Getting older and working in design
- Started 11 years ago
- Last post 4 years ago
- 129 Responses
- Maaku0
This will be us before we hit ____(age)
- Ben991
I'll turn 38 next March.
I'm into graphic design and related stuff since 1999, it's been 16 years.I feel I've never completely become expert in any particular area of creation. I'm ok at illustration, i'm ok at graphic design, i'm ok at photography, i'm a beginner in web design stuck in basic-mid css+html.
I have a comfortable job since 15 years where I do lots of various thing, but all those thing are basic stuff created rapidly for TV. Never been in an agency to create serious elaborated stuff. 99.99% of the stuff i create at work will never be in my portfolio because its all basic shitty stuff. All my portfolio is made of personal projects except a few freelance jobs i'm doing at home after work. But i like my job, pays well too.
I know i will never find any job like the one i got right now. Its unique. If i ever lose that job i will be in front of a wall. I have zero idea what I would do or what I want to do.
Graphic design doesn't excite me as much as before. I was creating stuff non-stop a few years ago. Now, since a few years I only got a creative rush like 1 or 2 time a year... and it last a few weeks or couple month. Rest of the time i dont feel like creating or i dont feel what i try to do looks good.
Creating stuff for clients that tells you what they want and gives you 500 words to fit on a business card. I'm fucking tired of that shit. Creating stuff with shitty logos and shitty pictures that doesn't fit the canvas size and ratio, i'm fucking tired of that shit.
And everyone is a designer these days. The profession has been diluted in all those "Website for 50$" and "Logo for 5$" websites...
So, yeah. Getting older and working in graphic design is not cool for everyone. It's really motivating and cool when you're 22 years-old. But now at 40, its another game and lots of us are starting to get confuse and unsure about certain aspects of all this.
- Geith4
I'm 51 and wait, let me check my pulse – yep, I'm dead.
- < from beyond the gravedee-dubs
- What? You don't know? All of us here... we're already dead.
https://www.youtube.…ETM
- Bennn-1
any idea what careers are made for introverts having a bachelor degree in graphic design but who dont want to work specifically as graphic designer anymore?
I've read social network manager is tailored for those people.
Any of you are or know people doing this job?
what else?
- Well, considering the entire social media employment space is in a bubble ready to burst, I wouldn't put many eggs in that basket.ETM
- social media are about to burst?Bennn
- Some burst but others come along. That seems to be the thing for a while.CyBrainX
- I mean, how long can Snapchat stay popular?CyBrainX
- ArchitectofFate0
Fuuuuck this was 6 years ago now I know why I feel the same way now that I'm 36
- 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.
- colin_s0
the funny thing is being 38 with a degree in design doesn't really help for much else.
but yeah, i'd say my passion for design is the same as it ever was, in that when i use it for myself - in art or my personal work - i still love it, but i hardly have a desire to work in-house somewhere.
i'd like to be part of a collaborative / team effort, or do something like find an old town newspaper that i could work with.
- Salarrue0
I think any business related studies helps to understand what potential good clients are looking for and with a +20 years experience in the field, one is more capable to come up with creative business solutions / work.
I find these are a good summaries by John Maeda about the current design field potential for "older" designers.
- Also the creative process is similar for every medium. At heart we’re problem solversscarabin
- scarabin11
39 here. I’m moving toward sculpting, prop making, and set design. Also been building stock for a festival shop i’m gonna get serious about after covid. Got tired of being behind a desk all day!
- Nice! Sound like your having fun with it.
I still don't know what I want.Sellies - I'm ready for a new career by 40 too. I just don't know what to do.mapleT
- do you still look like a final fantasy character?********
- Yesscarabin
- Mostly because i wear a wizard hat while gardeningscarabin
- Cool. I dig your hair********
- Nice! Sound like your having fun with it.
- Chimp4
40, running my own small agency. I could never go back to working for someone else's agency. The whole team is remote.
We do a mix of corporate stuff and some "cool shit" for small local companies.
I glad I've got some young guns on to help out.
- Sound like a dream. Was it hard to start? How did you get clients?Longcopylover
- I was actually pretty easy. I had been working for 14 years so I had quite a few industry contacts.Chimp
- ********-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.
- cannonball19781
There is also the question of whether it interests you anymore, digital design...
It would make sense that those who were captivated bu the early frontier stages of the industry would wish for something else now that it has ossified into a business capability with all the rigidity and frameworks applied.
That phase of an industry would naturally attract designers who are less artistically inclined.
- Yes but also isn't money lovely********
- Find other things you like to do for money.cannonball1978
- Yes but also isn't money lovely
- scarabin12
I got into design because as a kid adults would ask me what i wanted to be when i grew up. “Artist”, i’d say. They’d correct me and say that’s no career. The right answer was “graphic designer”. So i changed my answer.
As it turns out design is *like* art but with all the fucking soul sucked out of it. I became a designer and it ruined the artist in me. So fuck those clowns.
If you ever ask a kid that question and they say they want to be a dinosaur or explorer when they grow up you fucking tell them it’s fantastic idea, don’t correct them with some bullshit adult “no i mean how do you want to sell your self to make someone else rich” answer.
Adults are stupid and work is a scam. Be the best T-Rex you can be, MF. I’m only now giving myself permission to do that.
- On the other hand I know a bunch of artists who didn't go to design school and they're very poor.********
- But I fully agree 100% DO NOT EVER correct a kid on their dreams!!Just because you're dead inside and a failure does not mean you should encourage more failure!********
- One dude decided he wanted to be a gorilla and landed the part in half a dozen hollywood movies. Do what you wanna do. Be poor. Who caresscarabin
- Dude I wanted to be a designer when I was a kid. I made class stationery in 2nd grade. And I had a logo for my superhero character. And I drew it everywhere.monospaced
- That’s awesomescarabin
- Gayyyyyy
Jk******** - every time i told my mom i wanted to be a photographer she would say, "yea but what do you really want to do?" m%$#!sea_sea
- You grow up because you're told to stop playing. Fuck the school system and greymen!ArchitectofFate
- I wanted to study fine are but got pushed in to graphics. But I actually really like it.Chimp
- also DO NOT EVER correct a 30s person on their NEW dreams! Let them experience even more failure doing something elsegrafician
- I was convinced I wouldn’t be an artist even while getting an art degree on the side and holding the in house design lead position for 2 years at my university.monospaced
- I decided to drop the law pursuit even after stuffing for and taking the LSAT and doing quite well. Still paying for the design school 16 years later.monospaced
- wow. that really hits home. Bravo scarabin.randommail
- Love you, old schoolerBonSeff
- @mono. I wanted to be a designer too. I repeatedly drew a logo for myself on my hand in 6th grade. I did hand drawn lettering and illuminated manuscripts.CyBrainX
- On the other hand I know a bunch of artists who didn't go to design school and they're very poor.
- shapesalad-2
It sucks.
- Chimp11
Today one of my team produced a better design than me. She's 12 years younger than me.
I was actually so happy. It meant that I can finally concentrate on the direction of the company and strategy rather than doing all the hands on work.
In the past I would have been insecure about this but now I find it a relief.
- Same here... The only difference is that now I can focus on doing nothing :Dgonzalle
- You lucky man! Achievement unlocked, lolgrafician
- Yeah, the young(er) guy who works with me is a waaaaay better 3D artist than I ever will be - just his post work is rusty and he knows this.face_melter
- I'm glad I'm running my own thing as it would be worrying if this happens in an agency where every f-ing thing is a competitionChimp
- Doesn't bother me none - I fucking hate 3D now but I have learned a *lot* from him. I'm from a time of just smashing shit together in Ps to make it work.face_melter
- So I teach him the shortcuts for my post effects and colour balancing.face_melter
- kill and drink her blood... steal her skills and youth!necromation
- As the saying goes, only hire people better than you! Looks like you did - congrats.nylon
- desmo1
I love and appreciate the design world but I can't really see myself being in the design world in the next 5+yrs. The idea of career change is freaky at this older age.
- cannonball19783
I’m looking for work and have noticed that I am either too expensive (which they tell me) or too old (which they don’t). I wonder if I’ve aged out of working in design. At least in the ways that let me get a job in my field (UX and design strategy).
- Get a skateboard and https://cdn.vox-cdn.…********
- With you there... grey hair doesn't help. hence just do my own business even if it earns less... and trade stocks/crypto.shapesalad
- Get a skateboard and https://cdn.vox-cdn.…
- cannonball197810
^
I think I may have landed something starting on Thursday. I’m not dead yet!
