Where is the good work? Is everything shit?
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- Raybandana0
I figured most other designers would say everything is shit.
I guess its alot of luck and being really talented.- You only get talented through hard work.omahadesigns
- geahRaybandana
- Yup. Hard Work = Luck
breadlegz
- whinger0
Keep your head down, do good work, do more good work, do your own good work, and keep busy. It's a marathon, not a sprint. If you can last it out, things tend to work out. The person who said it depends on who you know is wrong — it's how easy you are to get along with, how good your work is, how little you bitch about things, how often you have results. Make your client, peers, coworkers look good, and you'll never be without work.
- forever a good slave...omg
- lol totally.Raybandana
- Slave? If you think that is slavery then your life must be remarkableGnash
- whinger0
Regarding the slave comment above, I was going to reply in the side thing, but it doesn't allow enough words.
I have lurked on here since pretty much the beginning and rarely comment, but what I have noticed over the years is that the vast majority of you are genuinely miserable at your jobs. Raybandana wanted to know how to get better work — and in my experience there is only one way. Earn it. There always will detractors to working for something, I won't be changing your opinion, nor will you change mine in that regard. All I can do is tell Raybandana how I got to where I am. I love my job, and the majority of the work I do is pretty fun. Yes, there are other ways to get there, and I'm sure you can do it without earning it; but that is the way I did it and is the only path I know. Your mileage may vary.
- Claymantis0
Yea thanks for the words. I'm happy that I can even do graphics design and get paid for it. But I just feel there is so much crappy work and the only people I've met that do great work are freelancers. Everyone who works for agencies seems to get sucked into a big shitty void. I guess if I do more proactive work and work really hard - things might work out. I've been so jaded by being laid off over and over - and never given the chance to work on amazing things. I've done great work but not amazing work.
- omahadesigns0
Sometimes agency = higher pay and shorter hours.
Life is short. If you hate going to work, that is one thing. But if you have a good job that is easy but boring and pays for a nice home and life, that is just the American dream.
- yurimon0
one word that will say it all.
"Bansky"
your welcome.. k/
- sem0
What is stopping you from doing both? can you not work on your own stuff outside of your regular job? I think thats what a lot of people do until their personal stuff really jumps off.
- Yea I guess I should just be doing more proactive work.Raybandana
- matski0
Welcome to the real world. Wow, its taken you eight years to find this out?
Good work won't find you, you'll have to seek it out. Find clients who will give you the freedom to do great work, and target them by tailoring your folio, sending 'warm' emails, that sorta thing.
- hahaha well didn't take me 8 years... but I thought someone would have good clients eventually - I guess I have to just find them myself.Raybandana
- find themRaybandana
- I've been trying to MAKE good work all these years and now you tell it's already out there only waiting to be FOUND?ORAZAL
- formed0
Have you looked around you? Most everything creative kinda sucks - cars, architecture, industrial design, etc., etc. It takes a nice culmination of project, client and budget to get a great design done. Much of the drive to do your own thing is you can control some of the variables, at least a little. Also why many companies enter competitions and to design exercises/marketing efforts w/ o a client (or put more time into a potentially good project that exceeds the budget, that's what I tend to do - assign a marketing valuation to something and invest more to make it better).
Every company is also only gong to show their best work, which leaves most to be forgotten. I only use a small percentage for marketing or presentation pieces.Luck is also a part of it, but we can't really control that.
- True.Raybandana
- This is the truth. The world is shit.reanimate
- hahah yea - fuck the world eh boysRaybandana
- matski0
I've been a designer (digital and print) for a while, I've worked at several high profile design agencies and I can say may be one or two projects a year are fun. The rest pays the bills.
- I wonder what percentage of designers, say the same thing 99%?Raybandana
- breadlegz0
Someone somewhere once said you should create the work that you want to be working on.
How much time do you spend working on your own projects?
- I use to do ALOT.. but then it just became a game of survival.. I need to get my personal stuff going again.Raybandana
- Raybandana0
I've just been trying to survive and pay off student debt and the huge cost of living. I should just be making my own side projects and putting that work out there - trying to attract clients. But I was too busy trying to stay a float..
- yurimon0
There are different aspects to this I think. Usually people or clients will say I want something different and new, great, cutting edge, never been done, etc, but when it comes down to it, nobody wants to take the risk that comes with that type of work. so in essence it comes to making it look like something they are familiar or comfortable with. and if you get statistics or proven strategies, case studies involved, then you are basically working off of past success n staying within those safety confines of proven safety so that what you are creating will monetized for the client. nobody wants a hot piece of work that doesn't deliver the money back to their business so.
If you want to treat what you are doing as fine art then you might want to find clients that would be willing to give you more freedom. either that comes from choosing clients or getting less money for more freedom of expression perhaps. I'm not sure or find another venue of expression?
- bainbridge0
Most people in the world do not like their jobs.
That's why they call it work.
- Raybandana0
Do you think building a portfolio of made up work will attract clients? Like I could just make amazing work - but its not real. And after 8 years you'd expect to have amazing work. I have solid, good work... but Its taken sooo long - just to get a few pieces. I feel making up work wont sound as good when you speak about it and client / agencies wont take you seriously.
- start with using correct punctuation before you start faking that you do good work for clientsmonospaced
- haha back at it eh - policing random people on QBN... So lame... so you have anything else better to do - like love your wife.Raybandana
- wife. http://oi41.tinypic.…Raybandana
- < lol ...the police is here...yurimon
- first off, learn to take a fucking joke you tubby bitch, and finally own up that you're Claymantis because it's already obvious.monospaced
- Who? And I'm not learning anything from you but your a big asshole who bullies people online.Raybandana
- you're - your - you are - a - an - asdjasfjhsda;ofijsdo...Raybandana
- I am certainly not a big bully.monospaced
- Tell yourself whatever you want.Raybandana
- monospaced0
Hey Claymantis! Long time, buddy.
- Raybandana0
this is my old painting work - http://postimg.org/image/pxki7a5…
- reanimate0
I don't see anything wrong with self-initiated work, since it shows what you are capable of without the client messing it up.
One of my design professors once said "I always know what is best for the client." To be honest his work was kind of shit, but this may be true for many people.