What a takes to be Designer!

Now that you have your desktop or laptop that can run code in multiple languages. You’ve got the best programs that money can buy. You’ve got it all baby! But wait, now its time to create, the project just came in, your first customer. The customer wants an apple. Here you are in front of that 10K computer, hoping that ideas will flow out. I guess what the question here is, are you born with the skill to design or is it something you learn. Believe me the answer is not so black and white. Also just a side note, this article has not right answer. 

Here’s my two cents. Designers are a dime a dozen, but the good ones are rare as diamonds. I believe that talent is in you. Just like a piece of marble your experience and positive atmosphere makes you, YOU. Many people fall in to the trap of marketing, marketing and designing do go hand in hand but they are two separate professions. To be productive in either role, you need to feed off each other.

You’ll notice, and I won’t name names, but many designers with their own talent “borrow” ideas from the original designers. There’s nothing wrong with that and if you do that more power to you. Keep in mind that you change the idea so much that it reflects your style. Everything you do within the designing world should reflect you, and your project. Don’t be a cookie cutter, I mean don’t be that guy.

To be a successful designer, let me rephrase that, to be a successful designer, it doesn’t matter if you’re born with it or you learn it through practice, one thing is sure you make yourself successful. I guess the debate, boils down to this, the core of every successful designer lies an innate vision and drive to produce successful creative designs, coupled with a foundation knowledge on how to make your design flow. A successful designer needs to bring innovation to the field, but also to learn from others’ their failures and from their successes. Take their knowledge and build on that. This widely-known quote from Ira Glass, “What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me — is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap; for the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work… It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take a while. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Do you have additional examples of how design is more talent-based or skill-based, or do you agree that design falls into this gray area? I’d love your feedback! Email me.