The past year has presented many challenges for those working in the creative industry, as widespread cuts resulted in less work and job losses.
Combined with continued uncertainty about lockdown, many designers have struggled to find new work or stay in employment. A recent Design Week poll revealed that 48% of designers are worried about what the final few months of 2020 might bring.
But Pip Jamieson, founder of creative professional network The Dots, tells Design Week that after a difficult period, the recruitment consultancy is finally seeing an “uptick in terms of work”.
And while some companies are still cautious about taking on new employees, there’s opportunity for designers to find another job or even consider transitioning to a different sector.
In this piece leading designers from the sectors of digital, branding, retail and hospitality reveal their best tips on finding new work.
What are the employment trends within the design industry?
The tech industry is “thriving”, Jamieson says. There’s a “monumental rise” across the board – which includes user experience (UX), user interface (UI), product design, design thinking and even tech copywriting.
Designers shouldn’t limit themselves to tech roles though. According to Jamieson, there’s also a rise in creative jobs at tech companies, meaning that skills can be transferred. “You can still work in advertising but at Google, or still do fashion but at Depop, for example.”
While there has been an increased appreciation of tech, it’s not the only sector of design that’s seen renewed interest more recently. She highlights animation as an in-demand skill, though admits that illustration is struggling because of print’s continued woes. “We can’t do live action at the moment so everyone is looking at how to do a Christmas campaign with motion graphics,” she adds.
Jamieson also notes a rise in “curation” roles. “There’s so much information in the world right now that companies are looking at people with creative design eyes to curate ideas and products for their own services,” she says, pointing to social media app TikTok’s trend curation.
Are companies hiring?
Jamieson says that there are fewer junior hires at the moment as companies are “scared” of the commitment. However, she adds there’s been a “significant” rise in freelance roles. This is a mixed-bag for designers, she explains: while it means that companies might not be committing to full-time roles, there’s also more scope to try new things and develop skills.
The rise in freelance roles has also meant more call-outs for “freelance collectives”. These are small networks where work is shared out between freelancers. She says that companies are approaching these groups where they might usually have approached an agency.
Finally Jamieson, points to the a “massive rise in remote roles” across Europe and the US, which means plenty more opportunities but also a lot more competition.
Upskilling
Jamieson recommends upskilling as a way of making yourself more attractive as a designer between roles. This doesn’t require a complete change in direction or retraining, she adds. It’s about finding your core skill and working out if it’s “transferable”.
Illustrators might want to learn how to motion design, while copywriters could apply their skills to platform copy (in the UX field). Front-end developers who have design skills are a “holy grail” right now, she says.
She points to the wide range of tech courses available, such as General Assembly which offers short and long-term “coding bootcamps” and can be taken remotely.
Making the jump to digital
How could a designer go about making a jump to a more digital-facing sector? Hege Agby, founder and creative director of digital product studio Sennep, says it requires being a “specialist over a generalist”.
People with skills in UI and expert knowledge of technologies like AR, VR and machine learning are attractive. Complex digital products also need to be documented – so that people can be onboarded onto projects quickly – which means that design documentation is also important.
It’s also key to remember the role of empathy in designing for digital, Agby says. That is good news for designers considering a transfer to digital. “When you come from a more graphic design or brand design background, you’re thinking a lot about the emotional connection of products,” she adds.
Agby echoes Jamieson’s recommendation about General Assembly courses. When it comes to portfolios for digital jobs, she says that it’s key to show an aptitude for problem solving but not to forget the aesthetics. “Beautiful design evokes feelings and you can’t underestimate that when it comes to digital products.”
She also agrees that freelance will be a booming field and the studio is looking to grow its talent pool – advising designers to keep their eyes on sites like LinkedIn. And while all the designers stressed that adaptability is key right now, Agby says that any designer starting a new job will have to be comfortable with remote working software like Figma while offices remain partially or fully closed.
Personal projects can be an “invaluable” addition to your portfolio
Recently, the studio revealed Olo Loco, the sequel to its 2012 video game Olo. Agby says this “personal project” is important for the studio as it allows the team to explore their passions and follow them through to completition.
Likewise, she says that setting yourself up with a personal project is “really valuable” for designers’ portfolios. It’s a great way of showing problem solving skills and human connection in your portfolio, according to Agby.
A project could be personal to the designer or tailored to a brand. Booming fields in digital right now are health, the environment and personal apps that track food intake or exercise, she says.
Another direct consequence of Covid is the movement of physical events online. Agby says that a client has been looking at how to recreate a physical event in a virtual space, and she believes this sector will evolve in the coming period.
Think “outside of the norm”
Supple Studio founder and creative director Jamie Ellul tells Design Week that when it comes to hiring designers, he is always interested in people who have interests “outside of the norm”.
They bring a different perspective to a branding studio like Supple, he says. Echoing Agby’s point about personal projects, Ellul says that it’s good for designers who have side-interests.
And after a difficult year, work has picked up again. He also says that there’s been a slight change in briefs from clients which are focusing “more on the digital side of things”. For example, Supple worked with au pair service Norland College on its latest campaign.
Usually that would require video content, but that was not possible this year. The studio created an illustrative style for the brand and a series of animations. These have been used for recruitment drives and to brief new students on the company’s Covid guidance.
He highlights that people with skills in animation, photography and illustration are a definite plus at the moment.
When it comes to applying for roles, Ellul adds that a consistent bugbear is the “designer’s CV that isn’t designed”. “If you can’t design your own CV, it really makes an impression,” he adds, saying that a Word document in Times New Roman is unlikely to grab his attention.
Rethinking retail
While Covid has hit the retail, hospitality and exhibition sector hard, it’s not all doom and gloom according to Phoenix Wharf creative director and founder Chris Gwyver. The Bristol-based studio covers branding, hospitality and retail design and works in an open studio with its sister agency Ignition which focuses on exhibition design.
Trends have been “accelerated” in these fields, he says – most prominently the blurring of barriers between the sectors. Recently the studio opened Bristol Loaf, a mixed-use space which combines a bakery, wine shop and café. He says it’s an example of where the sector is heading; a shared, more localised space.
This makes the sector an exciting one for designers, he says, especially as it crosses so many disciplines – from graphic and spatial design to digital.
Thinking beyond Covid
Right now, the agency is hiring across the group. But Gwyver advises designers not to get “hung up on designing for Covid”. In terms of hospitality and retail, he thinks that this would be “reactive”. It’s better to look further ahead and work out where the sector is heading in the long term – by reading design publications and keeping an eye on trends.
He advises for graphic designers to try to expand their repertoire, with programs like Adobe XD. In terms of retail, a key attention to spatial design and the flow of shops is vital, of course. But like the other designers interviewed, Gwyver says a breadth of experience can be great.
For portfolios, he provides a balance to Agby’s advice, saying that while visuals are important, he’s really interested in the “thinking and process” behind work. “I want to see the workings and development of an idea,” he adds.
Variety is also key: a house style shows a designer is not responding to individual briefs but just working to their own style, he says. Gwyver advises designers to show off the “diversity” of their past work. One project could demonstrate a skill like rendering, while another could show how a designer approaches manufacturing methods and materials.
“You have to keep us looking through it all.”
For more job advice, check out Design Week’s dedicated careers section.
You can also view our separate Design Week Jobs site here to look for new opportunities.
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