How to get your first design job.
Industry insiders share what helps junior designers get hired.
There is no one set way to get a job in design, especially in today's competitive creative industry.
Speaking at Saatchi & Saatchi's SXSW New Creators’ Showcase, chief creative officer Franki Goodwin reflected on a career path that has taken her across multiple disciplines. “I went from being a designer, to an illustrator, to filmmaker to a CCO,” she said. “It is this kind of polymath, non-linear careers that we are seeing more and more in culture and in the submissions for the creator showcase.”
As design evolves, industry leaders and juniors advise newcomers to be proactive, create passion projects and embrace new skills and technology. See our piece on are junior design roles really disappearing? for more on entry level roles.
Hobbies and passion projects
Personal projects, like Daniel's magazine, can be a powerful way to stand out, says Emily Lyddon, associate creative director at Seen Presents, who regularly hires junior designers.
“A lot of CVs have been amazing but the ones that have a passion project have shone out. It shows they’ve got something a bit different about them and they care about trends,” Emily says.
From 3D printing and fashion shoots to printing and clock making, these projects reveal more than technical skills. “You can tell they’ve gone above and beyond to push what they are interested in and you get so much of their personality coming through,” she says.
Emily found her place in the events industry, designing experiential activations. “Events are the world where people who don’t fit in one particular place are where you end up. You love a bit of everything and get a bit bored working in one place,” she says. Or, as she puts it, the industry attracts the “misfits”.
Her own career began with a steep learning curve. The first project was an activation in Cannes for a TV festival – then the biggest job her agency had undertaken. “It was a big deal, and I got dragged in fresh out of university learning the ropes,” she says.