Career Advice - The DESK Magazine (Page 9)

You only have to start

Many designers, both early and far into their career, do daily challenges. Most notably the “poster a day” projects and “daily UX challenge.” These exercises have become so popular that some, naturally, have begun to criticize it for a number of stupid reasons.

by Tobias van Schneider

What makes a good client

We’ve all worked with bad clients. Hopefully, we’ve all also worked with good ones. The difference is drastic.

by Rosa Koolhoven

The downsides of freelancing

You can find plenty of positive things online about being your own boss, and we all know someone who says going freelance was the best decision they've ever made. With this article, we want to give you a more realistic view of this often glorified way of living.

by Tobias van Schneider

The designer & company disconnect

Most companies I talk to are desperately looking to hire good designers. Most designers I talk to are desperately looking for work. Somewhere, there’s a breakdown happening.

by Tobias van Schneider

Junior designers vs. senior designers

The difference between a designer early in their career and a more experienced designer are easy to spot. Here we outline the key differences.*

by Tobias van Schneider

What leading companies never want to see In your portfolio

Through our How to Get a Job at X series, we've talked with creative directors and recruiters from companies like Nike, Spotify, Pentagram, Disney, Shopify and BBDO. These people see dozens of design portfolios a day and might make their decision about a candidate within seconds of landing on their

by Tobias van Schneider

The struggle for simplicity

In all the work I do, I strive for the most simple solution. I mean, the name of my business literally translates to “simple.” But simplicity is ironically one of the most difficult things to do well. Usually, the more effortless something appears, the more effort it took.

by Tobias van Schneider

How to write a cold email

When reaching out to a company, whether you’re seeking a job, introducing your product or pursuing some other opportunity, a personal connection is always best. If you can get introduced by a friend of a friend, you will be 100x more likely to receive a response (a stat I made up, but I promise it's

by Tobias van Schneider

Dreams vs. goals

The end of the year is quickly approaching and with it, New Year's Resolutions. Studies say only 8% of people achieve their resolutions, mostly because we set unrealistic or unspecific goals. I believe part of that could be solved by recognizing the difference between a dream and a goal.

by Terri Lee

What I’ve Learned Three Months Into My Design Internship

I’m done with my design internship! It’s been a busy three months working with Tobias and the Semplice team, but I sure had a lot of fun. Reflecting on my time, I’m quite impressed with what I have accomplished and how much ground I was able to cover in three months.