Career Advice - The DESK Magazine (Page 4)

It’s all a game

Despite popular media that suggests otherwise, video games can significantly improve people’s lives.

Establishing your identity as a designer

We like to say designers are not artists. It is not our goal, so we've been told, to express ourselves. Our goals are our clients’ goals. Our style is the brand we’re designing for. And yet, we are expected to have a point of view. To stand out and make a name for ourselves.

by Terri Lee

Why your unconventional design resume gives you an advantage

The design industry is a fairly accessible place to build your career. By this, I mean you don’t have to go to art school to become a successful designer.

by Tobias van Schneider

A counterintuitive way to get noticed

The typical marketing strategy goes like this: Promote yourself and what you offer. That may be a product, content or your own personal brand. Tell people about it and why it solves a problem for them, then repeat. An alternative strategy, especially for those just starting out, is this: Promote

by Tobias van Schneider

The most valuable designer

You could have one or ten years of experience. You could have dozens of awards and an abundance of praise from the press. You could nail the brief on the first take, no revisions needed. You could have a way with clients, the ability to sell or smooth over with

by Tobias van Schneider

There’s more than meets the eye

You see the edited Instagram post. Not the countless photos and strained angles it took to get that shot. You see the launched product. Not the dozens of failed ones that never saw the light of day. You see a shark attack in the headlines. Not the thousands of people

by Katie Kirsch

You could plan your life, or you could design it

The human-centered design process — from empathy and research to rapid prototyping, iteration, and so forth — often helps us to bring meaning, joy and discovery into other people's worlds. But what if this same design mindset could be used to design ourselves and our lives?

by Tobias van Schneider

An ancient, long-forgotten trick for doing good work

In this industry, we live and breathe productivity. We tap our forearms and inject articles about optimization and efficiency into our veins.

by Tobias van Schneider

How to land a design job at Instacart

The pandemic has, in many ways, accelerated the future we knew was coming soon enough. Those companies that were already positioned toward the future were among the few that thrived, despite economic shutdown. Instacart is one of them.

by Tom Hirst

The art of pricing freelance projects

You’re a freelance designer. Your core capabilities are solid, you navigate software well, you have a good eye. You produce results for people across multiple mediums. Your skills have been honed and your work is your art. But you feel that you don’t get paid what you’re worth.