Internet access, time and a computer is all you need to enter into the field of web designing. Sounds easy, right? Getting into this industry is no doubt easy, but staying and working can be challenging. This industry advances faster than any other profession and is much more than painting pretty pictures behind the screens. Talking about jobs, it can be one of the most involving, stressful and cutting-edge jobs out there. Here is about the challenges that a designer faces at a workplace and how to deal with them.
Adding new to their portfolio, staying ahead of the competition, dealing with the critique and many more are the common challenges that a designer faces at workplace. There can be days with zero production leading to exhaustion and frustration. On the other hand, there can be days where in the beginning hours, you exactly have what you need and rest of the day you are just rejoicing. Even with a number of challenges, designers cherish their work each and every day keeping in mind that there can be good and bad days at a workplace.
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Here are some of the common challenges that designers face:
The Constant Need to Learn
If you are standing still in this industry, then success might not come to your place. The creative industry requires the designers to learn every day. As a designer you are constantly required to expand your portfolio, your knowledge, career and more. This is important to stay active in the line and not to fall behind.
The Competition
Designers have the challenge to deal with the competition, not just in the organization but the easy access to online service providers force the designers to work at petty prices. The Do It Yourself templates further add to the difficulty for the creative minds.
The Expectations
The clients have great expectations from designers (which is not at all wrong), but at times it becomes extremely difficult to make them understand that an “out of the box idea” can take time. Convincing those in power that a winning concept needs a lot of brain work and thinking is a challenge.
Managing Opinions
Ever heard a patient telling a doctor how to fix a broken bone or a customer telling a mechanic to fix a broken pipe. For designers, it is not the same. Everyone has an opinion and to take care of the opinions especially of people in power is a major challenge in their plate.
The Need to Sell Their Ideas
Until the design communicates the idea behind it, the day is not over. If you cannot talk about your design, it may never get sold. Today for a designer it is important to have selling skills as well. A designer needs to blend numerous skills to be successful.
The Challenge of Standing Out
It should be different! It should be easily understood! Something that someone has never done before! Do you often hear these lines? Designers always have the pressure to create something that stands out from the rest within a time frame.
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In a nutshell, breaking new creative ground can be a challenging proposition. Making the management understands creativity and to make them accept is the biggest challenge corporate designers have at the workplace. The brighter side of today is that the creativity in itself has taken a new turn and there is much more to explore than before. Designers can overcome the above -mentioned challenges in the following ways and enhance creative freedom.
Talk about design as a core business competency
Recognize and communicate the value your design talks. Involve yourself in business strategies and what goals your firm has near future. Having knowledge about your company’s larger goals would help you make a stronger case for your design.
Also, the businesses expect the designers to differentiate their business through their brands, products or customer experience. Designers can also add value to the organization by preparing for the next wave changes in technology, society and communications.
Add to the Profit Making Parts
Designers today can expand their roles by being an integrated part of the marketing campaigns that are responsible for increasing sales. They can do so by influencing customers through a number of mediums today that include social media, mobile web, blogs, e-mails, trade show graphics and graphics present at the point of purchase.
Improve Your Soft Skills
Ability to communicate effectively to everyone is the need of the hour. Hence, you should work on your soft-skills to be successful at a workplace. Not only would it help you sell your ideas better, but you would be able to communicate effectively at every level of your organization.
When it comes to critics, avoid the know-it-all attitude and be open to opinions and suggestions that come to you.
Research Extensively – Use Examples
When you are showcasing your design to your bosses, you should have enough facts to back it up. Do extensive research about your design and present relevant examples. Using examples can help non creative’s understand your ideas better.
The Concluding Note
A creative block for creative professionals like designers can be frustrating and career-damaging. As a designer you should blend your creativity into a number of fields that are important for a workplace. Get compatible with your workplace creative process and set up systems to deal with mundane tasks. Look for right balance of systems, spontaneity and routines for your creativity to flourish. A hand in hand approach that makes money for you as well as let you flaunt your creativity is the dream job every designer would love to have. For this dream job get your eyes and ears open and look around for opportunities. Use technology and create alerts for different job openings in your field to try your hand on a new job.
The half art half business work mode keeps designers in the stress to manage both creativity and making money. Today there is definitely more design, more types, more opinions and more protocols in the world of design on both business and corporate level but there still are challenges faced and designers looking forward to overcome these challenges.