Agency life
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- Rand0
then I started my own studio so I could work short hours for a meager wage...
neue75_rand
(Aug 15 06, 08:29)
- CyBrain0
Gucci, I love the "world" map on your home page.
Thanks to everyone on the thread. It was very helpful.
- gramme0
I am blessed to have a great balance of work & personal time here. My boss doesn't really care about us taking time off, as long as everythign is getting done and done well.
There have been some crazy, Chinese-fire-drill weeks since I've been here, but this summer has been refreshingly slow. It comes & goes with the seasons. It's part of the territory I reckon, but if your employer has no regard for your personal time and no recognition for the long hours, then bail. Otherwise you'll burn out for good and rue the day you chose design as a career.
- Sven_sk0
i work for international design firm whose hours are 8.30a-5p. i show up around 9a every morning, leave at 5 every day. its a 35 hour work week. a lot of times i work through lunch but thats bc i love what i am working on. now and then, i'll take stuff home in the evenings or over the weekend to work on but when the ACDs and CDs find out they are usually mad at me. the place i work for knows that work isn't everything and there is more to life than design.
they also think that if people have a life outside of work, they will be happier employees and more productive/creative while they are at work.i love the place i am at, love their client list, excellent pay, great benefits, incredible hours, no egos, plenty of room for advancement, wide variety of projects(identity, print, packaging, illustration) great talent and the best part is its a big firm 400-ish people.
its literally how i thought my dream job would be way back when i was in school. got out of school and worked a couple of placed that sucked. stumbled onto this place and it will take A LOT for me to leave. best place ever.
- parseInteger0
After years of bouncing around agencies, I am finally at one, here in NYC where we leave at 6 the majority of nights!! A wide diversity of projects, plus the benefits food, salary, beer Thursdays, on an on are through the roof. I'm so so happy I was lucky and am able to avoid Mr. Competitors sweat factory where leaving between 8-9 every night is considered normal, hard working and positive fuck that shit. Civilisation is out there. If they lie to you about the culture of the hours show them the "next" attitude they would surely show you.
- neue75_bold0
I'm about done with the 'small creative studio' scene. Long hours, extremely meager wages, my portfolio and knowledge has stopped growing...
I'm going to persue this lead that will gain me twice as much per year and I'll have no illusions about what I'll be doing.. stick with it for a year to dig myself out of this financial pit I'm in, then start my own studio so I can once again work long hours for a meager wage...
- pyeaton0
Totally agreed with your post enfocusmedia!
"Fortifed, i've worked in teh corporate scene for a few years in the past and i know what you are saying...
However, after a few years of working within the same brand, it can really kill your creative drive..."
I am currently in an internal design dept. First, I have had the creativity sucked out of my soul by a bland and lifeless brand. Second, I feel that is kinda effin up my career. The money is ok, but I do not trust this place what so ever. Very "good ole boys" club. I am taking a few web dev classes, and plan on moving on after that. I agree with everyone in this thread, that it is hard to find that happy medium between living a life in which u get paid well, and are fed creative work order after creative work order, only to sign in blood and spend your days and nights pounding on these jobs, or, working for an intellectual sinkhole (like me) to savour less hours and less stress. However, take it from me, I find what I am doing right now v ery stressful. Each day, I feel my creative skills being drained from me and worry about my career.
Good luck in finding your happy place all.
- rafalski0
I'm more miserable about the job than I am happy about getting married. This obviously has to change.
CyBrain
(Aug 14 06, 18:11)They say it does after you get married :)
- Sven_sk0
I worked 148 hours in one week 4 weeks ago.
is that even possible i mean there are only 168 hours in a week (24hoursX7days)
seriously!
- blastofv0
I've got a pretty good thing going at a small agency with high expectations, but no stupid hours (with rare exceptions). Every once and a while I think about jumping ship for more exciting projects at a bigger agency, but it's not worth it. And I've got a young family to support as well, so no point rocking the boat.
So I keep my creative soul fed with side projects, both freelance and client-free. Ever since I started up a few design-for-the-sake-of-design projects on the side, I've been a much much happier designer and person. It doesn't all need to come from the salaried work.
- uncle_helv0
I've stopped putting in the long hours...fuck'em. Think about it, your only pretty much designing shit that is gonna end up in the bin or need re-designing in a few months, year. Is it really worth losing your own precious time and getting all stressed over a brochure, website, advert? -It's not like anyone is gonna die and nevermind all this learning curve
it is making me a better designer rubbish, all shit!!I'm married now and any time I get with my wife is so important, it's only a job, it's unhealthy too when I use to work really long days I felt like shit, all grey and on a diet of coffee and fags, now I make sure I'm away for about 7-7:30pm your time is precious, their time is charged.
In short I think I'm dissallusioned with this poxy industry at the moment, clients over controlling the outcome of the work with what appears to be no repect or trust of your judgement, and the unrewarding nature of your own agency to boot.
To have the simple life!!
- paraselene0
then start my own studio so I can once again work long hours for a meager wage...
neue75_bold
(Aug 15 06, 08:29)you may change your mind about that when i remind you of a certain contract signed in blood that i forced you to sign whilst you were under the influence.
you'll have to hire me, sucka!
*cackle
- barbtastic0
agency=alcoholics
happens for a reason.
- parseInteger0
It's true about small and mid size agencies though. My incredible deal is with an international digital media company under Grey Global Advertising. I've always found that huge just works better for me. I push the creativity into our ads and I've got myself to be creative that's the most important thing!
- sandpipe0
for all you stressed young hypermotivated designers:
when the work is done, the work is done. don't hang around in the agency. don't wait for others, although you have nothing to do anymore. don't have a bad conscience. if you can help somebody out, ok, that's a different thing, but in general you have to show the people around you that you have a private life too. fo me, this behaviour is working fine now. i've learned.
- arohner0
I have been very lucky to work at firms that do respect your life outside of work, but they can be hard to find. I also worked as a designer for a corporation in their internal design department and it was very 'office space.' The same work each week, gray cubicles, UGH. I only worked there a year. Great pay, benefits, and 8-5, but very depressing and certainly not good for my creativity.
I work for an awesome agency now. They do not work us like slaves. If I want to stay late, I do by choice. They are very respectful of my time. (The boss has even told me to leave sometimes - "Get out of here already. It's Friday!" It's great and I am very lucky.
I think one of the main problems with the agencies that over-work people is that their project managers do not properly manage the project timelines and work resources or they promise unreasonable deadlines without talking to the creative team first. That is a serious problem and that is part of what causes some designers to work 70 hours a week - because something unreasonable has been promised and now it's on their shoulders.
No worries. Not all agencies are like that. Life is too short to spend so much of your time working.
- pyeaton0
No kidding arohner! What is it with AE's and PM's that think designers press the F7 key and have an entire layout designed?
- neue75_bold0
then start my own studio so I can once again work long hours for a meager wage...
neue75_bold
(Aug 15 06, 08:29)you may change your mind about that when i remind you of a certain contract signed in blood that i forced you to sign whilst you were under the influence.
you'll have to hire me, sucka!
*cackle
paraselene
(Aug 15 06, 08:38)I didn't think a contract was needed, I thought your presence was implied, even mandatory...
- mightyj0
I used to get worked to death as well and now I have found a company that actually supports having a life outside of work. There are always options out there. You'll be missing life too much by working that much. I am fine with working late every once and a while but if becomes prat of a weekly thing then there is no point.
- CyBrain0
I've been designing for 12 years. This is the hardest I've ever had it. It's killing me. I'm leaning towards freelance, taking contracts. I'm getting married next month and I'm more miserable about the job than I am happy about getting married. This obviously has to change.