For a few months we have received some private messages on Facebook y Twitter asking us the same question. There are many mythomaniacs on the web who truly want to become the classic graphic designer. It is not strange, it is a figure that is being lost lately with the emergence of social networks and all those promoters of labor rights.
What has become of the classic designer ruined and suffocated by a system that degrades his working conditions? Where are the "I can't make ends meet" or the "You pay, I'm a designer"? Today we want to help from here to all those who want to recover the identity of the true designer and who want to maintain the old habit of calamitously ruined.
If design is your vocation, get out of here!
Before starting this little guide I will warn you that graphic design is clearly a vocational profession. This means that for all the tips in this guide to work, a basic requirement must first be met: Dedicate yourself only to this profession by default or, failing that, for the following reasons:
- You are looking for a job that allows you to maintain a dubious economic level in an easy, fast and without much complication.
- It is fashionable and it will also allow you to work from home or better yet, from bed.
- You don't have many other alternatives and you know how to take good photos.
- You don't want to get up early and even less do you want to spend too much time on your work.
- Any other reason that has nothing to do with concepts such as will, passion or motivation.
If you are vocational, I can not do anything for you, this is not your article. With that said, let's get started. I guarantee that if you apply all these tips in less than a month you will have become a graphic designer without a white collar. It is recommended that you write them down on a sheet and keep them in mind, you will never know when a client will show up with the intention of hiring you, first of all you must be cautious. I will be, in fact in this article I will not mention the clients again, just in case.
Branding? You don't need it unless you want to be an attractive designer
One of the mistakes we make when we are trying to be the classic ruined designer is falling into the temptation of creating our own brand or as they now call it Personal Branding. As much fun as it may seem to create your personal image, your own logo or even your personal blog, the truth is that this can only lead you to distill professionalism and what could be worse ... earn the trust of those of whom we do not speak.
Your training period is over, you don't need to know anything else
There comes a point in the life of every designer when one knows everything about this profession. One day you wake up and you think "that's it, I know everything" and that is a good day because at that moment you realize that you are ready to go broke. You have realized that learning something new and observing other people's works could only induce you to create something innovative. It is very important that you know that creativity and inspiration are not compatible with ruin. Don't forget, you already know everything.
Do not investigate or consult the prices that move in the market
A good way to scare off those we don't talk about is to set high prices for mediocre or lousy service. In this way we make sure that if someone pays these amounts when receiving our service, they leave scared and do not appear again. Even if we do this we could get a bad reputation because it will surely give bad reviews about our work and I would even recommend to everyone not to hire our services. If you do it right, you can even get others to work for you and thus arrive at ruin sooner.
Marketing and (we repeat) branding are not for you
What's wrong? Do you want to be recognized or receive a constant flow of work? You don't want that right? Well, you know, try not to sell yourself out there. Do not promote, do not create any portfolio (and if you believe it, it should be to show those less professional works, perhaps those with which you began to design in adolescence and that are ashamed of others). It makes me funny because there are many people who write to me asking for advice to be the classic ruined designer but nevertheless I take a look at his profile and discover a page, a profile on Deviantart, on Dribbble or Behance, a fairly professional portfolio and not only that. … Also a page where they offer services and also create special offers and complementary services! Can you believe it? There is no way like that. Not only do you have to read these tips, you have to put them into practice ... Ruin does not come alone, it requires some effort.
Very important: Spend much more than you earn, otherwise it could lead to profits
I'm not going to sell you any motorcycles. There are times that no matter how hard we work, luck is not on our side and people end up showing up who decide to hire us. There are good streaks, that's all, nothing happens, you don't have to dramatize either. But before this, I have good news. You can continue to be a ruined graphic designer no matter how much money you make ... There is a very common mistake and that is that people tend to save or even invest in work materials ... How outrageous, right? Spend it all, on things that have nothing to do with your job.
Don't be organized, much less set a work schedule
There are already too many designers who wake up religiously every day and very early too. They get up early and from the beginning of the day they work to find those we do not name, they design their marketing strategies and as you can imagine this does not give them very good results.
If someone hires you, do not listen to them and of course do not give them a good service or meet the deadlines
The opposite could only lead to something: Loyalty. Customer service was invented by those who wanted to establish solid ties with those we did not speak of and worse still, they wanted to live with dignity from their work. Creepy.
Offer your work for FREE to your relatives and neighbors
I almost forgot. Surely your lifelong friends know what you do and have every right to demand your work in exchange for a few beers or sometimes even nothing. Try to sign these types of people well and approach them as someone who does not want the thing. You just have to be a good observer, these guys can see their duster straight away. They usually promise you things like promotion in exchange for eight-hour jobs, sometimes even longer. Do not be tempted, no promotions, that could only confuse you. If they offer you a coffee or some tapas you can accept them but do not abuse them, you know that your real goal is to ruin yourself.
How good it is ! he he
I was fascinated by everything!