Kicking Off Module 3: Let’s Talk Business

Break is over, now it’s “back to school” again. Strangely enough, I was looking forward for this new semester to start. Probably because I am not going out that much these days anyway, and it did keep me occupied. This module is about the business side of the creative industry. In it, we will be looking at how a typical design studio operates, what does it take to get into the business as a freelance or a start-up design company, the financial side of things – which play a very important role here just like any other business – as well as look at existing design companies and experts in the field where they explain how they made it to the top.

A short note on my personal experience as a designer…

I already brushed over this on the Ideas Wall, following the point on one of the other students. I would like to start off by giving an overview of what my career path has been so far. I graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Art in Graphic Design and Interactive Media from MCAST, where in the same year I started working in an administrative office to gain some experience in terms of well… work. During that time, I had given some thought about starting out as a freelance Graphic Designer – I put up a Facebook page and sent out some emails and stuff like that, however at the same time, I knew enough that working as a Graphic Designer was very different than studying Design. During the last year, a lot of the students had their mind firmly set that as soon as they leave school, they are starting out as freelancers and working for clients. Fast forward to today, as much potential as they had… they are employed somewhere.

But anyway, as far as my employment history goes, I have worked with a couple of small design agencies. Working at an agency as your first design job is good as it gives a good foundation to your design career. At an agency, projects vary from one client to the other, meaning that you get to explore various areas of design and that way you learn better what your strengths are, and what are your passions. I worked at agencies for around a year and a half before I was offered a job at an affiliate marketing company where I am still employed with today. At this company, my role is to create visual content and brand websites that are owned by the company. Unlike at agencies, work here is a bit more focused – in fact most of the work I produce is digital. However, working on internal products has its advantages. The stakeholders involved in any particular project are under the same roof. In addition, although they work in different departments and may have very diverging opinions on things, all of them work in the same industry. This means that to a certain point, everyone is on the same wavelength.

I still consider myself a young Graphic Designer, and that I still have a lot to learn. I firmly believe that I still have a lot of room to grow and better my skills as a designer and as a creative person in general. I am indeed proficient in the design software, and I think that I can generate some solid ideas, but there is always room for more. That said, I am very happy with the experience I have so far. I am very glad that I already got to experience two different industries as a graphic designer. Curious to see what else is in store…

Where am I headed?

I get asked this question quite a lot, but quite frankly, I do not have an answer to it. It is not that I do not plan ahead or anything, but I do not plan too far off. I came to learn that it is best to focus on the here and now, making sure that you are healthy and happy (happiness is as important as money) and make decisions according to the current situation you are in. Prior to taking a decision it is important to take into consideration what is at stake and have a backup plan should something go wrong. I like to see myself as a ‘realist’ – I aspire but keep my feet on the ground, taking small yet decisive steps, and I take calculated risks, rather than taking the plunge. Rather than setting plans for the future, I think that it is better to plan the way forward – a “step-by-step” approach rather than setting multiple goals and not knowing how to reach them. Planning ahead is good, but those plans should be fluid and adaptable. This first lecture of this module was indeed very insightful and informative. I will be writing about it in the next post. I really enjoyed watching and reading this week’s topics, and I was really happy that some points that I had concerns about in terms of my career were raised and that the experts in the field had the same opinion as I had. Should mean that I must be doing some things right. Heads up for the next post.