Why
This month I continued trying to define the professional career path I want to pursue. Do I pursue visual design, UX/UI design, or perhaps service design? It is a question I am still trying to answer. But this means I have to figure out what specific criteria and experience I need to be able to get accepted for a position. On the other hand, I need to figure out how I can acquire the experience, how to reach these places, or how to make the right steps. At the core of all these practical questions, however, lies the why.
Intermission backstory
Why do I even care about design in general? My academic background is in IT and software engineering. I used to be a heavy fan of backend systems; my curiosity about how backend and cloud systems worked has always stuck with me. Because, of course, I love dissecting systems and building them back up. However, once concepts like business, maintenance, and admin came into play, I got bored and became less interested in it.
I always had a knack for two things in life: analyzing stuff and creating something.
So I chose software engineering in the hope of creating and learning more. But again, business analysis, maintenance, and support made me less interested in software engineering.
That changed when I followed a minor in design research, design thinking, and collaborative design. I learned that design and creativity do not have to belong to one expert. Through communication, clarification, and collaboration, more people can participate in the process. And in return, I became inspired to become a designer as well, because I learned I could technically design everything. I discovered that, as long as I understand why I am designing something, I can use design to provide something meaningful to people.
Unfortunately, I was already in my final year of uni when I realized how valuable and fulfilling it would be to pursue a design career. But I told myself that I would figure out how I could end up being a designer who co-designs, researches, and solves human problems. That brings me to the present, years later, still figuring out how to turn this ambition into a profession.
How
To work in a more professional way, I attempted to use tools that are more common within the design industry. This made me pick up Affinity again. I continue to avoid Adobe, simply because, as an individual, I don’t want to pay for the subscription, which I find rather ridiculous and just too expensive. That's why I used open-source software, like Inkscape and GIMP, to design and create stuff. Rebuilding my resume in Affinity helped me revisit layout and typographic systems, while also learning how those systems are organized within dedicated publishing software. Before, I used Figma because of its layout features, but its typography features are rather limited, which made me move to more dedicated tools that design professionals use for documents and editorial layouts.
In between all the job hunting and projects, I did a little side quest by going to a concert in London. I went to see Nourished by Time, who has become one of my favorite artists this year. He makes music inspired by old-school R&B and electronic music, creating an expressive sound that he combines with intriguing world-building. Besides the musical experience, I love exploring London. It’s such a vibrant and lively city, which inspires me creatively.
During the month, I also spent time networking and looking for opportunities. This is also why I worked on my resume and why I have a portfolio up. I created two versions of my resume: one for visual design positions and another for UX design positions. Like most job searches, it does not happen overnight. I saw some interesting vacancies at agencies and large companies. Having connections or referrals would’ve made it easier, but I’m completely new to the design agency world.
One interesting thing was an assignment I did for a visual designer application. I had to pitch a brand premium/promotional product. I created a fictional brand and event, and pitched a product that this brand could use to leave an impression on the visitors. It is a nice branding exercise that tests your creativity and ability to use a brand's identity. To see the slide deck of the speculative brand premium pitch, you can check it here →
In the end, I spent one night creating a five-slide pitch, which was relatively fast considering the fictional brand and the whole premium concept. Unfortunately, I later heard that the position had already been filled some time earlier.
After a long time, I picked up the sewing machine again, not literally, but I started altering and repairing garments. Returning to sewing made me think seriously about fashion design again. Another project I started was designing and building my own typeface. I have been looking at typefaces like Lava and Domine, and I get so inspired that I want to make my own serif font. I am still hesitant to use commercially licensed typefaces because I often feel uncertain about what each license permits. Every type foundry has its own licensing and conditions, and that is a typical example of why I end up creating my own stuff.
For the type project, I tried to use a workflow where I create a glyph in a vector graphics editor and then import it into a font editor. I started with Inkscape and FontForge, but eventually FontForge became quite unpleasant to use. Now I’m trying out Affinity and Glyphs Mini, and I have yet to see if this workflow is comfortable to use.
What
And just like that, I spent a lot of time and energy on design outside of my job. My current issue is not a lack of ambition or ideas, but a lack of space to express and develop them. I still have ideas for improving my design system, website, logo, and portfolio.
In the near future, I plan to return to my fashion portfolio, although that will require more deliberate planning and structure. I will also continue taking on smaller design projects, whether that means creating something for a friend or pursuing another personal experiment. These projects may still happen on the side, but they are gradually becoming part of the professional and creative life I am trying to build.