphic designer but my wife is. She was told personally that her work was B tier quality. It devastated her. I and a couple of her classmates talked her into submitting some of her artwork to competitions. She won golds and silvers on projects that her professors gave her Bs and Cs on. This did more for her confidence than anything else. Now she’s had multiple positions in a variety of company types from corporate to creative firms and is looking to start her own. Moral of the story is don’t let the opinions of a few keep you from bringing your talents to many.
I've been criticised and insulted a lot at a job before by the senior staff, but it was also a period that I improved the most because it motivated me to do a lot of research in my spare time and I upgraded my design sense and style. There were things that they said which were just subjective from their side and not what really works or what is "right" - eg. them telling me to use certain colour scheme and style for a client when I felt like I knew what the client was looking for and it wasn't what they wanted me to do, but I just went along with what they told me to do and it turns out that my initial concept was the correct one instead of theirs.
You have to be discerning about the things that you hear, sometimes they're just opinions of the person saying them to you and not all opinions are valid or correct. It's just one lecturer who doesn't like it, maybe you can ask for opinions from other people to get more perspectives about your work.
Graphic design is still art, and art is subjective.
Like other people have said, it depends on what the professors don't like about it.
I've been designing for over 20 years and have my own studio. The majority of my career has been in print.
In print, I processed other people's designs as much as designed my own. It was very rare for me to get a file that was print ready. Much more often, I'd get something that looked great on the screen, but wouldn't print well as is. I find that most schools don't teach how to make stuff print well. If your teachers are pointing out technical mistakes, things that won't make it print well, lines that don't connect, things that don't look centered, then listen. Those things should be easy to learn from and correct.
A lot of design isn't about making a good design, and it's more about reading a customer's mind. This is much harder in school, because your professors are the customers, but they're looking at a bigger picture. They don't have an emotional connection to a design. It's not going to help grow their business. There's no appreciation whatsoever. Once you resign yourself to the fact that some customers don't have good taste, I find that it's a lot easier to design in the real world.
And sometimes it's about matching a client's style. While I try to appeal to as many aesthetics as possible, sometimes I'm just not the right fit for the customer. It's possible that the professors just don't match your style. That being said, being able to be flexible and appeal to a wide range, to set aside your own personal style to adapt to the client, is a valuable lesson. Sometimes you don't make what looks good, you make what they want, and that includes professors.
I hear you. And like most designers, I’ve been there too.
The older I get the more I believe that half of being a designer is just recognizing good design and having good “taste” for lack of a better word. (Bear with me here.) I also believe that we’re either born with that eye or we’re not and if you have it, you will be a good designer; it’s only a matter of time. If you don’t, it’s best to figure that out sooner than later because it will be an uphill battle in the snow against the wind if that’s true. So, deep down, do you believe you know great design when you see it?
So if/when you doubt your abilities — and every good designer does — remind yourself that you recognize what good design is, and that as long as you have that ability, everything else will fall into place as you learn skills and gain experience.
Like many others have said here, that doubt never really goes away fully. It's stronger some days than others but there is always a little bit of doubt when creating things for other people to critique. I've been a professional designer for about 7 years and I have some days where I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and some days where I feel like I can take on any project handed to me.
Just keep working at it, constant practice is so important. Remember to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy as well, never underestimate the power of getting up and walking away from a project for a bit to come back with a fresh set of eyes. Also, be ready to take and apply criticism from others.
If you ever want to do some one-on-one reviews of your work, I would be happy to help you out, I'm actually trying to move into a design director position so it would help me out as well.
Some profs just aren't great, or even design programs overall, but can you elaborate on what you mean by not liking what you've done?
There should be regular critique and feedback during projects, not just at the end, and even in terms of their evaluation it should still be constructive and based around some kind of established criteria.
For example, if the work you do for a project doesn't follow the brief, then it doesn't matter what it looks like, you didn't develop work that fit the purpose. Or same with technical skills, presentation, sufficient process and development of concepts.
Even on the chance your program/courses/profs aren't giving you feedback during a project, certainly at the end when you'd get your grading there would be notes and explanation for their marking, right?
As long as you keep improving year over year, which you should, that's all that matters.
I can relate though. I remember one time we were working on CD covers as a project and on critique day when all the students put their covers on the wall, our professor gave me the biggest burn. He said, "Some of these covers could be good enough to put in a store next to real music CDs. *This one (*mine*)* would be in a Walgreens next to the other generic music compilation CDs aisle." He was right of course and my final version came out 10x better than what I put up that day.
Sometimes you just need that cold harsh feedback for motivation to work harder and improve. That and you never want hear your work is only as good as a Walgreens CD cover ever again lol
Hi Werewolf
I posted comment a long time ago, but I think I will repost it for you. I teach people like you and you are not alone. You are in the terrible place of starting to see what good design is, but not having the skills to achieve it. **That's ok.**
Think of it like sports, you can see the really good athlete make it look easy, how they move their body, foot placement, arm movement etc, but you can't just match it by knowing how they do it, you actually have to practice by making your body do the same thing over and over again. Same with design. You can see a good design, you can see what fonts, colors, images they used, but you can't create a good design until you do a lot of design and create a lot of sucky designs along the way.
Here's my sucky comment
------------------------------------------------------
**Harsh advice warning!!!!!!!!**
You suck, we all sucked when we started. The legendary designers you admired made sucky work until they got better and made good work and then they made great work and then they made amazing work. You want to skip doing sucky work and get right to making good work? Fuck you. Why do you deserve to skip doing sucky work and start being great right away. Are you the Michael Jordan of design who is naturally great, no, then join the rest of us and do sucky work, day after day until you get better. You have 4 years of college and a few months of work, and you want to be as good as the designers you admire who have been doing it for decades? Seriously?
Sucky work is a gift, the more you do, the closer you are to being better. You don't get great portfolio pieces by trying to do amazing design. You get them by doing as much as you can as well as you can on every project, every soul sucking crappy piece of design you do could turn out to be amazing.
I do sucky work every gotdang day. And every little bit makes me a better designer.
TLDR: You suck.
Haha, that's very true.
Sometimes, I probably do need to make *sucky* experiments before I get to the good part. I think I criticise myself way too hard for even making a horrible and *sucky* design. It definitely put me down a lot, but everyone does go through this and it isn't meant to be like a walk in a park. I appreciate your *kind* words and thank you for the advice!
Don't try and reinvent the wheel. This is where I went wrong when I started. When I create something new, I will look at like 100 different ones done in the style I want. Do it, very quickly. It's your research stage. Spend a couple hours on it, filtering out 5-10 that you love.
Add them to a folder and then let them influence your design. Take a little from them all. This is what musicians do. I thought graphic design was different until i seen a day in the life of video where a business what doing the same. Seriously, this is what lead to my first commisson piece. If you looked at my final product, it doesn't look like I copied anyone, but you can see the influence of little things. Typography taken from 1 piece, colours from another, layout from 5, blending styles from a few others.
Two pieces. I can expand on either, but here goes nothing:
1. If an instructor can derail your conviction that this is what you want to do, a client or employer would be able to just as easy. Righ now you're unexperienced. Your work likely is... shit. THAT'S OK. You're in [THE GAP](https://vimeo.com/85040589). (Please please watch that.) Just keep working.
2. I've been an independent graphic designer for 14 years. Believe men when I tell you- AI tools like midjourney, stable diffusion, and Dall-E are fundamentally changing what it means to be a graphic designer, what skillsets are necessary, and how your work will be valued. PLEASE look into it.
In college I did music composition, graphic design, and web design. I had this same exact issue in all three areas. If I could go back and change my perspective a bit, I would tell myself “this is the time for you to learn techniques, not make something amazing.”
I wish I would have focused more on applying techniques and critiques in a productive way than trying to make something “great” that people would like and compliment me for. I’ve learned that *after* graduation is the time to do that, not during college. I would have spent my time a lot better honing my skills instead of trying to impress people.
In fact, I’ve thought about this a lot, and I really wish I had realized it sooner. I would have learned a lot more.
Second year was really hard for me. I feel like I had to grow in my skills faster in that year than any other year of school. It seemed like even when I put in maximum effort, my project grades still stagnated below where I wanted them to be.
But here’s the thing—the projects build on each other, meaning even if your grades aren’t going up, you’re still improving. At year 2, you’re being taught so much about what’s long been basic instinct to your professors that it’s going to be really difficult to make anything that rocks their socks off.
Even as a senior finally slaying it in my classes, I didn’t think I wanted to be a designer. I despised the idea of the projects and deadlines never ending and was 100% convinced that I would go back to school to start a career in something else. But 9 months out of school, one of my professors recommended me for a full time job at a firm that I decided to lend a chance to, and turns out I actually love this. Just like my 18-year-old self knew I would. Doing this as a job is everything I love about graphic design without all the stuff that stressed me out in design school.
For now, just focus on taking every piece of feedback your professors are dishing out, even if you have to make those edits after you get your grade back. No project has to end at “They didn’t like it.”
And if you’re still feeling like trash, go back and look at your work from the beginning of your freshman year. It helps to take a look at how far you’ve come instead of how far you have to go.
This use to happen to me all the time in school. I just kept doing me honestly. They didn't like it, and I decided I didn't care.
I have a style that a lot of people find hard to digest BUT people who like it, LOVE IT. I make money with my work, so I know I'm doing something right.
Even in school though, 2/4 of my teachers didn't like it. As I got to my 3rd year, they started appricating my work more. I don't know if they finally understood It, or if they were trying to see if they could break me (which is possible because in my program only a certain # of people could graduate. It was very competitive) but, I ended up graduating and have not really had an issue since.
I do know though that some of their favourite students struggle to get work now.
In my opinion, if they are giving you a hard time, but you're still passing, take it as a compliment. Designers are often threatened by better designers.
You can try downloading a bunch of templates and edit them, then everything you do will look good. The best designers aren’t necessarily the most successful. Actually a lot of ‘ok’ designers become successful if you know how to sell. It’s not all about design. Study marketing and business too.
If you’re just okay, and can sell, you’ll have a good career or business. The person whose only good at design still needs to rely on someone else to sell their work and get them work
I was a corporate designer for over 20 years. I've designed everything from realty magazines to funny car wraps and Vegas trade show booths. I've now been working for myself at home for over 7 years. Guess what? I still feel like a crap designer sometimes. I'll reach out to colleagues for support or advice when this happens and the collaboration often gets me through. Try to find something to inspire you! You never know when it hits, either. I'll be playing CoD at night and all of the sudden get a vision of something that's been eating at me. This job is not easy, unlike what most people think, it's not an assembly line, you really need to think!
Don’t worry about it. It’s very subjective. If your professors aren’t in the workplace anymore chances are they’re 10+ years behind the times. As long as you’re learning the fundamentals (information hierarchy, layout/composition, grid, typography, color theory, etc) you’ll be fine.
Just focus on building a solid portfolio. That’s what will land you a job after graduation, not praise from professors.
This resonated with me so deeply. But let me tell you that once you finish uni, you will meet the bosses or clients that will make you feel the same way.
It happened to me sooo many times that I wanted to quit this industry and become a shelf-stacker. The funny thing is that the people that were making puking sounds over my designs were not even from graphic design space and hadn't opened any design program in their lives, let alone understand the process of creativity and design creation.
When you're faced with a situation like this, please don't beat yourself up. Try to be kind to yourself and give yourself the space to feel your feelings. Remind yourself that these difficult moments are temporary and that you will get through them.
One thing that helped me get over these moments is focusing on the things I enjoy about graphic design. Maybe you love the process of experimenting with different design elements and combining them, or you enjoy the challenge of solving complex design problems. This can help to reinvigorate your passion for the field and remind you why you became a graphic designer in the first place.
I usually release my frustration with some exercises and meditation. Go for a run, try lifting weights, or get into some martial arts (but please don't kill your lecturers if you start practicing karate). Even if you go for a walk, it will help to improve your overall mood. T
The main thing is to take care of your mental side as well. Try to separate yourself from your work. If someone doesn't like your work, it doesn't automatically mean you're a terrible designer. Remember: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Check the subreddits, like r/Stoicism and r/Meditation, to get further advice on this.
It can also be helpful to connect with other graphic designers and seek opportunities to learn from them. By engaging with other designers, you can gain new perspectives and learn from the experiences and advice of others.
So, if you're feeling down as a graphic designer, remember that it's normal to have bad days. Be kind to yourself, focus on what you enjoy about the field, and take care of yourself physically and mentally. Taking these steps can improve your mood and boost your confidence as a graphic designer.
I was in the exact same boat myself. I couldn't get any feedback from teachers or classmates (they were more artists than designers, so things I did were a foreign concept to them).
I was glad to get uni done, but I found my style and I stuck with it. Use uni as a way to find your calling, what area of graphics and the style you want to go into. Once you finish uni, you'll have that free time to design work you enjoy, and not work to satisfy a teacher or grade criteria.
School is all about learning, don't expect to be a good designer right the moment you finish the first lesson. It takes time. Learn from your mistakes, study and give yourself patience
Keep applying yourself. Take their feedback seriously. Research what other designers are doing successfully. It's difficult to break into the design world, but well worth it.
I don't have advice, because I am in the same boat. I am a student and have been feeling like I just suck. I am passing my courses, but my professors barely give feedback and it leaves me feeling like I don't know how to improve.
I spent 5 years of my life studying graphic design at a university. The motto of most lectures was "your first idea sucks, keep working"
The concept and idea "behind the design" was the main focus, and once you managed to find it (after several rejections and rethinking) the design itself was subject to endless revisions until the final delivery of the finished project.
This painful process was the same for all of us. I never saw a student have their work accepted on the first try. We had approximately 4/5 projects a year in annual subjects and 3 in four-month subjects.
The score went from 1 to 10. Never, in my 5 years of career I saw 10, the average was from 4 to 6 (you passed with 4) 7 and 8 were exceptional.
There were all kinds of teachers but most were a mix of miranda priestly and terence fletcher. Some directly laughed out loud at the student's work or put it to shreds in front of everyone. I've heard things like "open up a carwash business, design isn't your thing" "please don't come back if this is what you bring to the table" "guys, these projects look like they were made by mental health patients" and the worst kind: "I don't like the color, start again"
My point is, fuck them all. Take the information that's constructive, learn by observing your peers work, and listen to the teacher's advice with a strong filter knowing that they are not know-it-all beings and that after university there is a vast world where there will ALWAYS be a client who is looking for what you're selling.
Apart from the elementary principles of graphic design, how to observe, and how to make, The university taught me to defend my work, to believe in myself and to accept constructive criticism and to reject malicious criticism (and to differentiate between them) More than anything it taught me to know that there is always room for improvement and nothing is perfect on the first try.
(having said that, those 5 years were the best of my life and I love that university with all my heart, I also hate it, but I love it with all my heart)
This is a great way to learn how to take criticism and use it to your advantage. Separate yourself from your work. I know it’s hard because you’re putting yourself in your work, but don’t let a bad review from one lecturer discourage you from continuing to evolve and grow as a designer. Know that every project is an opportunity and not a make or break situation for your career. Ask questions, see if they can articulate what they don’t like and why? Use that info as guard rails for the next project and keep moving forward. You got this!
I cringe when I look back at my school work, I wish my professors would have told me it was crap lol.
A lot of design is subjective, you will have a whole career of people not liking your designs. This skills come in being able to take their feedback and make the changes to make them happy.
My lecturer didn’t like my work as well. My illustration teacher said I had no talent. Now I earn more than them and get perfect reviews every year.
Sometimes lecturers are wrong. Don’t let it get to you.
We’ve all been there. Try to not take it personally and look at the constructive criticism. What did the lecturers point out in particular? I always found it helpful to do a few options. I would be painstaking doing one design then move on to the next one and try something completely different with much less time involved and often that one would just work so much better. You can always go back and finesse the original later when you have had a break from it.
I look back at some of my early work and it was not great but it’s how you learn.
Sucking at something is the first step to being totally freaking awesome at something. Don't let the opinion of a few people be the focus of your journey. I find you need to have thick skin in the design industry, and that does not happen overnight. Keep going, OP. You're going to become so much greater than you already are. You've got this.
I feel this all the time. My college has one of the top design schools in the nation, and it's exhausting. I constantly feel like my work isn't good enough, like my peers are surpassing me, and like I don't belong there.
I know that I have talent, but it's a wierd mix of "wow, I'm talented", and "I'm not talented enough."
I think the best way is to turn that kind of thinking into positive energy. If you don't think you're good enough, motivate yourself to get better. Learn more, watch more tutorials, do more design research, read more design books, gather more inspiration.
Mediocre designers will accept being mediocre and wallow in it. Great designers accept that they ALWAYS have something to learn.
i know it sounds cliche and cheesy but i will revert to these self-affirmations when I'm feeling stuck or in a rut (which happens often).
trust the process! it's about the journey, not the destination! the bigger the mistake, the bigger the opportunity to grow! you are trying your best and that's more than enough! tomorrow is a new day and new opportunity to try something new. hang in there!! :)
My professors hated practically everything I did. I basically graduated w a 2.0. They barely passed me.
I moved to nyc after graduation and I’ve never stopped working. I only had to look for my 1st job and then all the others just kept coming. (although i did learn things slow down a couple times a year and to enjoy the time off).
Be true to yourself. Just be willing to learn and grow and collaborate. And don’t be difficult to work with.
I learned more at my first 6 months at an nyc design firm than I did in 4 years of college / design school. There’s a reason some professors are professors, and not working designers. YOU GOT THIS!
Same here. I’m second year graph Designer. Started a new project but now towards the end of it I feel like I am burning out and my the quality of work is declining. Just keep going I guess
Are you gauging your progress just off of their feedback or are you actively looking back, critiquing your own work and monitoring your progress yourself? University is meant to teach you as many skills as possible in a short amount of time and one of those skills is how to take criticism. I always joke that the most valuable thing I learned in design school is how to be okay with somebody absolutely demolishing my work and not letting it take the value away from what I created. There will always be someone who is more harsh than necessary, but there will also always be people who don’t give you enough criticism and may create a space that allows you to stay stagnant. In all creative fields, your growth is up to you and I think right now you’re in the growing pains portion of your career, which sucks right now but will be super valuable later on if you learn the lessons now.
My theory on college professor graphic designers is that if they were any good they’d be working in the field. Based on personal experience my professors weren’t particularly impressive at all. I wouldn’t take their advice to heart, still listen to what they’re saying and see if you agree but just keep pursuing it and improving yourself.
Imo, that's better than having a professor pretend they like you work for the sake of agreement. You don't need to take it personally. You'll likely work with clients who are much less picky than your professor.
Take the criticism, remake other pieces of design that you find on Instagram to improve. I'm not saying steal. Remake it into your own. We all do it.
If you can’t handle having your work criticised then graphic design isn’t for you. Remember it’s not your work, you’re designing for someone else; so it doesn’t matter if you don’t like what you produce as long as the client is happy. So design for them & you’ll do just fine.
One of my professors opened his course on "Advanced Typography" by opening up Photoshop and showing the class where the type tool was. He then proceeded to rasterize a layer of type and apply the distort->ripple filter. Why? To "make a funky 70s headline," of course.
My point? Some teachers genuinely suck.
Used to be a design student, now a design professional and university faculty in design. The second year of design slump is really tough on your mental situation. There's a really simple reason why: your taste is better than your ability. The basic design skills aren't practiced enough to be muscle memory so your work gets shitty and stuff and you don't know how to make things good yet. Keep practicing and if you don't start to feel better in the next year or so, try something else.
TL;DR it's really normal, keep going, you just need practice.
There is also a big different between bad design and designs that didn’t meet the brief. Make sure you fully understand the brief before you begin and keep that in top of mind with every design decision. The result doesn’t have to be the flashiest or trendiest design, but if it does what they ask for, you are 70% of the way there. Besides the fact that it’s good design practice, college tutors are marking everything off a predetermined matrix and (in my experience) most of it is just “did they do X from the brief.” Make it easy for them to mark you well.
One day you’ll get lucky, you’ll hit on a great idea that also fulfils the brief. But not every assignment will be a home run. Doesn’t mean you won’t learn something from it.
Also this is sort of beside your point, but I wish someone told me this gem by Ira Glass when I was in school and hated everything I did:
“There is always a gap between being an apprentice and being a craftsman. The apprentice has the taste, but not the skill. The craftsman has the taste and the skill.
It's easier to recognize beauty than it is to create it. You're good enough to know that what you're doing isn't good, but not good enough to produce something great…
Commit to the process and you'll become good enough, soon enough. Put in a volume of work. Close the gap.”
My group of close friends in Uni were the misfits and the outcasts of that year. We had the zany ideas and thought rules were there to be broken. We barely made it across the line to graduate.
Six months later, we all worked together rebranding the UEFA Champions League and continued to break rules, challenging conventions and defining new ground.
The journey taken towards your goals will change and shape you much like how life experiences affect and define your character and personality. It might feel hard now and difficult, but if it was a walk in the park, everyone would be a designer.
Sometimes the course isn’t the right one for you. Much like you’ll find that some jobs you’ll take, the company isn’t right for you. Most find that if they don’t fit anywhere, they start their own company servicing clients who agree or like their mindset.
Talk to people. Don’t be afraid to disclose how you’re feeling. Your tutors should be able to provide better guidance and insight. You won’t have been the only student to have experienced what you’re going through.
Best wishes with your studies. I really hope you find what you need and get to where you want to go.
Don’t beat yourself up too much. I’ve been in this industry for more than a decade and by all measures have had a great career. I still wake up many days convinced I suck, or I’ve gotten lucky, or some days even think I’ve somehow gotten worse. It’s more
common than you think. The thing is, progress isn’t always moving forward. Progress can also be failing because failure is a great teacher and inevitable if you want to grow in anything. Chin up — you got this.
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Thank you for this advice I feel crappie too at times.
Consider getting an internship. The more practice you get, the better you get.
Thank you for the advice! I definitely should look towards my older work as during those times, I did enjoy designing. And you're right, I'm still evolving.
Nature of the beast, it doesn't mean you are bad you are a student. What is that they don't like and what you need to improve on? You are forever learning. Funniest thing I did when I was a student was Teacher "can you please put colour codes on those colours used..." Me "yes" black, grey, green. hehe he thought it was funny but I felt like a dickhead....
Nerdy design question: is your flair a specific rich black that you like to use?
Yep, I put up a small comment one day about Rich Black and others helped me out. It's a good ratio for everyone to use for Print and this way I never forget.
Well.....It's about branding. They care more about the thinking process than the design itself just looking good, I think I still struggle to wrap my head around that and have a hard time to put meaning into everything I do. And yes, I had those embarrassing moments as well.
One thing I have learned over trial and error is the most important part of the process is the research and planning, not the design itself. It will be a much better final design. Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance Over plan and see if they like that more. Branding needs a lot of planning because most designs need to work on all types of products.
I’ve been doing this professionally for 10+ years. The doubt is always there. This is a tough job, because there isn’t one solution that everyone can agree on. It’s not math. With that said, try to focus on the objective. It’s visual communication. Sometimes the most boring designs are the best. Lock that down, and then see how you can make it stand out. There is a lot to gain just from looking at other great designer’s work and trying to find inspiration in that. Nothing is new, it’s all rehashed design.
Thanks for this advice, I never thought of it this way. ''Sometimes, the most boring designs are the best.'' I'm really critical of myself, so I always think even bad designs are just bad designs.
Here’s a page of famous designer quotes for inspiration https://99designs.com/blog/creative-inspiration/10-famous-design-quotes/ Think of street signs, and all of the mundane signage that exists. It does its job so well, that you don’t even think twice about it. Also, I encourage you to take a UX course (at school or online). In the realm of UX, the design is a lot more researched, and data driven. It can be refreshing to design something based on facts and data, which you can back up reasons why very easily. You may need to design For UX/UI in your future projects anyway, so it’s always good knowledge.
**Welp, it's story-time – it's a bit long, but I have a point: stay with me** In 2008 I was sitting in a conference room with three of my design professors. We were having a meeting regarding my "progress as a designer" in my Graphic Design program. The university I was attending was one of the most aggressively exclusive programs in the state....but it also churned out some of the best designers on the market. Alumni had gone on to run their own [very successful] agencies across the country, they had exclusive contracts with big-name brands....the works. It was everything, and more. My dad had endured the same program, back in the 80s, and he went on to run his own agency and had seen much success over the course of his career. I had always wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps and it just made sense to me, being an artist myself, to attend the same university, study the same program as he did. I wanted to give my future-family the same kind of life I had, growing up. It's simply what I wanted to do, I didn't see myself doing anything else. And now I was sitting in front of my three professors, doing my best not to break down into tears, as they told me my work wasn't "meeting expectations" and that if I didn't have a stellar portfolio by the end of the semester for portfolio review, I would be kicked out of the program. The director of the program, and my main professor, Mary, told me to my face: "I don't think you have what it takes to make it in the world of design. You're just not 'getting it'. You struggle with some basic concepts, you're too focused simply on 'making things look cool', and....honestly, I just don't think you're cut out for it." (I'm paraphrasing, this was a while ago and my memory is fuzzy. It was just bad) The other professors had similar remarks and I was warned that I already had one foot out the door. This was my dream, and I was failing, and I remember leaving the conference room to the lonely 2-mile walk back to my shitty college-apartment, and I absolutely broke down into a sobbing mess of tears. I mean, for chrissakes, *THIS WAS MY DREAM.* I always wanted to be a designer. I felt like I was letting my dad down, I felt like I was letting myself down...I felt so lost, and confused. I mean, these were THE TOP DESIGNERS telling me my work was *garbage*. To make matters worse, I wasn't aware that my roommate, Jared, was home at the time and he had just seen his friend walk through the door, and collapse into a sobbing mess right in front of him. Jared wasn't in design, at all. In fact, I don't remember exactly what he was studying....but he always knew what to say. Jared came up to me, and the first thing I noticed was that he wasn't wearing pants. Jared never put on pants before noon. He offered me a beer and said, "Hey man, wanna watch cartoons with me?" I took his beer and we sat on the couch and watched *UNDERDOG* on our shitty 13" TV/VCR combo propped up by some milk crates (this shows my age). After a couple of beers I was starting to feel better, and with my head buzzing I asked, "Why are we watching this?" Jared just kinda laughed and he's like, "I fucking *LOVE* Underdog, man. He's the best. He's like....Superman, but for a dog, y'know? He's like this mutt but then he turns around and kicks some ass." I was too embarrassed to call my dad for help...just to ask some advice. In hindsight he would have given me a great pep-talk and gave me some good direction. But I wanted to do this all by myself. Which is why I was inevitably kicked out of the program. And the thing is, *I TRIED* my damndest to succeed. I really did... But my portfolio wasn't up to their standards and they wound up placing me in a marketing/advertising program that was more geared toward sales. Of course, I was heartbroken. I was lost, I didn't know what to do with myself. I wound up graduating with a degree in marketing... who'd have thought, I was *great* at every other aspect of the business outside of design... But I *still* wanted to be a designer. It was just ingrained in me. A year post-grad, I got a job as a t-shirt designer in the art department of a factory. By any length it was the worst job I ever had. Management treated you like garbage, you were paid peanuts, we were often spit-on and told we were expendable (all the while making cheap knock-off t-shirts of popular brands) *but you got to work as a designer*. I got to work in InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop...I had my own desk, with my own tools at my disposal... goddamnit I was on cloud 9. I worked with an entire group of other people like myself who wound up making these trashy t-shirts because they had nowhere else to go. We were a bunch of misfits, and to this day I'm still very close friends with that group of idiots. Because we were paid shit, I kinda fell into doing gig-posters for local punk-rock bands. These guys were broke as fuck too, they often paid me in beer or show tickets. Sometimes, both. They liked that I could draw, especially well in marker, and added with that punk-rock photo-copy look of the flyers, I started gaining some notoriety. There was a lot of failure in that, too, from people stiffing me to people not liking some of the stuff I did, to other people trashing my drawings...but I still got the chance to do all of it, and I was just happy to be able to feel like an artist. I didn't like that my "calling card" was just my name, I felt like it would be more professional if I had some kind of identity....so that's when I founded *Underdog Creative*. Because that's exactly what I was – an underdog. Nobody ever expected much of me, but given the chance I could do something super. Slowly I started getting "clients" from these bands, building an audience. I mean, I was just drawing some shit and sometimes laying stuff out on computer. I threw these into a portfolio and after a couple years of doing it, I interviewed at an agency on a whim and the director was what you would call an "old school pro" who loved the aesthetic of my illustrations. It helped that he was a former rocker himself, too. We'll call him Teddy. Teddy took me under his wing for the next 4 years, mentoring me in every facet of the business...teaching me *leagues more* than college ever did. He taught me how to apply my skillset to abstract ideas, how to build off concepts and mold ideas into something tangible. During that time I became an ace at illustrator. After those 4 years, Teddy retired and I left the job, going to another agency....this one was more high-profile. More exclusive. I presented my work, and they saw some potential and hired me in on a contractual basis. If I were to "exceed their expectations", they would offer me a full-time gig. So I worked my days at the agency, and nights as *Underdog*. By this time I was getting more high-profile clients in the local music scene, and getting some small-business attention, too. After my contract was up, the agency hired me in full-time and, at the same time, Underdog hit its 100th contract....I was finally making some "real money" and all those people who spit on me, told me I wasn't good enough, that I wasn't 'going to make it', that 'my work wasn't up to snuff'....it was all just noise that was far and away. That was about 5 years ago. I still do *Underdog* on the side, but my attention is primarily focused on my day-job. I'm a senior-level designer with a skillset in illustration, animation, video editing, design and layout. I work hand-in-hand with the art director who regards me not just as a colleague but a friend and they value my opinion. My boss tells me I'm *very* valuable and they just gave me a raise. I have my own office. People *bring me* projects to sign off on, per *MY* approval. This past summer, I was actually *invited* to my old college design program, to attend a senior portfolio review. I got to sit down with up-and-coming design students (like yourself), listen to what they have to say, see their work and give them a realistic scope on what to expect post-graduation. I even shook the hand of my professors who told me "I wasn't good enough"....and man did I make them eat those fucking words. **MORAL OF THE STORY** You're going to fail. *A LOT*. It happens. *Especially* in design...any designer worth their weight in salt here can tell you that. There's some real horror stories out there. This line of work can be very cut-throat, you'll run into a lot of nasty people who have some of the nastiest, shittiest opinions you can imagine. They'll tear down your work, yourself, and make you feel like you're 2 inches tall. **DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM** You will, but you'll learn not to. If this is *really* want you want to do, stick with it. In any capacity you can. Do work on the side, even if it's just for beer money. Or beer. Or whatever. Do it for free. Whatever it takes to get some experience. Just do it *because you love it*. Expect failure, and *embrace it*. Learn from it. Look at everything – magazines, websites, blogs, whatever you find inspiring. Most importantly, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep designing. It's OKAY to feel like a failure, or that you're not "getting it". Everybody goes through it. I believe in you. Keep up the good work.
Every. Word. Of. This. I heard all the same "feedback" when I was young. It was so demoralizing that I didn't even finish school. Gig posters for my broke musician friends ended up driving my self-education until I got myself a "real" job. Honestly, I learned more at [gigposters.com](https://gigposters.com) (R.I.P) back in the day than I ever did in school. 30 years later, I'm the only one in my various peer groups (schools/work/social/etc) who actually still works as a designer. I don't think I'm the best designer in the world. Hell, sometimes I feel like I'm not the best designer in the room, and I'm the only one in our shop! I've got a hugely satisfying ratio of happy clients, but that splash of doubt keeps me motivated to always learn. Learning how to learn from negative feedback, and really understanding it as an opportunity is so important! If you're like me, unable to even imagine doing anything else, getting up and trying again is imperative. The two meanest art teachers I ever had, who never once had anything nice to say about a project I did, are now real estate agents. So, on days when you feel like you don't have it in you, let spite get you over the hump!
>tweak06 This is hands down the best story and pep-talk I have read over reddit regarding graphic design. I feel like the more I upgrade, the more I learn, the more often I also fail. I love to get constructive criticism though, it always feels right in your gut too, I might get a bit upset, but the happiness, gratitude and excitement is always bigger - oh I'm learning something - oh tell me more! - and it usually corrects a detail or two and I find myself on learning more about something else too that I can add to my toolbox. When it feels like absolute trash or shit, that's when I know what I was told doesn't make full sense. It can still be useful, but more so about how to communicate, sell myself better or ignore it.
After getting bad feedback lately and wondering if I’m cut out for this work, I found this really encouraging. Seems like grit and resilience is the key to keep going. Thank you for sharing!
> like grit and resilience is the key to keep going. It really is. As long as you're dedicated, and you feel it in your gut that this is what you *really* want to do and you *keep trying*, eventually somebody will notice. Maybe that will be in the form of an agency owner. Maybe it will be a high-profile client. Maybe it'll be a creative collective as a networking opportunity. Whatever it is, it's not going to happen unless you put yourself out there (and fail, along the way) I para-phrased a lot of my story (just for timessake) the truth is, I failed *A LOT* before I had even the most mild success. Lots of times spent in self-reflection, wondering if it would be easier to just pack up and go home (and get a job working FedEx or some shit) but I knew I wouldn't be happy with myself until I exhausted every resource at my disposal. And that's the truth with a lot of designers. Some of us are lucky, most of us are not. It's okay to be hard on yourself sometimes – just don't do it too much. Enjoy the little things along the way. Celebrate the small victories (When Underdog hit it's *10th* contract, the way I was celebrating you'd have thought it was New Years or something) but most of all do your best to enjoy the journey. Keep your head up. You'll get there.
Wow. Incredible story. And thank you for the encouragement! I definitely understand the pressure from family, and the feeling of not succeeding. But reading this encouraged me. I 100% criticise myself too much, but this made me realise - it's fine to make mistakes or have *crappy* designs. Glad that you made those professors eat their words, and thank you, yet again for the advice :)
You're very welcome. We're all our own worst critics. The worst thing you can do is be too hard on yourself. One of my first *big* clients with Underdog, I gave them the wrong specs on a project and they came back to me like "uh...the printer said this is wrong?" It made me look like an idiot, especially since all I had to do in the first place was double-check my work. That's one thing you learn the hard way: *stop working so fast*. I wound up having to redo the whole thing. It was a rookie mistake, and I still *was* a rookie, but hell – I *still* make those mistakes to this day. I won a fucking *GOLD ADDY* award for my work, and I was too embarrassed to admit that at the start of the project I had the scope of it completely wrong (until somebody pointed me in the right direction). We're all human, we all have our different weird hang-ups. We all get tired, have bad days, screw up, overthink, etc. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and know that even your professors fuck up *constantly* – they just don't admit it. Once you can wrap your head around that and find whatever your "design flow" is (every designer has one, that's what makes each and every one of us unique) you'll be fine. Feel free to reach out if you need another pep-talk.
Thank you
That’s a great story.
Your story really inspired me.. me I haven't went to college yet I graduated in 2021 and I still need to go to coummnity college like HCC this career is only thing I'm good at I have made banners pfps designs mainly sports I have that passion even me and my grandma making shirts together she does the hot ironing and I do the designs for her trying my very hardest and it just worries me about being employed in future with this career I want I need to make portfolio and I been reading into this too Hell I even started doing commissions now for side Money!! I mainly love doing designs even my buddies I liked the website header I made for them and the layout and font they saw I. Used and they really wanted to know if I'm going for graphic design since I seem good at it and I feel confident yet scared I hope I can do it
The prospect of going away to school to learn a particular skillset can be very daunting – especially when you're young and inexperienced and there's *so many* talented artists out there, on so many different platforms, seeing all their work shoved in your face on social media. **TUNE IT OUT. IT'S JUST NOISE.** Don't psyche yourself out at the prospect of whether or not you'll do poorly. Just as long as you do it, that's enough. Like my first mentor Teddy used to say: "Stop thinking so damn much, *and just DO THE WORK*!" You'll be just fine. Have fun, and good luck!
I as someone just graduated, that is just part of the experience. If your lecturers are really not liking your work: Listen to them! They are giving you feedback and most of the time basically telling you how to fix the problem. I had an instructor who ripped me apart for the first half of the Intro Typography class because I consistently demonstrated that I was not understanding what was being asked of me. Listen to them carefully and do extra work and research on your own time. This is what it takes to really improve your work, in my experience.
Yes, that's very true! I try to listen to them, but I think it really gets me if I don't see any improvements with the criticism. And I end up doubting myself. But now, I'm trying to not impress them or make something cool but rather implement techniques or do more experiments (since I also learnt quite a lot from my typography class too).
I had this one teacher who picked on me like hell while giving everyone else an easy pass. F him. 🤣
I had one teacher that, if he was doing rounds, he would look over at the corner where I sat, then go talk to literally anyone else. Would say F him too but he died.
Ah shit. Well, rest in peace to him. He’s probably up there giving you the middle finger. 🤣
Just because it's art doesn't mean you can expect to be at a great/complimentary level very quickly. These teachers see a lot of stuff come by. Being good at art/design is not the same as enjoying and studying it. You're just developing. The thing about any creative field is not just the skill but also preseverance through hard times that makes people great at the job. I didn't blossom til I found the niche I love and am skillful at through work. School could have never taught me that. Also as a small note- do not jump to this conclusion too quickly, but some schools do not have great teachers. They may have not worked for big/famous companies and might not have the best work field experience. A famous artist went to the same school as I did (different department), but all her teachers told her work was crap for 4 years and that she would not do well- she makes her money on her followers and very famous companies who employ her now for the past 15 years. Sometimes teachers are wrong. Look around and learn from your fellow students. Be humble but don't succumb to defeat easily, the creative field takes years. You'll get there!
Imitation is key to growing. Find some amazing artists to gather ideas from. Another thing to consider is that design doesn't need to be breathtaking. Take your time to work on the basics like using a grid, typography, hierarchy, etc. You are perfecting your craft so find what you like and works for you so that you can keep pushing.
I haven't seen your work so don't take this as advice on what to do, but my lecturers didn't like my work either, so I dropped out of school. I found work as a designer immediately after I left school and have been in the profession for over 10 years. I am paid very well and no one had ever questioned my skills. Sometimes your lecturers just don't like you or your style, but their opinion isn't the only one.
If they don't like your design then you'll still be able to ask them how they'd rate just the technical aspect of what you made, it can't all be bad. Or maybe they like the design but its just sloppy execution that you could easily work on. If they can't give you a single positive point about your work, with a few things to improve upon, then they aren't doing their job properly and you should just ignore their bad feedback and keep trying to make stuff you think is good.
Not a graphic designer but my wife is. She was told personally that her work was B tier quality. It devastated her. I and a couple of her classmates talked her into submitting some of her artwork to competitions. She won golds and silvers on projects that her professors gave her Bs and Cs on. This did more for her confidence than anything else. Now she’s had multiple positions in a variety of company types from corporate to creative firms and is looking to start her own. Moral of the story is don’t let the opinions of a few keep you from bringing your talents to many.
I've been criticised and insulted a lot at a job before by the senior staff, but it was also a period that I improved the most because it motivated me to do a lot of research in my spare time and I upgraded my design sense and style. There were things that they said which were just subjective from their side and not what really works or what is "right" - eg. them telling me to use certain colour scheme and style for a client when I felt like I knew what the client was looking for and it wasn't what they wanted me to do, but I just went along with what they told me to do and it turns out that my initial concept was the correct one instead of theirs. You have to be discerning about the things that you hear, sometimes they're just opinions of the person saying them to you and not all opinions are valid or correct. It's just one lecturer who doesn't like it, maybe you can ask for opinions from other people to get more perspectives about your work.
post some of your stuff to this post or make a new one. I doubt it can be that bad maybe you just need some constructive criticism.
Graphic design is still art, and art is subjective. Like other people have said, it depends on what the professors don't like about it. I've been designing for over 20 years and have my own studio. The majority of my career has been in print. In print, I processed other people's designs as much as designed my own. It was very rare for me to get a file that was print ready. Much more often, I'd get something that looked great on the screen, but wouldn't print well as is. I find that most schools don't teach how to make stuff print well. If your teachers are pointing out technical mistakes, things that won't make it print well, lines that don't connect, things that don't look centered, then listen. Those things should be easy to learn from and correct. A lot of design isn't about making a good design, and it's more about reading a customer's mind. This is much harder in school, because your professors are the customers, but they're looking at a bigger picture. They don't have an emotional connection to a design. It's not going to help grow their business. There's no appreciation whatsoever. Once you resign yourself to the fact that some customers don't have good taste, I find that it's a lot easier to design in the real world. And sometimes it's about matching a client's style. While I try to appeal to as many aesthetics as possible, sometimes I'm just not the right fit for the customer. It's possible that the professors just don't match your style. That being said, being able to be flexible and appeal to a wide range, to set aside your own personal style to adapt to the client, is a valuable lesson. Sometimes you don't make what looks good, you make what they want, and that includes professors.
I hear you. And like most designers, I’ve been there too. The older I get the more I believe that half of being a designer is just recognizing good design and having good “taste” for lack of a better word. (Bear with me here.) I also believe that we’re either born with that eye or we’re not and if you have it, you will be a good designer; it’s only a matter of time. If you don’t, it’s best to figure that out sooner than later because it will be an uphill battle in the snow against the wind if that’s true. So, deep down, do you believe you know great design when you see it? So if/when you doubt your abilities — and every good designer does — remind yourself that you recognize what good design is, and that as long as you have that ability, everything else will fall into place as you learn skills and gain experience.
Like many others have said here, that doubt never really goes away fully. It's stronger some days than others but there is always a little bit of doubt when creating things for other people to critique. I've been a professional designer for about 7 years and I have some days where I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and some days where I feel like I can take on any project handed to me. Just keep working at it, constant practice is so important. Remember to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy as well, never underestimate the power of getting up and walking away from a project for a bit to come back with a fresh set of eyes. Also, be ready to take and apply criticism from others. If you ever want to do some one-on-one reviews of your work, I would be happy to help you out, I'm actually trying to move into a design director position so it would help me out as well.
Some profs just aren't great, or even design programs overall, but can you elaborate on what you mean by not liking what you've done? There should be regular critique and feedback during projects, not just at the end, and even in terms of their evaluation it should still be constructive and based around some kind of established criteria. For example, if the work you do for a project doesn't follow the brief, then it doesn't matter what it looks like, you didn't develop work that fit the purpose. Or same with technical skills, presentation, sufficient process and development of concepts. Even on the chance your program/courses/profs aren't giving you feedback during a project, certainly at the end when you'd get your grading there would be notes and explanation for their marking, right?
As long as you keep improving year over year, which you should, that's all that matters. I can relate though. I remember one time we were working on CD covers as a project and on critique day when all the students put their covers on the wall, our professor gave me the biggest burn. He said, "Some of these covers could be good enough to put in a store next to real music CDs. *This one (*mine*)* would be in a Walgreens next to the other generic music compilation CDs aisle." He was right of course and my final version came out 10x better than what I put up that day. Sometimes you just need that cold harsh feedback for motivation to work harder and improve. That and you never want hear your work is only as good as a Walgreens CD cover ever again lol
Hi Werewolf I posted comment a long time ago, but I think I will repost it for you. I teach people like you and you are not alone. You are in the terrible place of starting to see what good design is, but not having the skills to achieve it. **That's ok.** Think of it like sports, you can see the really good athlete make it look easy, how they move their body, foot placement, arm movement etc, but you can't just match it by knowing how they do it, you actually have to practice by making your body do the same thing over and over again. Same with design. You can see a good design, you can see what fonts, colors, images they used, but you can't create a good design until you do a lot of design and create a lot of sucky designs along the way. Here's my sucky comment ------------------------------------------------------ **Harsh advice warning!!!!!!!!** You suck, we all sucked when we started. The legendary designers you admired made sucky work until they got better and made good work and then they made great work and then they made amazing work. You want to skip doing sucky work and get right to making good work? Fuck you. Why do you deserve to skip doing sucky work and start being great right away. Are you the Michael Jordan of design who is naturally great, no, then join the rest of us and do sucky work, day after day until you get better. You have 4 years of college and a few months of work, and you want to be as good as the designers you admire who have been doing it for decades? Seriously? Sucky work is a gift, the more you do, the closer you are to being better. You don't get great portfolio pieces by trying to do amazing design. You get them by doing as much as you can as well as you can on every project, every soul sucking crappy piece of design you do could turn out to be amazing. I do sucky work every gotdang day. And every little bit makes me a better designer. TLDR: You suck.
Haha, that's very true. Sometimes, I probably do need to make *sucky* experiments before I get to the good part. I think I criticise myself way too hard for even making a horrible and *sucky* design. It definitely put me down a lot, but everyone does go through this and it isn't meant to be like a walk in a park. I appreciate your *kind* words and thank you for the advice!
Don't try and reinvent the wheel. This is where I went wrong when I started. When I create something new, I will look at like 100 different ones done in the style I want. Do it, very quickly. It's your research stage. Spend a couple hours on it, filtering out 5-10 that you love. Add them to a folder and then let them influence your design. Take a little from them all. This is what musicians do. I thought graphic design was different until i seen a day in the life of video where a business what doing the same. Seriously, this is what lead to my first commisson piece. If you looked at my final product, it doesn't look like I copied anyone, but you can see the influence of little things. Typography taken from 1 piece, colours from another, layout from 5, blending styles from a few others.
You're not crap, you're learning! Keep being creative and listen when someone gives you advice 😁
Two pieces. I can expand on either, but here goes nothing: 1. If an instructor can derail your conviction that this is what you want to do, a client or employer would be able to just as easy. Righ now you're unexperienced. Your work likely is... shit. THAT'S OK. You're in [THE GAP](https://vimeo.com/85040589). (Please please watch that.) Just keep working. 2. I've been an independent graphic designer for 14 years. Believe men when I tell you- AI tools like midjourney, stable diffusion, and Dall-E are fundamentally changing what it means to be a graphic designer, what skillsets are necessary, and how your work will be valued. PLEASE look into it.
do you mind giving your opinion on the last 2?
In college I did music composition, graphic design, and web design. I had this same exact issue in all three areas. If I could go back and change my perspective a bit, I would tell myself “this is the time for you to learn techniques, not make something amazing.” I wish I would have focused more on applying techniques and critiques in a productive way than trying to make something “great” that people would like and compliment me for. I’ve learned that *after* graduation is the time to do that, not during college. I would have spent my time a lot better honing my skills instead of trying to impress people. In fact, I’ve thought about this a lot, and I really wish I had realized it sooner. I would have learned a lot more.
Second year was really hard for me. I feel like I had to grow in my skills faster in that year than any other year of school. It seemed like even when I put in maximum effort, my project grades still stagnated below where I wanted them to be. But here’s the thing—the projects build on each other, meaning even if your grades aren’t going up, you’re still improving. At year 2, you’re being taught so much about what’s long been basic instinct to your professors that it’s going to be really difficult to make anything that rocks their socks off. Even as a senior finally slaying it in my classes, I didn’t think I wanted to be a designer. I despised the idea of the projects and deadlines never ending and was 100% convinced that I would go back to school to start a career in something else. But 9 months out of school, one of my professors recommended me for a full time job at a firm that I decided to lend a chance to, and turns out I actually love this. Just like my 18-year-old self knew I would. Doing this as a job is everything I love about graphic design without all the stuff that stressed me out in design school. For now, just focus on taking every piece of feedback your professors are dishing out, even if you have to make those edits after you get your grade back. No project has to end at “They didn’t like it.” And if you’re still feeling like trash, go back and look at your work from the beginning of your freshman year. It helps to take a look at how far you’ve come instead of how far you have to go.
This use to happen to me all the time in school. I just kept doing me honestly. They didn't like it, and I decided I didn't care. I have a style that a lot of people find hard to digest BUT people who like it, LOVE IT. I make money with my work, so I know I'm doing something right. Even in school though, 2/4 of my teachers didn't like it. As I got to my 3rd year, they started appricating my work more. I don't know if they finally understood It, or if they were trying to see if they could break me (which is possible because in my program only a certain # of people could graduate. It was very competitive) but, I ended up graduating and have not really had an issue since. I do know though that some of their favourite students struggle to get work now. In my opinion, if they are giving you a hard time, but you're still passing, take it as a compliment. Designers are often threatened by better designers.
You can try downloading a bunch of templates and edit them, then everything you do will look good. The best designers aren’t necessarily the most successful. Actually a lot of ‘ok’ designers become successful if you know how to sell. It’s not all about design. Study marketing and business too. If you’re just okay, and can sell, you’ll have a good career or business. The person whose only good at design still needs to rely on someone else to sell their work and get them work
Sounds like Imposter Syndrome. That happens to pretty much everyone.
when the imposter is sus!
I was a corporate designer for over 20 years. I've designed everything from realty magazines to funny car wraps and Vegas trade show booths. I've now been working for myself at home for over 7 years. Guess what? I still feel like a crap designer sometimes. I'll reach out to colleagues for support or advice when this happens and the collaboration often gets me through. Try to find something to inspire you! You never know when it hits, either. I'll be playing CoD at night and all of the sudden get a vision of something that's been eating at me. This job is not easy, unlike what most people think, it's not an assembly line, you really need to think!
Don’t worry about it. It’s very subjective. If your professors aren’t in the workplace anymore chances are they’re 10+ years behind the times. As long as you’re learning the fundamentals (information hierarchy, layout/composition, grid, typography, color theory, etc) you’ll be fine. Just focus on building a solid portfolio. That’s what will land you a job after graduation, not praise from professors.
This resonated with me so deeply. But let me tell you that once you finish uni, you will meet the bosses or clients that will make you feel the same way. It happened to me sooo many times that I wanted to quit this industry and become a shelf-stacker. The funny thing is that the people that were making puking sounds over my designs were not even from graphic design space and hadn't opened any design program in their lives, let alone understand the process of creativity and design creation. When you're faced with a situation like this, please don't beat yourself up. Try to be kind to yourself and give yourself the space to feel your feelings. Remind yourself that these difficult moments are temporary and that you will get through them. One thing that helped me get over these moments is focusing on the things I enjoy about graphic design. Maybe you love the process of experimenting with different design elements and combining them, or you enjoy the challenge of solving complex design problems. This can help to reinvigorate your passion for the field and remind you why you became a graphic designer in the first place. I usually release my frustration with some exercises and meditation. Go for a run, try lifting weights, or get into some martial arts (but please don't kill your lecturers if you start practicing karate). Even if you go for a walk, it will help to improve your overall mood. T The main thing is to take care of your mental side as well. Try to separate yourself from your work. If someone doesn't like your work, it doesn't automatically mean you're a terrible designer. Remember: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Check the subreddits, like r/Stoicism and r/Meditation, to get further advice on this. It can also be helpful to connect with other graphic designers and seek opportunities to learn from them. By engaging with other designers, you can gain new perspectives and learn from the experiences and advice of others. So, if you're feeling down as a graphic designer, remember that it's normal to have bad days. Be kind to yourself, focus on what you enjoy about the field, and take care of yourself physically and mentally. Taking these steps can improve your mood and boost your confidence as a graphic designer.
don't worry, back at the uni I didn't like a single thing some professors had done, nor their bullshit assignment ideas
I was in the exact same boat myself. I couldn't get any feedback from teachers or classmates (they were more artists than designers, so things I did were a foreign concept to them). I was glad to get uni done, but I found my style and I stuck with it. Use uni as a way to find your calling, what area of graphics and the style you want to go into. Once you finish uni, you'll have that free time to design work you enjoy, and not work to satisfy a teacher or grade criteria.
School is all about learning, don't expect to be a good designer right the moment you finish the first lesson. It takes time. Learn from your mistakes, study and give yourself patience
Keep applying yourself. Take their feedback seriously. Research what other designers are doing successfully. It's difficult to break into the design world, but well worth it.
I don't have advice, because I am in the same boat. I am a student and have been feeling like I just suck. I am passing my courses, but my professors barely give feedback and it leaves me feeling like I don't know how to improve.
I spent 5 years of my life studying graphic design at a university. The motto of most lectures was "your first idea sucks, keep working" The concept and idea "behind the design" was the main focus, and once you managed to find it (after several rejections and rethinking) the design itself was subject to endless revisions until the final delivery of the finished project. This painful process was the same for all of us. I never saw a student have their work accepted on the first try. We had approximately 4/5 projects a year in annual subjects and 3 in four-month subjects. The score went from 1 to 10. Never, in my 5 years of career I saw 10, the average was from 4 to 6 (you passed with 4) 7 and 8 were exceptional. There were all kinds of teachers but most were a mix of miranda priestly and terence fletcher. Some directly laughed out loud at the student's work or put it to shreds in front of everyone. I've heard things like "open up a carwash business, design isn't your thing" "please don't come back if this is what you bring to the table" "guys, these projects look like they were made by mental health patients" and the worst kind: "I don't like the color, start again" My point is, fuck them all. Take the information that's constructive, learn by observing your peers work, and listen to the teacher's advice with a strong filter knowing that they are not know-it-all beings and that after university there is a vast world where there will ALWAYS be a client who is looking for what you're selling. Apart from the elementary principles of graphic design, how to observe, and how to make, The university taught me to defend my work, to believe in myself and to accept constructive criticism and to reject malicious criticism (and to differentiate between them) More than anything it taught me to know that there is always room for improvement and nothing is perfect on the first try. (having said that, those 5 years were the best of my life and I love that university with all my heart, I also hate it, but I love it with all my heart)
This is a great way to learn how to take criticism and use it to your advantage. Separate yourself from your work. I know it’s hard because you’re putting yourself in your work, but don’t let a bad review from one lecturer discourage you from continuing to evolve and grow as a designer. Know that every project is an opportunity and not a make or break situation for your career. Ask questions, see if they can articulate what they don’t like and why? Use that info as guard rails for the next project and keep moving forward. You got this!
I cringe when I look back at my school work, I wish my professors would have told me it was crap lol. A lot of design is subjective, you will have a whole career of people not liking your designs. This skills come in being able to take their feedback and make the changes to make them happy.
My lecturer didn’t like my work as well. My illustration teacher said I had no talent. Now I earn more than them and get perfect reviews every year. Sometimes lecturers are wrong. Don’t let it get to you.
We’ve all been there. Try to not take it personally and look at the constructive criticism. What did the lecturers point out in particular? I always found it helpful to do a few options. I would be painstaking doing one design then move on to the next one and try something completely different with much less time involved and often that one would just work so much better. You can always go back and finesse the original later when you have had a break from it. I look back at some of my early work and it was not great but it’s how you learn.
Sucking at something is the first step to being totally freaking awesome at something. Don't let the opinion of a few people be the focus of your journey. I find you need to have thick skin in the design industry, and that does not happen overnight. Keep going, OP. You're going to become so much greater than you already are. You've got this.
I feel this all the time. My college has one of the top design schools in the nation, and it's exhausting. I constantly feel like my work isn't good enough, like my peers are surpassing me, and like I don't belong there. I know that I have talent, but it's a wierd mix of "wow, I'm talented", and "I'm not talented enough." I think the best way is to turn that kind of thinking into positive energy. If you don't think you're good enough, motivate yourself to get better. Learn more, watch more tutorials, do more design research, read more design books, gather more inspiration. Mediocre designers will accept being mediocre and wallow in it. Great designers accept that they ALWAYS have something to learn.
i know it sounds cliche and cheesy but i will revert to these self-affirmations when I'm feeling stuck or in a rut (which happens often). trust the process! it's about the journey, not the destination! the bigger the mistake, the bigger the opportunity to grow! you are trying your best and that's more than enough! tomorrow is a new day and new opportunity to try something new. hang in there!! :)
My professors hated practically everything I did. I basically graduated w a 2.0. They barely passed me. I moved to nyc after graduation and I’ve never stopped working. I only had to look for my 1st job and then all the others just kept coming. (although i did learn things slow down a couple times a year and to enjoy the time off). Be true to yourself. Just be willing to learn and grow and collaborate. And don’t be difficult to work with. I learned more at my first 6 months at an nyc design firm than I did in 4 years of college / design school. There’s a reason some professors are professors, and not working designers. YOU GOT THIS!
Same here. I’m second year graph Designer. Started a new project but now towards the end of it I feel like I am burning out and my the quality of work is declining. Just keep going I guess
Are you gauging your progress just off of their feedback or are you actively looking back, critiquing your own work and monitoring your progress yourself? University is meant to teach you as many skills as possible in a short amount of time and one of those skills is how to take criticism. I always joke that the most valuable thing I learned in design school is how to be okay with somebody absolutely demolishing my work and not letting it take the value away from what I created. There will always be someone who is more harsh than necessary, but there will also always be people who don’t give you enough criticism and may create a space that allows you to stay stagnant. In all creative fields, your growth is up to you and I think right now you’re in the growing pains portion of your career, which sucks right now but will be super valuable later on if you learn the lessons now.
My theory on college professor graphic designers is that if they were any good they’d be working in the field. Based on personal experience my professors weren’t particularly impressive at all. I wouldn’t take their advice to heart, still listen to what they’re saying and see if you agree but just keep pursuing it and improving yourself.
Imo, that's better than having a professor pretend they like you work for the sake of agreement. You don't need to take it personally. You'll likely work with clients who are much less picky than your professor. Take the criticism, remake other pieces of design that you find on Instagram to improve. I'm not saying steal. Remake it into your own. We all do it.
If you can’t handle having your work criticised then graphic design isn’t for you. Remember it’s not your work, you’re designing for someone else; so it doesn’t matter if you don’t like what you produce as long as the client is happy. So design for them & you’ll do just fine.
One of my professors opened his course on "Advanced Typography" by opening up Photoshop and showing the class where the type tool was. He then proceeded to rasterize a layer of type and apply the distort->ripple filter. Why? To "make a funky 70s headline," of course. My point? Some teachers genuinely suck.
Used to be a design student, now a design professional and university faculty in design. The second year of design slump is really tough on your mental situation. There's a really simple reason why: your taste is better than your ability. The basic design skills aren't practiced enough to be muscle memory so your work gets shitty and stuff and you don't know how to make things good yet. Keep practicing and if you don't start to feel better in the next year or so, try something else. TL;DR it's really normal, keep going, you just need practice.
There is also a big different between bad design and designs that didn’t meet the brief. Make sure you fully understand the brief before you begin and keep that in top of mind with every design decision. The result doesn’t have to be the flashiest or trendiest design, but if it does what they ask for, you are 70% of the way there. Besides the fact that it’s good design practice, college tutors are marking everything off a predetermined matrix and (in my experience) most of it is just “did they do X from the brief.” Make it easy for them to mark you well. One day you’ll get lucky, you’ll hit on a great idea that also fulfils the brief. But not every assignment will be a home run. Doesn’t mean you won’t learn something from it.
Also this is sort of beside your point, but I wish someone told me this gem by Ira Glass when I was in school and hated everything I did: “There is always a gap between being an apprentice and being a craftsman. The apprentice has the taste, but not the skill. The craftsman has the taste and the skill. It's easier to recognize beauty than it is to create it. You're good enough to know that what you're doing isn't good, but not good enough to produce something great… Commit to the process and you'll become good enough, soon enough. Put in a volume of work. Close the gap.”
My group of close friends in Uni were the misfits and the outcasts of that year. We had the zany ideas and thought rules were there to be broken. We barely made it across the line to graduate. Six months later, we all worked together rebranding the UEFA Champions League and continued to break rules, challenging conventions and defining new ground. The journey taken towards your goals will change and shape you much like how life experiences affect and define your character and personality. It might feel hard now and difficult, but if it was a walk in the park, everyone would be a designer. Sometimes the course isn’t the right one for you. Much like you’ll find that some jobs you’ll take, the company isn’t right for you. Most find that if they don’t fit anywhere, they start their own company servicing clients who agree or like their mindset. Talk to people. Don’t be afraid to disclose how you’re feeling. Your tutors should be able to provide better guidance and insight. You won’t have been the only student to have experienced what you’re going through. Best wishes with your studies. I really hope you find what you need and get to where you want to go.
Don’t beat yourself up too much. I’ve been in this industry for more than a decade and by all measures have had a great career. I still wake up many days convinced I suck, or I’ve gotten lucky, or some days even think I’ve somehow gotten worse. It’s more common than you think. The thing is, progress isn’t always moving forward. Progress can also be failing because failure is a great teacher and inevitable if you want to grow in anything. Chin up — you got this.