A lot of people believe that there is a magic secret behind a successful career.
The truth is that the only secret on which everyone agrees is that you will have to be follow a simple set of habits. These so-called productive habits are quite straightforward and surprisingly common. Obviously, some specifics are usually adapted to artists or graphic designers, but the generic advice is virtually the same in all walks of life.
1. Be organized
You are most likely working as a freelancer who has to, somehow, manage all these things and make it all work smoothly.
This is where being well organized becomes terribly important. No matter how talented or passionate you are about your work, you won’t make it far if you don’t stay organized. You will have to keep track of your projects, clients and deadlines at all times. Keeping yourself organized is also important when it comes to functionality and the effectiveness of your work.
For instance, searching for a file for hours on end can be disastrous when trying to meet a deadline.Tip: there are a lot of software tools to help you keep organized. AnyTime Organizer, Efficcess, C-Organizer and MSD Organizer are some of the best ones.
2. Communicate
Communication is one of the major cornerstones of good graphic design. It’s more important than the theory of colors, knowing about contrasts or gestalt principles. It’s more important even than being a good technician or a fast worker. Communication is everything and you will have to know how to work together with your customer.
If you can’t communicate efficiently, you simply won’t understand the brief, won’t be able to make changes to a project and you won’t be able to share your ideas. Because of this, having good oral and writing communication skills is crucial in this field of work.
Knowing how to communicate will also help your work — when you can communicate with your client, your work is better and everyone is happier.
3. Be a marketer
When you work as a graphic designer, you don’t just create awesome graphics, you also sell.
You will have to learn how to market your work and, most importantly, sell your work. You’ll have to create a product that brings value to customers and smooths out any anxiety about spending money.
You will have to show your customer that, when buying your graphics, he will make more money and his business will be more successful. Always focus on bringing value and know how to make it financially viable for your customer.
4. Know how to prepare for success
Always be ready for your next big client, no matter how small your other clients are. This means you should always have enough resources for bigger projects.
Focus on having libraries of tools, stock images, software packages, a complete set of graphic devices and computers and sufficient time slots.
Also, have a plan on how to deal with bigger projects and have everything in place.
Another important aspect when handling bigger projects is your ability to outsource. You have to have trusted people that you can outsource your weaknesses to.
5. Be positive and proactive
Creatives always struggle with this and, unfortunately, it’s the #1 barrier to their success.
Keeping a positive attitude when projects fail, deadlines are missed or clients have weird requests can be daunting, but you’ll have to find the confidence to pull through. Be proactive and helpful, focus on the important projects and try to learn from your mistakes.
Take initiative whenever things fall behind or fail.
Emad Taha 