11 Mistakes I Made As A New Designer
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
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nvm me I'm just summing it up so I don't forget:
1. DO warm up designs
2. DON'T be afraid to experiment with different styles
3. DON'T confine yourself to one software or one type of software
4. DON'T force yourself to create a masterpiece every day
5. DO allow yourself to be inspired (a.k.a. browsing pinterest is fine!!)
6. DO build a portfolio that reflects the kind of work you want to do
7. DON'T jump into freelance work too early (or at least prefer stable jobs over freelancing)
8. DO require partial deposits before starting anything AND have a good contract to back you up
9. DON'T think you need the best tech to make a good work
10. DO allow yourself to fail (a.k.a. learn from your mistakes)
11. DON'T compare yourself to other designers
great video as always kel, you're an inspiration
w person
straight up facts. Nice to see a designer in the industry who thinks that you shouldn't work everyday. I personally don't like the hustle culture that is getting in design recently.
for real!! its capitalism rotting such a beautiful craft, but luckily we can exercise a little control for our own sanity.
I value free time far too much to work all the time. As long as I have enough money to live and give my little kitty what she needs I don`t really care about more. I will work as much as needed but I would rather have loads of time and fun than loads of money. And I know my work is much better when I don`t stress and overwork myself.
a lil bit of humour, a lil bit of existentialism, a lottle bit of love and good advice
good summary of my channel
@@KelLauren talk about life kel. Bless us with a live stream.
I've been a graphic designer at a print shop for over ten years now. It's a full-time job, but I remember for my first few years there I felt like I HAD to do freelance on the side. Everyone was freelancing, even if they had a job. I worked well into the night almost every day. Man, talk about burn-out. I very rarely do freelance work now. I like the 9 to 5. I like turning off my creative brain in the evenings. The extra cash was nice, but not worth it to me and my mental health.
One piece of advice: tell your client to be specific in telling you what they want. It wastes so much time when they tell you to do whatever you want and then suddenly realize that they are in fact specific.
Great video! I really relate to the hustle culture topic… I always feel pressure to create everyday which burns me out way too often. I really want to learn to take breaks when needed. I also compare myself a lot. Thanks again I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels this way.
As someone who just graduated in May with a graphic design degree with a focus on Illustration, this advice helped me so much!!! Thank you, Kel
best of luck!!
Contract by AIGA is an amaaazing guide too! It is drafted up by attorneys and other creatives. So it comes with license agreements for print / motion / non-exclusive / exclusive. It is DENSE but it covers so many bases
i forgot about this one!! thank you!!
Would love to see a technical mistakes you made as a new designer :)
also new cut + bleach looks killer
today I dropped out of school (I was studying graphic design) and this is so helpful, I hope to go back to school. but for now im starting a small t-shit project 🤠
proud of you!
1. Not doing warmup designs
2. Being afraid to experiment w different styles
3. Confining urself to one program/software (photoshop/illustrator/photo editing sw/video editing sw)
4. Forcing urself to create something
5. Not allowing yourself to be inspired
6. Not building a portfolio that was “me”
7. Jumping into freelance too early
8. Not requiring deposits or contracts when starting out with a freelance client
MY biggest mistake was always comparing myself to other artists/designers and not really owning my own strengths as well as noticing and improving upon my weaknesses. I'm proud to say I'm very happy with where I am not compared to when I was in my fine arts program 3 years ago. I grew and now I'm a much better designer, and everyday I will continue to grow more and more!!
Great video btw!! really covered everything!!
This is a weird-ass world man, I unconsciously manifested starting design I swear. I'm a game designer, I'm in school studying game design, I decided to also pursue a minor in graphic design about 8 months ago because I wanted more skills under my belt and thought it was interesting. HOWEVER, your channel fell into my lap wayyy back during the summer of 2020. I honestly didn't watch that many videos of yours and suddenly now that I'm knee-deep in my graphic design minor (and loving it) all of your videos start showing up in my recommended again. Crazy world, thanks for the advice and inspiration! ❤️
7:32 - seriously so glad to hear you mention hustle culture - its honestly so toxic to creativity, mental health and artist/client expectations, it absolutely needs to be called out!
also ps. This was so good! Loved the different perspectives and was definitely helpful!
Really liked the point on being inspired, I think if anyone struggles with this, I really enjoyed the book steal like an artist, it is all about taking inspiration from many and how original art is never original, there is always inspiration but what makes it "original" is the number of sources you use instead of 2 or 3 use 100s! Overall the book series is wonderful for artists/ designers and it also talks about sharing your work. Really enjoyed this video!
ive been watching your videos for at least 2 years and ive always looked up to you even though im a couple years older. ive always loved graphic deisgn but have such a horrible fear of failure that i never pursued it after getting my degree. now that its been a few years ive decided its not too late to make magic happen and try to finally make my dream come true. i just want to say how much this video helped me. you eased a lot of my fears and helped me to realize that a lot of my insecurities are normal for any designer. I always thought you had a perfect, easy road to your success but it turns out you didnt. you fell a few times and even felt insecure as well. every day i try to chip away at my fear and become a designer as talented as you. thank you for your youtube content and ill always be a viewer!
Omg I lovee these tips! I’m in school for graphic design and in my first year I compared myself so much to all the students that already had experience in the business, it made me so insecure that I was convinced I couldn’t do it and had to stop school. I went trough and now I finished my second year with almost no redo’s! I learned to not compare myself and learn from others (ofcourse you always keep comparing a little bit but it doesn’t bother me as much as it did). Your video’s are so inspirational to me and give me motivation to once hopefully get as succesfull as you!
Gotta say, these are all legit points for digital artists as well. Great video, Kel!
totally agree!
Finally! Someone else said something about getting paid before sending the final art files. I've never seen anyone say it before and even seen other freelancers say you just have to accept net 30 or net 60. Glad to see it works for someone else too.
Also really good list. I see myself in some of these and the others were good reminders. Especially remembering to go at my own pace. Although sometimes it can be hard to have fun and keep an eye on other good designers and artists without comparing yourself.
I loveee this style of ‘chit chat design videos’!! It feels like im talking to a fellow design friend/mentor, please make more i could listen to you talk about design for hours 🥺
me 1 semester into graphic design getting this youtube notification... the devil works hard but kel works harder
you got this!!
I appreciate you mentioning hustle culture in design and knowing when to design in best headspace. It feels as if sometimes I am not outputting enough.
Hi :) Been a graphic/web designer for 3 years now. One thing I like to remember is graphic design do not have to be art. Graphic design is a skillset that can be applied to art, but can also be applied to solve problems, inform people or just to be pretty. "Art" have that big pressure to be meaningful and some people are not ok with that... I don't like the label "artist" because I'm not aiming for the same things as artists do.
Btw, have had, and still have almost all of the 11. Amazing vid as always
one thing ive had a lot of personal enjoyment in is not requiring art to have any sort of meaning, its not a requirement for art OR design! i agree that you can call yourself a designer and not an artist, though i know most designers would still call themselves artists. the definition of art is totally subjective!
Thanks for your input this is really interesting 🤗
This just feels so refreshing honestly. I've been doing design daily ever since summer vacation and im feeling so sad and defeated that the algorithm of social media just isnt helping me. Hopefully I can break through someday and have a wonderful own brand.
When you said that your old work reflected this style of all minimalistic and ultra-clean and San serif. I stopped and looked up and said wow. I did that at one point. I'm not trying to put a demeanor on myself or my creative abilities, but I found it funny that I did that so much in my early career and I put so much pressure on myself to where it took a toll on both my mental state and my desire to create. It was like I was dragging a house across a field for many years. Word of advice, just have fun with whatever you create and explore. Appreciate the video Kel!
Really appreciate these type of videos, as a self-thought designer, I still haven't had the chance to meet many other designers, especially those who actually have worked within the industry. Thank you for creating this platform and space to learn and feel like a part of the design community.
As a digital artist who’s dipping his toes into graphic design this is very helpful. Thank you so much for this and all you do! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
honestly, you’ve been such an inspiration! you’ve inspired me to explore different styles and create just for fun. I’ve been really into making things just cause, even if they’re ~bad~ aka not masterpieces, all while making sure I don’t push myself to make something when I’m not feeling it. But yeah ANYWAY tldr: you are an inspiration kel!
u don’t understand how much I needed this… thank u so much kel 💕
im so glad you're here
Tip 4 is so true...I've been forcing myself to create art/ design it's made me mentally exhausted...and being a free creative is very good..💗
I am so glad you mentioned "not allowing yourself to be inspired". I am ALWAYS terrified that I'm going to plagiarize somebody that if something inspires me, I don't open up Gimp or Inkscape when I am inspired by someone else's art or graphic design piece.
I've been in design for around 20 years and this is solid advice for anyone new to it. I think the stand out for me is to never stop learning. Oh, and definitely don't compare yourself to people. That's a doom hole you don't wanna go down. 😨 Focus on _yourself_ and _your_ craft. 😊
Your videos always manage to inspire me to design and create, thanks for doing what you're doing!
Thank you so much for this Kel!! I'm still trying to find my feet as a graphic designer/illustrator after finishing my architecture degree and your advice always uplifts me
I can't thank u enough for your content. It's because of you that i learnt to use photoshop and discovered my passion for design! I'm currently studying marketing and look forward to becoming an art director. Thank u for inspiring me.
If you don't mind me asking, how do you plan on becoming an art director studying marketing? I'm also studying marketing and love design so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
@@spumamusic well what im studying here in Chile is not called "marketing", its called "publicidad", so we learn about different things. you can become an art director, a planner, copywriter, or an accountant (sorry if i make a mistake, im not sure how the occupations are called in english). one of the things they teach us is marketing, but also design, photography, event management and production, etc.
in our last year of college we start working in agencies in the preferred area (tho we obviously start at the bottom)
This is so useful as a senior about to graduate with a degree in graphic design, I always stress about the small stuff and really don’t know what field of style I wanna work with. Thank you Kel!
you are the person that opened my eyes to the possibility of art being my career, and thank you for being so transparent about your creative process and how you got to where you are. Also I love your eyes!
Thank you for making this video. I just graduated in June with a degree in design and I have really been in need of some guidance. Hearing about your personal experiences (both highs and lows) is so refreshing and makes me feel a little less alone out here in the design world. Here's to always growing :)
AH seriously thank you so much for this, can’t emphasize enough how much this was needed right now- i had been starting to discover and tell myself a few of these points recently but kept feeling like i was wrong or rationalizing being less than, so it’s beyond relieving to hear my thoughts validated by one of my favorite designers- thank you thank you 💛🧡
I’m in school for graphic design right now and I know absolutely nothing… like, just now getting into everything! Watching your videos is pure motivation :) you make it look like a dream job! Thank you for taking the time to make this video
i know im only 15 and my parents probably wont let me do this, but im so excited to be able to have a career based on my passion for graphic design! so grateful i found u
oh my god you gave all the answers to my existential crisis. everyday I will think to myself whats my aesthetic all these artists on Instagram have theirs but I like all of them will i never have an aesthetic. i have been in this field for 1 year and i have been so hard on myself. 2021 was spent just blowing off that steam. also, personally i have been intimidated by the hustle culture but i have never been able to understand how they never run out of content to share. how can you come up with new concepts everyday. mad respect to all the artists who do this but imo a little rest goes a long way. thanks so much kel for this video. really helped me
I recently started out as a freelance copywriter/content writer and I actually found a lot of these tips super helpful so thank you xx your energy is super wholesome, much love
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been in the industry since the 90s and I still compare myself to others who have been in the industry for a much shorter time and although I have done almost everything I never feel like there is so much to learn.
This was soo helpful and motivating! I have been stressing about posting my work online but got intimidated by how all the people would suggest having a strict theme to your feed or else, it will get very hard for people to notice you. I get that, having an aesthetically pleasing feed is beautiful but as a creative, you can't always base your work around that colour scheme or theme, because now you are just making stuff for social media and not actually enjoying it and just using social media to share your work and support others'. So, I completely agree on your point about not forcing yourself to create because if the result we had in mind isn't the same as the product we get, man, the way we beat ourselves over it is too exhausting for anyone to handle, especially someone in a creative field. Love your content as always, always gets me hyped up to create something and makes me want actually enjoy the process, not stressing too much.
I’ve been designing for around 7 years too but only taking it really seriously in the last two years or so. Still learnt some stuff from this video, thank you! I’ve been sketching layouts before I start a design in the last few weeks and it’s helped a ton.
Hi Kel! I started watching your videos in quarantine as a junior. I was inspired! I ended up finished my senior year in 4 months, started college right away, and now I'm in my second semester as a graphic design major! I just want to thank you for your videos for inspiring me and helping me find my passion. :))
love how you’ve used the Martin typeface, legend!
Thank you for this! I've been a fulltime designer for only uhhh three months now and I'm learning SO MUCH every day. went to school over 10 years ago and it took this long before I switched to a design job.
i hope this isnt crossing boundaries, but you're so comforting for me. like idk y but u really calm my anxiety 😊.
No 9 made me realize why I've been having creative blocks for so long. I kinda lost my passion from graphic design because I've always been chasing this idea that I have to have the best everything, otherwise I felt like I wasn't professional enough or not good enough. I forgot why I loved doing this in the first place. OMG thank you so much for this video.
hello kel hope ur doing well in this heatwave :(
we made it through safely! incredibly lucky to have a safe home with a little AC unit that worked overtime to keep us cool enough!
I love your content so much!
I've been studying business for the last two years but watching you has inspired me to follow my passion and get back into graphic design. I'm Starting up my first semester as design major this august and i couldn't be more excited!💕
Love the advice, more so as i feel i can relate cause i am growing and learning and becoming a more experienced designer. BTW. You look so confident, coming into your own and in your stories with your new hair. Love it. It looks so you, like real you.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your insights! I recently got my BFA in graphic design and currently trying to get a job in my field. Already caught myself making some of these mistakes, but now I can work on trying to correct myself. Thanks again Kel!
You should have named it "It's okay...". So motivational every time. Thanks Kel.
your makeup in this video is giving me major glossier viibes and i'm here for it
god i LOVE your new personal brand.
thank you!!
I love how open you are and you are so inspirational
New designer here. I always feel so loved and encouraged by your content. Thank you for not being snobbish towards us newbies. ❤️ I even saw your comment on Elliotisacoolguy’s post about using Canva and your support towards people who use it. I saw it and appreciate it, as a former Canva professional. You’re awesome, Kel! Thanks!
This was super helpful as a student who is about to graduate in about a year! Thank you Kel!
this is exactly what i needed right now
reminding myself that i don't have to work on projects 24/7 has been such a struggle! i'm still learning so much even after graduating and with the pandemic it feels like i'm not doing enough with my time even though i am growing as an artist and designer. also comparing myself to other artists OOF, definitely need to work on that one. Thank you for this video, nice to see someone with a larger following be honest about this stuff! 💛
I'm very happy that you mentioned about jumping into freelance too early. On many courses and youtube channels they send new designers on freelance at once. If you can't manage it, they will tell you it's just because you don't want to be a designer enough. It can be very stressful for new designers and makes the feeling that only you can't do this and that only you are weak. I'm happy to hear that being on freelance isn't so easy indeed and not only I think so
Lmao there’s an ad below this video that says “5 Reasons to become a freelancer NOW” which totally counteracts your point 😂😂
Love the contents❤️ You made very clear points, wish i watched this before I graduated from college
So much truth here, it resonated a lot, esp. comparing yourself to others.
Always here for the wholesome content
Kel, thank you so much for making videos and doing what you do. I'm glad I found your channel. There are so many things school didn't prepare me for in this field. I've made mistakes, I've been wrong, I struggled to get a job. And it's nice to know I'm not alone.
Brilliant and inspirational! I got my Graphic Design Degree and side stepped straight in to teaching. There’s so much hang up on using ‘industry standard’ for everything but the truth is… 1. There’s a lot of awesome of alternative software and 2. ‘Industry standard’ is not very student accessible especially in todays economy! It’s nice to hear someone not slating anything that isn’t Adobe. I do use Adobe, but for the sake of my current/future students I’m now exploring the alternatives too! :)
to add to your 5th point of allowing yourself to be inspired by other artists -- We all should focus more on why we like someone's works. Being able to dissect why you like someone's works will help gauge what emphasis your work should embody more - leading you to a place of innovating a style past the ceiling you found it under. I think the mistake we kind of make sometimes is not remembering that every single artist's works is a stew of everything they've been inspired by & innovated in their journey of any creation. one's stew can never look like someone else's unless their isn't much going on in that stew. That's where being able to thoroughly dissect something you like comes in and helps you add what you feel is missing or you would like to experiment more with.
Hi I’m not an artist in any capacity but I watch all your videos! Go Kel!
Hey, Kel. My wife and I have been freelancing for over 10 years and %2000 agree with deposits, contracts and not delivering final art until the final invoice is paid. We may make exceptions for clients that we’ve worked with for a long time…and we know they pay their bills. However we never do it for new ones.
Contracts have saved my bacon numerous times. Once I had a client who was dissatisfied with how expensive a project was getting (We charge hourly). They wanted to settle the bill and have me send them the half finished art so they could take it elsewhere and have it completed for less money. AH HA, but I had a clause in my contract that when a job is canceled ALL preliminary materials must be returned to me and the client only retains ownership of materials they supplied to me. They grumbled, we completed the project, I got paid, and they got the artwork. Yay contracts!
new kel vid just dropped lets GOOO
MIC SOUNDS SO GOOD
I really always thought I‘m not allowed to look at other pieces of art and be inspired by it. But you and your channel/videos really helped me feel more comfortable with it and use this inspiration from things I absolutely love for my art. Thank you so much for that !
KEL! can you please do a video comparing free programs (inkscape, gimp) to the more expensive ones (illustrator, photoshop)? i've been wondering whether it's worth it to invest
I'm really glad you touched on the Freelance topic. I started with freelancing since I was self taught without much formal education. That aspect wasn't an issue, but (what you said) getting clients, relationships, deadlines... And pretty much the average day to day tasks of a graphic designer to do it fulltime.
I do it part-time right now but I am revising my portfolio to get a design job to learn those ins and outs.
Freelance is the goal though
Your videos makes me happy. I hope you make a video every week. Thank you.
Thank you, I needed to hear that! Especially that it's ok to inspire from others... I know it but it reassures me a lot to hear it especially from you. And yeah, we're all one! 💜💜💜
Also taking some time off my graphic design freelance career to deal with my mental health, and it feels great and I encourage anyone to do so too !!
Notification bell saved my night
as someone going into my first year at college for design and tech with no idea what i should do with my future, this is actually helpful
I have felt the confining topic so much as I got more into designing. I started out on C4D for fun when I was younger but then I stopped and just stuck with PS exclusively. I am so happy I went back to C4D and Ai now as it's SO much easier to work with together. I do admit was intimidated by my lack of UX with Ai.
Thanks for this video in general, it really helps relieve some pressure in all aspects covered! I am better at not being hard on myself.
ps. keep skating!
Can you pleeeassee do a future nostalgia merch redesign. Her merch line is very limited and the album is BOMB and the merch just doesn’t cut it 😂😂
I absolutely love this video. These points you mentioned are exactly what I went through and even still going through as a designer. Thanks for the wholesome tips. I enjoyed every minute ❤️
thank you for this, kel. i think i really needed to hear this because i am hoping to design some things for my own shop while i am also in school and i am so hesitant because i want everything to be perfect and that's really not what being a creative artist/designer is about. some of the pressure has been lifted thanks to you 💕
Im defo not a graphic designer but I love watching your videos and tip 1 is so valuable to basically anyone, and something I already learned from you!
Thank you for this Kel, I appreciate this
Thank you ❤️ many of these things you say about I can use with my watercolor painting. It's much appreciated ☺️
thank you so much for this video, Kel! you're helping me and so many people a lot! you're incredible 🧡🥺
Would love to hear all your freelance stories - or advice. It sounds like you have some great experiences that could benefit others (or maybe it's a course you offer ??? maybe a video dedicated to just your freelance life lessons ???)
Either way - thank you for the vulnerability and insight
I needed this! I aspire to be a great graphic designer someday! Thank you for being real and honest with us ❤
kel, you are an inspiration to me!! thank you so much for sharing these tips
I'm a beginner designer and I feel everything what u r talking about in this video, TOTALLY
im loving this new hair
This is really insightful, thanks Kel. I relate to a lot of these points!
Definitely needed this today. I've been good at not forcing myself to create something. Learning to be okay with that #itsforeveryone
I'm already set in my career as a web developer and have no hopes of getting into design. I just watch her videos to indulge that side of me.
It's like comfort food
"Getting that first design out is like EAUHEEUGG"