Fact: You Do Not Need to Know How to Design EVERYTHING
I got a comment on a recent instagram post and thought it would be helpful to share my thoughts here as it is not the first time someone has asked me something similar.
Comment: “I’m a designer about to graduate, and in my school, it always seems like illustration is prioritized (like I won’t get hired unless I’m an illustrator). Do you have any tips for someone who wants to work in branding or typography? …Sometimes there’s definitely so much emphasis on being a jack of all trades, that it feels like being a master of none.”
Whew! Let’s unpack this y’all. First of all – it is a fact that you do not need to know how to design everything. You can’t, you won’t, it’s impossible – period. You cannot do everything and it’s best to come to terms with that right out of the gates.
Design School is Designed As An Introduction
Most design programs are created with the intention of teaching you a little bit about a lot of different disciplines of design. When I graduated from college I knew how to do a bit of almost everything – motion graphics, animation, I could write code pretty dang well. I can do NONE of these things anymore because they were not my passions and not something that I wanted to pursue. The purpose of this structure is to give you an opportunity to experience different facets of this vast, broad industry that is full of specialization.
Illustration is a speciality
Being a designer does not mean that you need to know how to illustrate. Illustration is a specialized skillset under the umbrella of design and not a baseline skill that every designer needs to have, the same way that not every designer knows how to create a typeface or how to develop a wireframe.
Knowing a little bit about a lot of different things is helpful
Having working professional knowledge about a variety of different design subspecialties is extremely helpful, there is no denying that. It is great if you can illustrate a bit, because you may be able to illustrate on some of your projects that are in your wheelhouse.
Understanding the industry lingo around a lot of specialities is a great tool to have in your toolbox, it sets a professional tone when collaborating and when communicating with clients. But the odds are extremely slim that you will be able to develop branding, write copy/mission/vision/values, execute a user experience, design a visual identity, illustrate all of the assets, code a custom website, and execute a marketing strategy for your clients. There may be a unicorn designer out there, somewhere, who is capable of doing this, but I highly doubt it.
In short, here’s what I think:
I believe that the most important skill you can have as a designer is the self discipline required to believe that the sum is greater than the parts. You need to be able to say “Someone else can do this better than I can and that will add value to this project. Now I just have to go find them.”
GREAT together is better than GOOD alone
I think that a lot of designers are apprehensive to hire out for support (be it illustrators or copywriters or web designers or 100 other things) for projects because they feel either a) it will be too expensive or b) the project will be more portfolio-worthy or impressive if they do it alone.
Financially, I would say that almost every person I have hired to work on a project with me has been happy to work within any budget constraints. You do not know unless you ask. So you have to ask!
If you are feeling like the project would be more impressive if you had done it on your own, I would challenge you to really think about what is at the core of those thoughts. Do you not want to share the glory with others? Are you not sure where to find someone you can trust? Are you worried that you won’t be able to communicate what you are seeing in your head?
It is empowering to bring other creatives into your projects, and they will be so much stronger if you work together. There is rarely a scenario where more creative brainpower produces a worse product. Period. A perfect example is Jess Levitz’s new Creative Lady Collective site. She worked with like four different women on that baby! And it is BEAUTIFUL. As an incredibly talented designer, Jess absolutely could have done it all herself but I would guarantee you that the site is even more memorable and engaging because she brought in experts and was able to provide creative direction across the board.
I have a few go-to people on speed dial for project collaborations – two illustrators, a copywriting agency, a Shopify designer, a Squarespace designer and I love when we are able to work with the same client.
So this is your permission slip.
You do not have to know how to design everything.
You just have to know how to admit that you don’t know how to design everything. That is the first step. The next is making friends and trusted partners in this industry so that you can create a powerhouse team of experts that will make your client projects SING.
You have heard me talk about client-centered strategy in the past, and at the heart of that is wanting the absolute best for your clients, which occasionally means you will have to find someone who knows how to do something better than you do. That is okay. It does not make you a fraud – it makes you so committed to their success and your creative vision that you will stop at nothing until you have assembled the best possible team for their project. What could possibly be more empowering than that?
The post that this question appeared on was for my client trybaby – I knew right out of the gates that I wanted to loop in a really laid-back illustration style that would involve people (my worst illustration nightmare), and I wanted to work with someone local if possible, so I brought in Kercia of Kercia Jane who absolutely knocked them out of the park (wait until you see the rest of them!). We also wanted a Shopify expert, so we brought in Chaitra of Pinkpot Studio whose first round mockup of the site was UNREAL.
Didn’t the visual branding turn out cute? It has been such a joy to see my vision come to life and can’t wait to introduce you to this broader brand, which is going to majorly change the game for parents of babies. Let me know if you have any questions at all, friends! I hope you are doing well.
