Things every designer can relate to

Let’s face it, we all know that being a designer is a fun career because they get to do something they love for a living instead of something more on a day to day work basis. Being a designer means you care about the details and visuals for the company. Great designers are inquisitive, creative, imaginative, and highly motivated.

But most of us who do not know, designers have different kinds of challenges and struggles with the industry and with themselves. Here are some problems you will only understand if you’re in graphic design:

That one ink stroke that you can’t find the layer to

No matter what you do, it’s always advisable to work on several layers instead of applying all your changes to the background layer. However, if you have tons of layers, it’s hard to find the one you’re looking for on the canvas because it is overlapping and it will become messy. They say creating a new layer for each effect or modification and naming them accordingly will make it easier for later changes. As a Photoshop user, you must be organised.

Constantly pressing CTRL+S

The fear of crashing and potential deletion of output is a nightmare for every designer and even all of us who’s currently working on progress. There is nothing more annoying than losing a big part of your work when your computer freezes. Pressing CTRL+S is somewhat a reflex for a designer in every change in their designs. Though it’s far less necessary with today’s more stable technology with autosave present even in photoshop, some designers still consider pressing CTRL+S as an action to bring about peace of mind.

Photoshop stopped responding

One thing for sure is irritating when you’re in a hurry because you have deadlines then all of a sudden, your computer overload and stops working. We know it’s frustrating when you encounter this kind of problem, so it is better to check if there are too many layers open and try to reduce them. Make sure it is also up to date, and reset photoshop preferences. You can also fix this problem by closing other programs using the Task Manager.

Explain the design

It is more likely that you will work with a non-creative team or clients as well, sometimes when you can’t explain the design in your head with words, it is a bit frustrating. Your ideas sometimes don’t align with them. But always remember that a great designer is a great collaborator! It’s advisable to show a client or team that you can design exactly what they want, but it’s also important to try to give them your thoughts on the design and some of your original ideas!

Never-ending revisions

We can’t please everybody, that not all clients and teams are easy to work with and some can be downright annoying. They can’t seem to see your work the way you see it, so there go the never-ending revisions and versions of your design. Or maybe you’re just a little too picky in terms of fonts, size or colours!

Ran out of ideas

Running out of ideas or exhaustion can occur after a certain amount of time, but it is much more prominent among professionals. Where once a blank canvas was a call to adventure and a chance to test your ideas, it has become a foe getting in the way of something else you might be doing. When you’re doing something repetitive and don’t have any other interests and hobbies, you might get creative burnout. Remember it is okay to have breaks and explore things around you. Try and learn something new to help you inspire and refresh your ideas.

Was there anything on the list that somehow made you smile because you have experienced it? Share with us your creative ups and downs when you sign up and join us at People’s Inc.

Also, don’t forget to share this with your creative friends and remind them that being a creative designer is a tough career but an adventurous one!