Stop Bashing the Design Industry

State of graphic design

0:00How many discounts does USAA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy... How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Here's your report. Oh, thanks, Jane. I wish I could hire someone just like you. Try LinkedIn Hiring Pro. It's more than a job board. It's like the recruiter you always wished you had. Hiring Pro uses real-time insights to match your role to LinkedIn's unique network of professionals and delivers a shortlist of best-fit candidates.

0:32You'll spend less time sorting applicants and more time talking to the right people. Let's do it. You're irreplaceable, Jane, but another you would be great. Hire right the first time. Post your job for free on LinkedIn today at linkedin.com slash quality.

0:54Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Deeply Graphic Design Cast. I'm Nick Longo. Thank you guys so much for everything. I've been hearing a lot of great feedback from many of you guys talking about the new directions and the things we're doing for the podcast. I'm super excited about it. It's kind of given me a whole new kind of spark in producing these and particularly even the people to potentially look for and bring on here. I've put together even a more concise questionnaire to all the folks that we're talking to to come on here.

1:24And really making sure it's focused on our new themes and the things that we want to talk about regarding the long game and how you are prepping, preparing, excited for the future. And why not? This is our industry. I want to fight for it. And that's what led me to this kind of topic and this discussion. There's been so much just backlash on graphic design, the creative industries, like all over the place. I guess primarily I've been hearing more about it on TikTok. I'm not on there. But I do get a lot of people sending me stuff saying, like, have you seen this? And it's usually met with a, you know, a joke or a ha ha.

2:00And I don't like seeing them at all. I hate seeing anything that just goes like, oh, typical graphic design, you know, or a client reaction. And, you know, they're all fun and games and they get a chuckle. But part of me kind of like goes, well, if it's so bad, you know, either leave or change it. And I want to I want to change these perceptions and I want to look at some of these things that I think have been leading to it getting so bashed. You know, is it the right career any longer? What's up with AI and the job market?

2:30And there's so many frustrations. I get it. So I basically reached out to a few folks and said, give me some questions you'd think. Our listeners will really want to kind of hear talked about in greater detail, and maybe we can debunk some of these things, because, yeah, like I said, I'm I'm all in. And I want to make sure anyone who has chosen this career is happy, enjoys what they're doing. I know I've gotten so much out of being a creative my entire career, and so much of it is me wanting to give back and do these things.

Is graphic design a good career

3:05So let's let's dive into this. The first topic is basically is graphic design still a good career choice? Absolutely. Like it's it's so remarkable that like we even have to ask that sometimes. I get so many, you know, I get 50 to 60 new students almost every semester in the classes I get to teach as an educator. And my first goal is to like night one is to shift their their whole perception of this thing, saying you have chosen something great.

3:37You are in an amazing industry that allows so much flexibility and choices and where you want to make a difference, where you want to make an impact. Like, yeah, that it's great. I mean, consider the network of folks, you know, in the industry, just look at your list of people that you get to talk to on a weekly monthly basis. I do that all the time. I'm so lucky to have so many of these people to chat with and talk about these things. And, you know, here's here's a little bit of my insight as to why I still feel this is a great career choice in so many different ways.

4:12Graphic design is still a good career choice, but it's no longer a passive one. You can't just be good at software and expect the industry to carry you. That's really I love that line because that's how I feel like my first few years were. I mean, honestly, it was just learning the applications, understanding the tools. They had just changed right before I got into the industry. And all you had to do was hunker down and learn these applications, design, theory, branding, principles.

4:45You know, they had all that all built years later. And as you worked on each thing. So this idea is that it's still amazing. And you can't just allow now your knowledge and your skill set carry you forward. Design rewards people who take responsibility for their thinking, their positioning and their growth over time. You know, I still struggle trying to get these principles into the younger designers to say, like, you wait to your, you know, five, 10 years in and you'll see that, like, you're going to probably think, oh, man, I should have got more into this or I should have focused more on this in my in the earlier days of my career or whatever it might be.

5:23Like, yeah, you know, invest in you. What are you doing each week to make sure that your future in this career is really, really good? You know, no one's going to do it for you. And so if that's what's making people think this is a bad career, then it's like not the industry's fault. It's the designers. What's changed isn't the value of design. It's the level of intention required to succeed in it. And the industry used to be smaller and slower, and now it's more louder and visible.

5:58And the worst part, more competitive. Obviously, there's so many more people in this industry. And then online job applications and things like that that allow everyone to be applying for the same job where it's now a global audience as opposed to maybe a more local one doesn't help as well. So that doesn't make it broken. It just makes it more honest. The idea here is you do have to be a little louder. You do have to be a little more visible. You have to be more competitive.

6:29You can't succeed in this career unless you are doing some of the new rules then of engagement here. And the minute I help someone kind of make themselves more louder, visible, or competitive, and granted, you can figure your own ways on that. It's not all be this on social media or post every day on LinkedIn to be louder. It's just rising above everything else to get that next promotion or to get that next job or to get that next client, whatever it might be.

7:01Here's your report. Oh, thanks, Jane. I wish I could hire someone just like you. Try LinkedIn Hiring Pro. It's more than a job board. It's like the recruiter you always wished you had. Hiring Pro uses real-time insights to match your role to LinkedIn's unique network of professionals and delivers a shortlist of best-fit candidates. You'll spend less time sorting applicants and more time talking to the right people. Let's do it. You're irreplaceable, Jane, but another you would be great. Hire right the first time. Post your job for free on LinkedIn today at linkedin.com slash quality.

7:31This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. Those changes now are the new requirements there.

8:06So if you keep that in mind, I think that's where you can look at it and say it is still an amazing career choice. And all these things add up to what you can do to make it better, more enjoyable, more profitable, make a living, you know, all those things. If you treat graphic design like a long-term profession, one where you build skills, judgment, relationships, and trust over the years, it's still incredibly viable. It's even more so because, like, you know, I always ask friends and folks that are in a different industry, and they always are pretty, like, amazed at how good our community is and the people that we get to meet and be a part of.

8:48And they think maybe, like, oh, wow, like, you found something that you're passionate in and you got to make it your job. How many people get to say that? So just keeping that in mind has really, really made a difference for me all the time. So if you treat it like a shortcut or creative fulfillment is the most important part or quick money, it's going to feel disappointing very fast. So maybe what has made so many people so disappointed in this career choice is the fact that that's what they were doing.

9:20There was a hunt for a shortcut. There was they wanted creative fulfillment fast with quick money. That's unfair to ask of any industry, let alone this one. So it's going to be very disappointing, very fast for some people. So if that voice has made it out there and you're seeing these same things on social media that are, like, discrediting our industry, my challenge to you is to do the same thing I'm trying to do. Stand up for it a little bit. Put something out there that's more positive and optimistic.

9:53Share stories of growth. Share stories of opportunity. Share stories of community that you've made because of the work that you've gotten to do. And I just think that's great. This has always been a career for people willing to commit. And again, that's where all of the success in however you measure it really falls into place. So be willing to commit, be more visible, be louder and be more competitive. And I feel like you'll just laugh at those things the same way I'm doing.

How AI impacts professional designers

10:25Second question. Is AI and quick app kind of design replacing professional designers? No. AI and different tools, you've seen them all. The ones that are kind of like, I'm not going to name names, but quick kind of design applications that almost anyone can use. These are not replacing designers in any way. They're replacing friction. They make it easier to produce something, but they don't make it meaningful, effective or strategic.

10:56That's where the person whose hands are on that keyboard or on that pin or whatever you want to use, whatever that tool is, that's where you come in and shine. So I welcome the fact that I have non-designer friends and family that will write to me and say, like, I'm using this app and look at this cool thing I put together. Applaud them. Great. Like, that's so cool. Think of how anyone even 10, 15 years ago had PowerPoint to put together a presentation. You know, it was a great tool for everyone to use when they needed to.

11:28But when real value and real strategy need to be there, that's where you and I come in. And that's where the creative gets to play. What these tools are really doing is exposing the difference between someone who executes and someone who decides. So execution might mean I got this done quick and I needed it for my job or whatever it might be. But someone who actually decides is the person that looks at each step, each color, each font, each layout, whatever it might be, each concept, and truly understands that it got there through a series of decisions and execution.

12:07Things you've done in the past, all the decisions you've made led you there, right? AI can generate options, but it doesn't know which option is right, why it's right, or what happens after it's used in the real world. Again, that's where you and I come in. And that's where judgment, taste, value, principles, all those things come into play. So I don't feel the threat that I think a lot of people do because I'm still understanding where my role and the things that I bring of value are still there and they're still the things I put in the forefront.

12:47Tools and things I use to get there are back a house. Front of house is reputation, your customer service, the way you are with people, how disciplined you are with what you do, particularly with a new client, an old client, a boss, coworkers, the team you're on. You know, be that undeniable person. And I just feel like this conversation falls flat there. Designers who build their value around speed, output, or software knowledge feel threatened right now.

13:20And that really does make sense. I've been there. I remember when speed, output, and my knowledge of software, all I needed to worry about, everything else came with it, right? That made sense. But designers who understand context, brand, the audience, you know, the personas, the long-term impact that your project will do to the consumer, to the client, to the brand you're working for, that's more valuable than ever.

13:52And so imagine what tool you use to get there. If it still comes with all of your expertise on context, brand, audience, long-term impact, will it persuade? Will it get someone to buy? Will it get someone to advocate? Whatever it is, that really comes from you and what you bring to this equation. The long-game move isn't to fight the tools. It's to move upstream into thinking, direction, leadership, where tools become leverage instead of competition.

14:28I think more than ever, this is so important. Your thinking, your direction, and your leadership is really going to be the core of, I think, the future of any creative in this industry. Those are the things that you're going to have to bring to the table more than ever. And the tools, again, those are just leverage on how you get there and leverage on you over competition. So if someone's graduating from college right now, nine times out of ten, I'm assuming, any project, any job opportunity you are interviewed for,

15:01a small company is going to ask you, this young creative, what can you bring as far as tools and new technology that we can lean into that you can bring to us? There's your advantage and there's your value that someone has no idea what those tools are. You are coming and bringing in value and just such a great way to kind of say, like, here's what I know better than anybody. And if you need that standout, if you need that way to get a higher kind of chance of getting that job or whatever it might be, there is your leverage.

15:38So, yeah, in general, I don't believe this stuff is replacing designers. I just think the tools become the leverage now and all those other things, you're going to have to stand out even more.

Navigating the job market

15:51So next up, why does the job market feel so bad right now? It's absolutely probably in the worst situation I've ever seen. Based on, I have my finger on the pulse of this with so many of our students and alumni who are looking for jobs and are actively seeking. Then there's the, you know, a group of friends and folks that I know, colleagues that are well into their careers, you know, even 10 plus years, still finding it hard to get a single callback. Like, this graphic design industry right now is so oversaturated at the execution level.

16:25It's not oversaturated at the thinking, leadership, and ownership level. So right now, if you are in that zone where you are an executor and you're not more of a decision-making creative or a leader, I would recommend accelerating your kind of expertise more in there. And dropping in every example of leadership, every example of thinking, ownership, whatever it might be from your past jobs, even if you don't have the titles, and get that in there as much as possible.

17:00They're not looking for folks to just do execution any longer. I think they're looking for those people that could truly be the decision-makers, thinkers, and take ownership on things. Those are going to probably be key words to think. Roles that include responsibility, decision-making, and cross-functional trust are harder to get, but they are also harder to replace and better compensated. They are. I've just seen that. And I think if we can shift to, there was a great article, and I'll try to remember to put this in the notes, but it talked about how the junior level designer positions are just almost gone.

17:36Because again, it's going to be, we're going to, they're going to want you to go right out of school and be into a more director-level position. Because everything else that we talked about in the first question, AI, automations, things like that, they're going to handle so much of the execution in the future, that what people are going to want to make sure they're highlighting is responsibility, decision-making, and cross-functions that they did at their previous jobs. Again, those are harder to get, but they are harder to be replaced, and they're better compensated.

18:08So elevate to that level the best way you know how, and find those areas. And if you're currently working somewhere, ask for more of those responsibilities. Make them real things that you can put on your resume and in LinkedIn, and more importantly, in conversations you might have in those interviews. Long career, the long careers in design don't spike early. They compound slowly. The frustration feels that comes from those people that are expecting mid-career stability at early career positioning.

18:40Because we want everything faster. We can't wait. I am the most impatient person in the world. I would be probably the number one kind of person in this zone. Expecting mid-career stability at early career positioning. Yeah, I would be there 100%. So, if you want it that bad, and you want to make those moves, find ways to craft all of your website, your resume, your LinkedIn, your interviewing kind of content to truly be more in line with these things.

19:14That's not a moral failure. It's a misunderstanding of how careers actually grow. And changing times are going to call for changing tactics here. So, make sure that you are doing this, because that's where I feel like you're better off with these different things, and you might have a different perception of the job market. If you are elevating your skills and your discipline to match what they are going to be wanting within the next five to six years.

Why clients undervalue designers

19:46All right. Next up, why do clients undervalue designers and ask for endless revisions? Well, it's simple, because many designers are introduced into projects as hands, not as heads. And we've talked about this probably, there was an episode we did here, I want to say maybe even like 10 years ago, eight years ago, where it talked about like changing the perception of who you are as the designer, the creative for hire. In that situation, you don't want to just be hands, you don't want to be just pixel pushers, you want to be heads, you want to be decision makers, and you want to be the thinkers.

20:25If your role is framed as make this look better, you're going to get opinions instead of trust. It's so true. Like, there's got to be rationale, decisions, reasons behind your decisions, and that has to be communicated to the client, and whoever is undervaluing your role at this. So, if you can get that in there, your opinions now are more trusted, and I've seen this happen with clients lately, where I've taken that position much more strong at the very beginning.

21:01I want to make sure they understand that like decisions come from the data, come from the experience, and come from, you know, really fine-tuning who the consumer is and the customer is of whatever we're working on. And if we keep that in mind, the client pushback is a lot less. The client understanding of what you're doing and the decisions you're making are much more clear. So, here's where it says, client pushbacks, over-revisions, chasing a trend, this tells me that they don't understand the thinking behind the work.

21:35So, that's not because they're bad clients. It's because they weren't given clarity or understanding of your leadership. So, with every decision that you add in there, you want to make sure there's so much clarity as to why, what is the why, not it just looks great, not this is going to improve the clarity or something. It's the why. Why did you do all these things? Designers who can explain their process, articulate their decisions, and frame their work around goals instead of aesthetics are treated totally different.

22:08It's so true, guys. Think about that. Articulate your decisions. The frame of your work goes around goals instead of aesthetics. It's so true. If you're not listing out goals with any objective or creative brief, then you don't have those to go back on when a client does veer off or takes a tangent. You can go right back to those goals, and now that tells everyone where you should be. They get fewer revisions, better collaborations, and more respect when you are actually giving them the explanation of all of the process up front.

22:45It sounds a little bit more hand-holding. It's a lot more time involved. But wouldn't you rather spend a little time up front when you got them at the very beginning to explain all that rather than have the hours and hours and multiple revisions for no reason but to kind of for change sake, you know? So I'm a big believer in that. This isn't about controlling your clients. It's about guiding them, and guidance comes from clarity, not compliance.

23:15So, you know, push back. Make sure you've got all these things. You've put them into your onboarding. You've put them into all of your pitch decks and every bit of communication. And now you will be, I feel, more valued as a designer, and you will eliminate all of those unnecessary endless revisions for sure. All right. Next up. Are design influencers and quick tips ruining the industry? I don't think they're really ruining the industry. They might be distorting expectations, right?

23:48If you think of social media and what it does to reward, it rewards speed. It rewards simplicity, confidence, but not depth, nuance, or experience. It's all about the quick fix, right? And it doesn't, because it's so short form, it doesn't have the time to talk about anything in depth or a nuance or a meaningful experience. So quick tips make it seem like design is a set of formulas instead of thinking discipline. And that's where I feel like it's a little misleading, especially for younger designers who haven't had the time to build their judgment yet.

24:24So the reality is that most great design work isn't impressive in a, you know, a 15-second clip. It's impressive when it works, when it lasts, and when it solves the right problem. So, you know, as long as I think we're in that realm, I don't feel like any of that stuff hurts, you know. The designer who builds long careers aren't copying trends from social media. That's a truth. They're building foundation from the skills that they quietly are gaining.

24:57And those skills hold up long after algorithms and things move on. So, to me, it's like, let them do it. They're making some impact, you know. But again, if you aren't kind of understanding those nuances and the depth and shifting your kind of thought that, like, that's where you win. That's where you succeed. That's where your business or your career really wins. That's where it comes from. So that's my best kind of answer on that zone.

Addressing designer burnout

25:27Why are so many designers burnt out? I know. I think we all get there sometimes, right? Here's my answer. I would say because too many designers are stuck in the reaction mode, saying yes to everything, you know, chasing opportunities without direction, measuring success by output instead of sustainability. And I've been there. I remember, you know, saying yes to everything. And I actually thrived on being burned out. I remember it always felt like you're like, oh, I'm so busy.

25:57You know, I've got this, this and this and, you know, juggling so much. And it was the default answer anytime someone was asking, like, how are you doing? But burnout isn't proof that work is meaningless. It's actual proof that boundaries are missing, expectations are unclear, or the pace is unsustainable. I think a big, big part there for me is that the boundaries are missing. Saying yes kind of opens the floodgate and you are just so excited to have all this work.

26:29And sometimes building boundaries aren't the first thing that you think of when you're in the heat of it. And then you're two weeks in and it's too late. You can't, you can't introduce boundaries at this time. So creative, these creative careers require seasons. Seasons of learning, growth, rest, and reinvention too. Like you get better when you have those breaks. You get better when you are not burnt out all the time. When every season is treated like a sprint, burnout will be inevitable.

27:02But if you think of them as growth, learning, rest, and reinvention, I love that sense of like excitement I get getting back into work when I have got my timelines and all of those things in order. Longevity comes from designing your career with intention, not just reacting to what's loud or urgent. And I've lived years on those factors of... Here's your report. Oh, thanks Jane. I wish I could hire someone just like you.

27:33Try LinkedIn Hiring Pro. It's more than a job board. It's like the recruiter you always wished you had. Hiring Pro uses real-time insights to match your role to LinkedIn's unique network of professionals and delivers a shortlist of best-fit candidates. You'll spend less time sorting applicants and more time talking to the right people. Let's do it. You're irreplaceable, Jane, but another you would be great. Hire right the first time. Post your job for free on LinkedIn today at linkedin.com slash quality. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows.

28:07Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales. Using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. One of my favorite lines was when someone asked, what are you working on? I'm like, whatever's being, you know, whatever is the most urgent thing on my list right now.

28:39What a terrible way to like, you know, work every day that way. I know those days will come. And there are moments where you will have to take on more than you need to. You can't be the mastermind of your calendar all the time. So those moments will come. I know that for sure, but it shouldn't be all the time. So hopefully that helps kind of get you to consider how not to be so burnt out all the time.

Staying optimistic long term

29:03Next up, with all the noise, how do you stay optimistic about the industry? Again, I'm doing a podcast. It's doing all this kind of cool community work with both Adobe and our Los Angeles-based creative meetup, Glyphic. These things help me stay optimistic. They help me stay super excited about the industry. I don't judge the industry by the loudest voices or the worst moments. I judge it by people who are still doing great work 10, 15, 20 years in.

29:34I still love seeing incredible work. I mean, like my Instagram algorithm finally, like I'm not talking about engagement. I'm just talking about what I see in like Discover or in the feed is such an amazing work, like so much good work out there. It makes me question me all the time, but I'm just happy to see so many people still doing great work well into their career. And if that doesn't help you feel optimistic and like excited about this career, I don't know what will.

30:06You know, those people exist in every corner of design. They adapted. They learned. They changed roles. They built leverage. They stopped chasing validation and started building value in what they did. And, you know, like some of the most best designers out there are like the most quiet designers out there. And they're just sharing their work. And it's amazing and incredible to see. And I love that. So the industry isn't collapsing. It's just maturing at this point. And this always feels uncomfortable when it's happening because it's like, you know, you could challenge yourself.

30:44There's the imposter syndrome and things like that. But maturity, I love seeing this happen and I love seeing big wins, little wins for people that are in my friend circle and everything. It's so cool to see that. So that that just keeps me super optimistic about the industry. If you zoom out and play this long game, graphic design is still a career worth believing in and committing to. Unfortunately, I know a lot of people that start thinking otherwise. Right. And start exploring other things. And I get it if that's the case and you have to for just survival, obviously.

31:18But I think it's like that once a creative, always a creative. I can't imagine leaving this for something else and still not doing it in some way, shape or form. You know, a little bit on a closing here. Note graphic design doesn't have a bad reputation because it's a bad career. It has a bad reputation because social media rewards frustration more than it does perspective. Please keep that in mind. And, you know, I'm a culprit of this, too. It's like.

31:49If enough stuff is negative and frustrating in your what you're viewing, of course, it's going to feel that way. If you stay clear headed, intentional and committed to what you do, this industry still has room for meaningful, sustainable careers. It always will, regardless of what's coming up, all the new tools and things like that. So keep that optimism alive. Try to make sure you're being as intentional and committed as you can with your career.

32:19Helping others is obviously a great thing, too. I don't care where you are in your career. There's someone behind you looking for advice and looking for, you know, a little bit of reassurance that this career offers so much. So help them out as well. You know, that's how I'd love to end on this one. If you think this is helpful to anybody, please share. Comment down below. Let me know what else I'm missing. If there's anything else here that kind of helps you get through some of these hurdles. Love to hear your perspective and opinion on it as well.

32:53So, guys, have a great week. Hopefully, we'll be back next week building out the schedule with some of these folks that we're going to bring on board. Should be good. But thanks again for all your continued support. And we'll talk to you guys later.

33:06If this conversation helped you think a little longer term about your creative career, hit like and subscribe. It helps more than you think. And if you know a creative who's trying to figure out their next move, share this with them. That's how we get this community to grow. NFL football season is here, which means when you switch to Verizon, it feels like because you get NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube on us. When you buy an eligible 5G phone on select unlimited plans, which means you can watch every out of market game every Sunday afternoon.

33:38And it's all on us. Now, that's the Verizon way to kick off the NFL football season. Switch and get NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube on us. Only with Verizon.

33:51Every act of change begins with a neighbor. When neighbors connect through the Feeding America network, small actions ripple into lasting impact. Feeding America, led by neighbors. Give now to end hunger at feedingamerica.org. Thanks. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time.

34:22We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time.