We get so many job inquiries at Matcha Design we could probably paper our walls with the requests. Yes, it is a compliment to have people interested in working with us, but do you know what it takes to become a designer?
Matcha Design believes in excellence and is a place where professional growth and motivation is encouraged. Chris Lo, our Principal and Creative Director, carries this mentality with him through every team project. With over 30 years of experience (across two continents), here are some of his personal career discoveries for those wanting to join the design industry.
Learn To Separate The White Noise Of Life
Much like a lawyer, you have to put aside emotions to be professional and fair. This is the difference between the seasoned veterans and newbies. The smallest thing affects newcomers; they cannot channel their emotions properly. Not to say you have to be an emotionless shell, but it is about the right time, at the right place.
Be An Iron Chef
You may have the tools available to be successful, but you must be able to operate no matter where you are. This is why we like to keep our business methods mobile. You need to be able to work and produce despite your location – at a coffee shop, a client’s office, a hotel room or from the comfort of your own desk.
Start To Train Yourself
Discipline and handling pressure/stress are some of the hardest things in life to learn. Can you work while other people are talking around you or looking over your shoulder? For example, you are working at a large conference, making design changes on the spot, in front of a meeting room full of investors. Can you focus and follow through? You have to train yourself to turn off the distractions. Professionals can put themselves in any situation, be able to focus and perform.
For this reason, we rarely take on interns because they have not possessed the necessary discipline to work in a professional realm. We understand internships are a huge part of growing professionally, but our level of delivery cannot accommodate their need for training.
The good thing about focus and discipline is that they are learnable, so start training yourself now!
Work On Being Leadership Material
Start your career from the ground up by building a strong foundation. You need to become a graphic artist and understand the production behind the design pieces itself. Having a good looking design that is not producible is useless in the real world. This will take time and patience, but use it to find opportunities to ask for constructive criticism or feedback from a mentor.
Failure is GOOD!
Failure is a treasure because failure means success. You cannot say that you are good unless you produce something bad. Failure helps you to grow in your skills and in life. This helps you realize if you are truly good designer or deceiving yourself.
Always Discover Something New
Be plugged into the trends as well as the tried and true design methods and strategies. Get in the habit of professionally growing yourself, and when a design challenge arises be willing to seek a solution and possibly learn a new skill. This is vital because we all learn by doing. Also, learn to work with others and learn from each other, because inspirations come from everything around you. Use your life experience to your advantage.
To learn more about Chris Lo visit our About Section.
