30 Aug What does a designer look like?

When you think about a Graphic Designer, what pops into your mind?

Go on, be honest, I can probably guess what you’re going to say… ripped jeans, Converse shoes, messy hair, peculiar taste in music, particularly “trendy”. Yep, thought as much. Well as accurate as that stereotypical description probably is in most cases, there’s always a non-typical curved-ball to knock the balance out.

Like me!

I am a designer. And yes, I do own ripped jeans and a few pairs of Converse shoes, but I also own pretty clothes and footwear. We won’t mention the music part … I can’t help that.

But does that mean I’m not a typical designer? Nope, we’re all pretty much the same deep down, particularly in our work processes and eagerness to impress the client. We’ve all got that bug. And that’s what fuels us to want to impress with the layouts we create, and why we take it to heart if we don’t receive the feedback we want.

Having worked as part of a PR team (which formed part of a large design agency) for many years and also as part of a small studio team of two, to then be mostly home based in my roles, I’ve discovered that the way in which I have worked and the systems and processes I’ve needed to follow to complete jobs has had to adjust. But I think some of that is pretty standard when switching roles and companies. There are elements of all of my previous roles that contribute towards the way in which I complete things now.

I’m fairly sure the same stereotypical images exist for most positions.

It’s a shame the mould can’t be broken though. I recently read a comment on a popular Airline’s social media post the regarding their forthcoming recruitment drive and how one lady had been refused a position due to some tattoos she had on her body. Further into the comment it seemed that tattoos were only “allowed” if they could be covered. So why is that such a problem? It wouldn’t bother me, but then I have a tattoo myself. They are pretty common in today’s society so you would think they would be more accepting of them as long as the applicant was capable of carrying out the role they had been recruited for.

Just because you think you don’t “fit the mould” it shouldn’t hold you back from approaching a role with all your enthusiasm and skills as it doesn’t mean that you are not capable of performing that role as anyone else.

How do you picture a designer who works in a copywriting and content company?