You finished design school — now what? Real advice for new designers

If you’ve recently finished your design course, or are just new to your design career, I have so much to share with you. (Actually, I have an entire Learning Center full of information to share with you as well :).

There’s so much you’ll learn along the way, through books and mentors, happy mistakes, and also some less pleasant mistakes. 

Some lessons are difficult to internalize without experiencing them for yourself, but if I can save you from just one painful mistake - with knowledge you can learn from here instead of learning it the hard way from life experience - then I’ll consider this article a success. 

I also opened up this list to fellow designers on the Slack group Design Ally. And boy did they come through!

The most interesting part, to me, is seeing the through-lines. There are a number of points that were brought up by multiple people. Pay close attention to those - if so many designers thought they were important to know, then they must be worth remembering. 

My Top Advice for Design Graduates

Try new things

Try new things - different design styles, techniques, tools, areas of the industry. Experiment with different styles and see what you like. You don’t need to pick a niche or industry now (or ever). Be willing to do all types of projects and you’ll always be learning. 

Don’t limit yourself - never say “I can’t.” You can literally do anything. It’s just a matter of time - is it worth the amount of time it will take to master or accomplish this task? If not, then you’re not saying no because you can’t, you’re saying no because you choose not to do this. You never know what you might be good at, so try everything! 

When you’re designing something - don’t settle on the first design, layout, or idea that hits you. Keep pushing yourself and trying new things. You don’t really know if something will work until you try it for yourself. You learn through experience so the more options you design now the more you’ll know when the next project comes along. The more you push yourself with the projects you currently have, the faster your creativity and design skills will expand and grow.   

Do what scares you

If you want to keep on learning and growing, quickly, never staying stagnant - go outside your comfort zone. Doing scary things is what helps you get to the next level. So get uncomfortable with doing the uncomfortable.  

Build friendships 

Keep up these relationships you’ve formed with your classmates. And build new ones with those in our industry and peripheral ones - designers, copywriters, developers, illustrators, photographers, marketers, etc. These people are your best referral source and support network whenever you run into trouble. 

The key to the best networking - being truly friends. Don’t connect for your own sake - connect because you have something to give, because you care about them or have something in common to connect about. It needs to be genuine. 

Be generous

Be generous with your knowledge and helpful to others. Reciprocity is powerful and you’ll feel better about running your business in a way that’s aligned with your values. 

You don’t have to worry that by sharing resources you’re helping your competition. Don’t view other designers that way - there’s more than enough clients to go around. You’re not competitors — you’re essentially virtual co-workers. Sharing builds you both up. 

Hashem will send the right clients for each of you towards the correct recipient. No one can steal them from you.

Know your “enough” number 

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle of always trying to make more money and constantly comparing your sales and income to other designers. But really, you don’t need to earn the same amount as anyone else. You need to earn the amount that YOU need. So do your math, figure out your expenses and how much you want to put into savings, and decide on your two income goals - the minimum you need to cover your needs, and your max “enough” amount. The point at which you say I am on track to earn enough and can now stop working and instead spend time doing other things. 

Along those lines - always work on your emunah/bitachon. My suggestion is to sign up for the Emunah for Entrepreneurs emails. 

Pricing tips

• Always track your work so that you know approximately how long each type of project takes you. You can then use those numbers to approximate how long future projects will take and track your profitability per project to adjust your pricing accordingly. 

• Always add 20% to your quotes as a buffer to cover extra add-ons you throw in for the client, mistakes or creative block, and profit.

Advice from Other Designers

Improving Your Skills

Chana Miriam Rosen:

Find an intern position for an experienced designer or agency. This is such a great way to get hands-on experience with high level projects and can really help you grow your skills quickly. If you can afford this, you'll be more likely to get hired by that designer/agency after 6 months or so.

Adeena Klein:

• If you can intern - it’s a great learning experience and you get to see design in real life, not just in a course

• Pay to get your first few projects critiqued well - you will look better and you will learn so much from getting the critique

• Learn as much as you can from as many people as you can - everyone has their own experience to offer

• Design isn't only about things looking good but also about strategy - a pretty ad doesn't sell but a strategic one does

Ahuva Zaks:

Intern for an agency to get experience. Now is your time to take the full time agency job you won’t be able to do later on.

Leah Farkas: 

Look around at other people’s work, it trains your designer's eye.

Bastzion Hersh:

• You are what you eat - keep browsing high quality work so you get there. 

• Stay on top of the trends. 

• Do an internship  - yes it could be without pay but you’ll learn so much in that month or two. 

• Keep asking ChatGPT any questions that come up with your software. Use the wealth of knowledge available with tutorials out there. 

• Join DesignAlly! 

• Keep an eye out from ads in magazines and think of how you would edit them to make them better keeps your inner art director active. 

• Add strategic thought, balance, and attention to detail to everything you produce.

• Subscribe to newsletters and platforms that inform you about AI new releases. In a fast paced world, we need to stay on top of AI.

Mindset

Adeena Klein:

• Be open to new ways of doing things

Bastzion Hersh:

• Stop thinking you’re too new and can’t do this and that - say you can and go out and explore how. 

• Try the different art niches to find your own. If you don’t like magazine layout you might like logos or websites or packaging design. Try them all so you find your niche. 

• Dream big! You are your only limit

Getting clients/a job

Miri Miller:

Don’t overthink your portfolio. Even if you 'only' have a drive folder of images as your current portfolio, don't apologize for it! there's no need to apologize and it just makes it seem even more unprofessional.

Adeena Klein:

Freelancing is a long game - be patient, build up a client base and give more than they are expecting!

Ahuva Zaks:

When you’re fresh to the workforce, learn how to interview, work ethics, etc.

Leah Farkas:

• It’s very important to have a portfolio so work on that.

• Make connections with other designers and people in the marketing field, it helps spread your name.

Client Management 

Adeena Klein:

• Use a contract

• Be curious when clients say they don't like a design - sometimes it's just the shade blue you used

Fraidy Klein:

Learn how to explain your design decisions. Clients value designers who can clearly explain why they chose certain layouts, colors, or typefaces. If someone asks why you designed something a certain way, have a real reason not just “it looked nice.” Being able to explain your choices makes you look confident and like you actually know your stuff.

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Looking for an experienced eye to review and help polish your portfolio? 

Check out my design critique for graphic designers and get in touch to get started!