The term designer is the type of vocation where individual creativity is the core ingredient.

However designers struggle.

With criticism. With rejection. With imposter syndrome. With ego.

And then they start to feel like frauds and failures.

A thread.

Designers have a keen eye for detail. We all have a litmus test for what good design looks like. We have a similar standard for what our good design looks like. We know it when we have smashed a project.

We chase perfection. Every corner must be aligned, every anchor point must be smoothed. Instead of gaining inspiration, we also compare and find ourselves imitating solutions that may not necessarily fit in with what we are trying to achieve.

This may filter into your day to day work. You find it difficult to come up with creative solutions now because a client rejected your logo last week or they said they didn’t like the shade pink that you used.

The truth that you need to know is;

1. You are not your design. Design is not a fixed medium - it is open to interpretation. Your design does not stand for you as a person and a bad design doesn’t make you a bad designer.

2. Your design is not a piece of art either. We obviously value aesthetics but they must also coincide with functionality. Create pretty things that work. Our client designs exist to solve problems and...

Where most of us may get it wrong is that we tend to force our personal tastes, emotional attachment and creative bias without taking time out to consider the client’s needs and where they require for our creative solution to work.

All things being equal i.e. working with your ideal clients (in all regards) still does not warrant that you design for them like you design for yourself. It must be clear that you did the work but it must be clearer that you offered the right solution.

Consider the Nat Geo logomark. It’s a rectangular yellow box. Much wow.

Many of us would question the “level of creativity” around it yet it is a result of rigorous testing and a direct response to the client’s needs to encompass a diverse and dynamic offering.

What l am driving at is that as creative precessionals we have to be able to view client work as an equation - and figure out the best way to solve it - using the correct formula - and not the one we think suits us best otherwise we will be extremely disappointed...

And find ourselves questioning our capability, our originality and our good enoughness. Austin Knight talks about how good design is humble. Detaching personal interests & ego from client work allows us to graciously receive feedback & properly contribute to successful outcomes.

When design is practiced correctly, the logical conclusion should be that when we are designing for clients we are prioritizing their needs and translating that in an aesthetic way that converts.

Refrain from running with the idea that through your education, your experience, your equipment, your software, or your talent you must always produce the most incredible out-of-this world never before seen designs. Sometimes, it may just need to be a rectangular yellow box.

Kindly forgive all of my typos. My brain goes ahead of my fingers. And that in itself is why perfectionism is a difficult benchmark to strive for!