In order for a person to earn a career as a well-respected and recognized
designer,
there are several different factors that they must consider and several
more that must be mastered. As with any career, education is of utmost
importance, but it all comes down to hard work. Most designers realize
that a person may in fact be able to secure a few clients without an
added level of education. However, they also understand that in order to
succeed in this career field and create a business that rests on a
strong foundation, attending design school can be a huge boost.
Moreimportant than having the latest gear or certifications is having a
quality work ethic, and having a good system for accomplishing work and
learning new things. These traits are what help make a designer
successful not just now, but also in the future.
Below you will find the top 7 traits of a successful
designer.
1. Have a plan of action in placeIn order to be successful as a
designer,
you must have a system in place for every aspect of the business. This
includes such things as selling, promotions, marketing, consultations
and all other elements of this popular career field.
The reason it is
essential to set up a system is because it leads to organization,
consistency and effectiveness. If you want to make sure that you build
on a solid foundation and understand the importance of investing in
yourself, design schools definitely deserve your attention.
2. Pay attention to detail It doesn’t matter if it is the accounting for the business, tax
preparation, office work or elements involved in a specific design
project, paying attention to detail is vital.
3. Be current with marketing skillsThere is an endless amount of marketing techniques that can be very
effective. Not only are the designing skills of a designer extremely
important but if they want to succeed, they must also sharpen their
marketing skills as well.
4. Be creative As a designer, it is imperative to be creative. This is true even under
the most stressful of situations. The creativity of a designer must not
ever falter when the stress level gets turned to high.
5. Have the ability to solve problemsWhether
a designer works alone or they have a team of professionals that will
be working beneath them, problem solving skills will be used
continuously. As a matter of fact, in this day and age, most experts
find this is a skill that is tested every single day.
6. Be versatile We would all like to think that problems never occur and changes will
never need to made when an order has been taken for a high profile
project. The reality however is a lot of clients will typically ask for
changes to be made when you least expect it to happen. Part of being
successful in the design world is having the ability to be versatile.
7. Be unique and stand outWhen
you complete a project, you do not want it to be mediocre or average.
This type of work has put countless designers out of business.
Successful designers find a comfort zone that allows them to use their
artistic abilities to the fullest extent. To benefit from a great
reputation, your work must stand out in the minds of each project you
complete.