“I feel stuck”
In my recent recruitment exercise, I actively engaged with experienced designers who were seeking a change. The one word that keeps coming up is “stuck”.
The designers I spoke to had at least three years of experience. Some had above ten. The story was more or less the same.
One starts a career at a studio, acquires knowledge and skill in a particular domain, becomes a mini expert, and the next job comes knocking with a pay rise. And the next, with a bigger title. Head of Art. Associate Creative Director. The money gets better. And somewhere along the way, the work stops surprising anyone — least of all the designer doing it.
Example.
Designer A started as an intern at Agency 1, assigned the Neutrogena account. Three months of packaging and social media. Landed the next job based on that portfolio. Main account at the new agency? Dove. Two years later, another agency, another pay rise — to work on Pears, an account they’d just won. Five years in, the money was good. Designer A said he was stuck.
Another designer started as an intern on a paints brand. Next stop — another paints brand. The stop after that — another agency that promised variety. At the end of her tenure, she had worked on one brand for her entire agency career. She left to start again at a boutique studio. “I don’t want to be stuck.”
A third — rose to Creative Director moving through the advertising agency circuit. His expertise: property advertising. He could close his eyes and execute a perfectly crafted property campaign that sells “exclusivity in location, access to modern lifestyle, and meets the aspirations of the emerging luxury class.” Being an expert pays well. It stopped giving him any satisfaction. The reality check — after weighing his commitments, he is no longer in a position to quit his comfort zone and try something new.
Somewhere out there, a motion designer wants to try UI/UX. A brand designer wants editorial and book design. An editorial designer wants space and experience design. The opportunities exist, but employers willing to give someone a chance are rarely willing to match their current pay. And the honest question neither side wants to answer out loud: should anyone pay three times more for a senior designer with zero experience in a new domain?
I asked multi-award-winning type designer Sarang of Ek Type how he handles applicants wanting to switch into type design?
“They have to start as interns.”
Wanting to try is different from being committed. “Nine out of ten applicants aren’t sure. They just want to try it out — and that’s a reaction to feeling suffocated in whatever they’re doing currently. Only one person would be very sure they want to do type design.”
And even then, they have to show self-initiated work in type design in their portfolio. Ten years of UX/UI leads to nothing when venturing into something entirely new.
Sarang knows this because he went into type design professionally after many years as a graphic designer. The commitment required to be good at one thing — especially when switching domains — is not something most people account for when they say they want to change.
How many are actually ready to go all-in? To start at intern level? To take the pay cut and begin again?
Years ago an ad man left his position as the top person at a huge network agency to start his own shop.
“Advertising is changing. I want to focus on innovation and design — not just rolling out campaigns.” Like Ideo. Like Frog. Like Accenture.
I told him he would be back to doing campaigns. That’s where he built his reputation, and that’s what clients would want from him.
He said no. He wanted to change the way marketing communications are conducted.
Today, his agency is doing very well. Innovation and design work has happened. He still does a lot of campaign work.
That’s where the money is. That’s where the comfort zone is.
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