This month saw the launch of Hijacked magazine, created to help this year’s design graduates promote themselves, at a time when degree shows are cancelled and job boards are looking scarce.
As well as featuring students’ work, industry folk offer up their advice for new graduates on everything from building a digital portfolio and writing a booker-prize-worthy CV to getting business savvy and making your own rules.
The Hijacked team asked me to contribute some nuggets of wisdom for the magazine, so here are a handful of things I've learned that have made me a better designer.
Prepare to be a perpetual student
The more I know about design, the more I know how much I’ve still to learn. As designers, it’s our job to find creative solutions to this constantly- changing world, and the only way we can do this is to keep expanding our knowledge. So hold onto your sense of curiosity and be open to learning from those around you.
Hold the door open
Getting into, and ahead in, the creative industries can be rife with rejection and self-doubt. Which is why it’s all the more important to hold the door open for the person behind you. Share your knowledge freely, support your peers, and be kind to those who work alongside you.
Fail spectacularly
You can bet Glaser, Scher, Walsh, and Bass didn’t become world-renowned designers without a balls-up or two. A willingness to experiment and try new things is the lifeblood of creativity. It’s also where mistakes are made and lessons are learned. So fail. And fail spectacularly. You’ll be a better designer for it.
Be part of a community
Leaving college or university doesn’t mean you have to leave the support of a community behind. Organisations such as Creative Edinburgh, Ladies, Wine & Design, and Creative Mornings exist to bring folk in the creative industries together. It’s through such groups that you’ll find advice, mentorship, and future collaborators.
Ask meaningful questions
Job interviews are unpredictable beasts. Some are disguised as casual conversations in the pub, over a pint. Others are lengthy interrogations in the boardroom. But one thing that’s fairly predictable is the question: Do you have any questions for us? Turn up to interviews armed with meaningful questions. If you want to work for a company that cares about equality, ask them if they are actively taking measures to make their workplace more equal. Or if you’re keen to get a more honest view of the company’s flaws, ask the interviewer what they’d personally like to change about the company. It’s your chance to suss them out, so make the questions count.
Be proactive
We often think of opportunities as chance happenings. Being in the right place, at the right time. But most opportunities arise when we are proactive. Contact a design studio you’d like to work with, even if they aren’t hiring. Put yourself forward to speak at an event, rather than waiting to be asked. Ask for that pay rise, instead of holding out for one.
Make small changes
Before you inherit this industry, I’d like to leave you with a final thought. It’s not your job to fit into this industry and conform to ‘the way things are done around here’. By being a part of it, you have an opportunity to change it; to make it fairer, more sustainable, and more empathetic. And I can’t wait to see where you take it.
