The glamorous life of a designer.
After three months of staring at this computer screen eight hours a day, I'm just going to repeat the wisdom of whoever said, "It's a fun job, but it's still a job." (I always hear it in the voice of Cypress Hill.)
I've been doing a lot of pre-press setup and will be for quite a while, but I can't complain. I do get to do a few creative projects-- it's all arguably creative, a discussion for a different day-- but the reason I'm not disgusted with being stuck at a desk all day is I'm solving problems. It always comes down to problem-solving eventually. How am I going to fit this logo on the car door without the door handle interrupting it (see below)? How am I going to please this client, who wants everything bigger and bolder, while still maintaining the legibility she doesn't know she needs? How am I going to get these three projects done today without compromising on quality?
The other thing I do in this job is communicate. "Yes, it's all about visual communication bla bla bla..." That too, but no. I mean talking to people via email, phone, and especially face-to-face. If
you can't communicate with your coworker about why one arrangement is better than another, your glorious compositional eye is wasted. Skewer it with a fork and throw it against a wall. The more persuasive designer's sketch will go on to become the final design. Bank Gothic and all.
Besides the fact that solving a problem is rewarding to a young designer like myself, I don't see its importance ever being reduced. If I were a senior designer basking in my finely balanced logo designs using carefully-selected weights of expensive fonts, I would still be solving problems and communicating with people. There would only be more pressure involved.
Bring it.
