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It’s now over a year since I graduated. I quickly learned getting a job in graphic design is hard. I really need to update this post, Tips for Young Graphic Designers, which I wrote back in March. The advice is still applicable. But I’ve learned even more since, so I’d write things differently, and probably write more.

Graphic Design. Most exciting to me is that I’ve learned I can drop the first word. I’m not really a graphic designer. I much prefer the term experience designer. In the last few months I’ve become a huge fan of Don Norman. I’m also fascinated by the approach towards design by places like IDEO, who embrace design as a whole (I’m working my way through Designing Interactions, an excellent book written by co-founder Bill Moggridge).

Similar, but not the same, Adaptive Path has a very interesting view on experience design. (Tragically I’m missing their UXWeek, which is next week.) I think their philosophy towards experience design is summed up in this blog post about Starbucks: Starbucks is not about the coffee, by Peter Merholz:

“[...] I don’t think it’s about The Coffee. Starbucks has to deliver a basically good product, but they don’t need to deliver a superlative product. [...]

What they need to do is make the store experience inviting, not so much about pushing product, but about being that Third Place (not home or work) where people can get a respite.”

Merholz’s advice to Starbucks is that they focus on the whole experience engendered by the coffeehouse visit. Coffee is predictable and nice to have, but Starbucks is really about having negative space where you can stay as long as you want without the pressures of home or work. It’s the whole experience that has made Starbucks successful… not (just) the coffee.

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Working for a software company is great: as well as designing graphic elements, I work with wireframes and think about how people interact with interfaces and devices. I get to use all of my brain. It’s the focus on people and interactions that makes this kind of design work utterly compelling. (And it’s removed all guilt about getting an iPhone. It’s work, right.)

My advice to the new generation of graphic designers: educate yourselves! Take your degree as a starting point, but really: don’t pigeonhole your interests too quickly, because the industry is changing.

I’d like to direct you to this really excellent post on Design Observer: Michael McDonough’s Top Ten Things They Never Taught Me in Design School. I’d recommend anybody and everybody read this, as it’s excellent advice and applicable to life in general.