Getting older and working in design
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- necromation1
41 and still sticking my dick in the mashed potato... The key is to always make yourself relevant.
Most designers just ride waves, i just make em.
- The point is that you can't and you don't and you won't stop.CyBrainX
- ^^^^Bingo.necromation
- formed0
Another thing to consider is other professions. I came from architecture, where the most famous don't do much until they are in their 50's. There's lots of reasons for it, but the point is that creativity doesn't die, it's always there.
Frank Gehry is 86 years old and just design Facebook's new buildings. I could list more and more. Point being the only way it dies is if you let it.
- I think architecture and graphic design are two different animals in this respect. Age and reputation are important for both but for an average designer withoutfadein11
- a big reputation the work may dry up in middle to old age. It's a trend driven industry and unless a trend-maker age is an issue.fadein11
- Pavement Lyric: Architects are like virgins without an itch they cannot scratch. Never build a building till your 50, what kind of life is that?Knuckleberry
- lol, I used to listen to that just after grad school...and when I switched careersformed
- but also keep in mind most architects sucks, just like any other profession...I was just trying to offer some hope ;-)formed
- utopian0
I have been slowly migrating to architectural design & architectural sculptural world from visual design over the past five years. I'm hoping to get out of the identity, branding, web and app world sooner rather than later.
- congrats on making floorplanspinkfloyd
- #autocadpinkfloyd
- I build dreams bitch!utopian
- I do environmental... it's fun most of the time.Knuckleberry
- shapesalad2
https://issuu.com/slanted/docs/sā¦
Grey... white haired designer - nice typography.
- pseud2
I appreciate you all for sharing your thoughts. I'm learning a lot.
- CyBrainX0
Age, aside, I just wish I could get a job. 13-14 interviews since September and only intermittent freelance so far. This is the worst job market since I started in the mid 90s.
- Sorry to hear - for some reason I had it in mind that you had quite a cozy finance-related gig. I have absolutely no idea why.
Things are picking up. Good luck!Nairn - I worked at the NY Stock Exchange two years ago. That place had turnover like crazy. My last gig was an 18 mo. contract at Yahoo FinanceCyBrainX
- Sorry to hear - for some reason I had it in mind that you had quite a cozy finance-related gig. I have absolutely no idea why.
- StoicLevels-1
I lasted until my early 30's, then got bumped out by the kids.
I deserved it, I was a cunt.
It was a good experience, I still have a couple of clients I do things for but it's over.
Design is life, though. I learned a lot from design.
- what did you transition into doing?dee-dubs
- writing and event productionStoicLevels
- It's good to change and evolve your career.Chimp
- yeah Im happy with the change overall. no complaintsStoicLevels
- Continuity0
So a little follow-up to what I posted above.
Another CD at the agency where I work ā roundabout my age, I think a year older or so ā has decided to only come in two days a week, devoting the remaining three working days to teaching advertising at a local uni.
Part of me thinks, 'Well done, mate, you've managed to re-invent yourself somehow.'
Another part of me thinks, 'Fuck me. Is this how I'm going to be put out to pasture when my time comes? I have to stand in front of a bunch of kids and _teach_?!'
I'd rather staple my bag to my leg.
- shellie2
I'm still in my early 30s but I started working as an animator and designer at a very young age. My first big corporate job came at 19 years old and it wasn't my first in design. Worked 5 years on staff and the rest as a roaming agency freelancer, eventually working entirely at home. I became a hybrid producer/developer near the end of my run. The last 3 years I've transitioned out of it completely.
Now I am an entertainment talent manager and tour manager. I still work with agencies now and then but in a much different capacity. I'm greatful i spent all these years growing those relationships. I've found it much easier to pull in a nice big advertising jobs for my clients than other talent managers because I'm much more familiar with what is going on and how to pitch an agency to work with this painter or that musician. Most recently one of my music clients did an online series for national geographic that I was able to produce on the talent side with no sweat and that funded all our other projects for a year. A lot of my peers in the talent managrment industry have to grind a lot harder to find traditional ways to work their clients.
A lot of my ideas are grounded in completing the online/offline loop which had increased my clients earning power. I've found my peers to be left scratching their heads when it comes to doing that. But now I can also be creative in ways I couldn't behind an agency desk. A client of mine is an endless well of merchandising opportunities which I've been able to design, help manufacture and launch. I find a lot of what I learned over the years has been useful if applied in a different way.
I may join a management group sometime this year. I found some other managers that have a more traditional experience in that field that really value what I can do. I'm a bit lonely working solo for such a long time and this new career path allows for work in groups and freedom to move around and do what you want as long as you're brining in the dough. It's kinda nice.
- BK1
You guys are bumming me out.
- CyBrainX0
I haven't really suspected age getting in my way until a couple of years ago when I turned 50. I didn't have any issue in my 30s. I can get freelance frequently enough but I'm getting turned down for full time time jobs I know I'm more than qualified for even before I can talk about money.
- cannonball19782
I'm 36. For me much of the burnout stems largely from doing what I do for other people and allowing their drawbacks to chafe with me.
I love designing things. I hate doing it for other people. I think my escape will be the rough and tumble world of design entrepreneurialism.
- utopian2
bottom line...if you do wireframes you are hired.
- georgesIII1
Great thread,
one of my biggest fear is not to get older or work forever in this field, but to get bypassed by the technology we need to actually make a living from it.
I've been getting more involved in the tech side of design and what is happening right now is pretty close to the invention of the printing press,
Every month my inbox get flooded by faster, smaller, less complex to use IOT platformS, 3D printers, 3D Scanners, sensors, microchip,
Anyone can come with an concept and actually bring it to production in less than a year which is excellent which is excellent, but when you take look in field like web development, anyone can now make a professional looking website with squarespace, wordpress, etc and it won't be long before an algorithm creates website depending on our personal tastes >> https://thegrid.io/
So yeah, I would love to grow old in this field, but I don't think it will sustain me in the 10 or 20 years, The speed in which A.I. and other tech are evolving, is making me thing that "designers" in the future will be a select niche with a special set of skill sets,
- "but to get bypassed by the technology we need to actually make a living from it." thisbklyndroobeki
- the print world is pretty static right? does it ever change?bklyndroobeki
- slappy0
My plan to stay relevant is to slowly move out of design and into more of a producer role. Its fairly straight forward for me as I'm a digital designer.
As the web is maturing, its becoming clear that good websites require good planning and great content. Therefore the designers role is moving from design and front end dev into a much more interesting place. Audience research, content planning, art direction, design, project management, online marketing and social strategy.
I know this sounds really boring but what this translates to is time to do the job properly, getting to know your market by sending out surveys (social), interviewing stakeholders, and writing a kickass creative brief/functional spec.
Then planning and finding talent, producing photoshoots, briefing the copywriters, planning and art directing videos, working with 3D visualisation artists, meeting with SEO and online marketing partners, finding/quoting with developers, forging relationships with other creatives.
This type of role requires experience and is suited to older designers who know the business. Rather than being one piece of the puzzle, design the puzzle and choose the pieces.