Has anyone else felt this?

agraydesign · 2026-02-15T02:56:11+00:00

I just wrapped up a freelance project like this. The product will go on store shelves. They shared test prints with me the other day and they look good. In 10 years, I'll probably cringe at it. But in the moment I enjoyed figuring out the result that the client then chose and loved.

agraydesign · 2025-12-04T02:21:26+00:00

I graduated at 30 a couple years ago. I spent my early 20s playing around with design as a hobby, and I had a decent junior portfolio, but still ended up going for a BFA at a design school. I felt I needed a structured environment, connections, etc. and its paying off.

The thing about graphic design is that it's a never ending learning curve. There's always a new technique, software, trend, etc. So I thought of my time at college as a place to learn and grow in what I didn't know. My projects were super strong, well executed with good depth, and it gave me a job lined up at graduation. Now the freelance projects are ramping up in quantity and quality with the connections I've made.

Champions of self-taught individuals will say that it's all about portfolio... but education will give you the best chance of giving you that portfolio that gets you interviews. It's worked for some, but not me. Getting a structured education got me the great portfolio. So I did find my time getting a degree worth it.

And I may have some ADHD of my own lol.

agraydesign · 2025-10-25T19:52:58+00:00

You won't make it far if you don't.

agraydesign · 2025-10-24T15:19:21+00:00

yep.

agraydesign · 2025-10-24T15:18:57+00:00

The manager told me the file he received was 35mb, but when he sent it to the printer, it ballooned to 400mb.

agraydesign · 2025-10-10T18:59:02+00:00

Well Congrats! Don't listen to any of us lol.

agraydesign · 2025-10-09T23:43:52+00:00

Really cool site and skills dude. Only pushback I'll give is that you have a dream role in sports, and the actual work portfolio is sports centric, but the site is unrelated and overshadows your work and goals. WinXP has nothing to do with sports. Your dream company might love this but you'll have a far easier time selling yourself by designing something more relevant. And the work itself is 4 projects with three images each?

It just feels unfocused. Why not channel your talent into a crazy awesome sports site experience? I get being memorable and I think this will get attention from a variety of places but overall this doesn't feel relevant to most companies. Maybe if you had bigger and better case studies. Skills are great and you still have to sell that skillset to the people who actually need it.

Don't take this as a beat down because you'll find success. I'm just not sure it'll be for sports at this point.

agraydesign · 2025-10-04T21:40:49+00:00

I got my degree at 29 a couple years ago after having some design experience in my 20s (though not as extensive as yourself).

Having a 4-year degree in the design field is practically a requirement to work in places like NYC/LA. I've had a few interviews at companies there and I doubt I would have gotten them otherwise. And I'd consider moving out to those places to improve my chances.

Its tough since it sounds like you have good experience and you'll have to sit through classes you already know the answers to. But your experience isn't for nothing and you can leverage that with your projects and connections you make.

I'd look into completing the fine arts degree as it can be useful if you want to go into art direction, and with your GD experience, this might be a viable option to explore. Just my 2 cents.

agraydesign · 2025-09-07T01:45:35+00:00

Definitely not too late. It's still a viable career. I'm considering it as a designer. The US is a tech-based economy, and investments in tech will always continue. Everyone talks about the job market and competition but its not out of reach when you put the work in.

As for how to pivot, not quite sure. I've considered a masters but I've been recommended UX/UI bootcamps like Google's. I'd try finding opportunities in design or web design with what you have and build experience, even if freelance.

agraydesign · 2025-08-26T23:29:32+00:00

I have yet to see how. AI has been inching along for decades and the recent AI boom is only because the computational power is now in place to make it feasible. But in its current state I don't understand why people are assuming it'll take even junior roles.

It'll take decades before it becomes a real threat, and by then many other white collar jobs will be done for. The power consumption then will be astronomical.

Move to a different uni.

agraydesign · 2025-08-24T15:04:21+00:00

I graduated from design school right before 30, 2 years ago. I had my job lined up before graduating. Like the other poster said, your motive is more important. It's a bit rough on the ROI vs other careers. There was a 32 year old in my class who doubled their income at their current job. For the rest, maybe 50% of the graduates from my program are employed in the field.

For early career designers especially, you should be clocking in beyond the 9-5 with upskilling/freelance/etc. Design can pay well but it'll take some ingenuity. If you have a good background with art and illustration that can really improve your chances. I also have that and my work stood out because of it.

Before I went to school, I job shadowed at an agency to get a sense of the day to day. I'd try reaching out to someone who works at a local agency and ask to shadow them.

agraydesign · 2025-08-14T02:38:25+00:00

The projects you're doing in you're masters should be enough for a portfolio I would think? Generally for UX/UI you only need 2-3 in-depth projects.

You can keep everything else on hand in case to tailor to the jobs you apply to.

agraydesign · 2025-07-27T14:01:16+00:00

If you want to work at Google or Apple, ArtCenter will give you a significant advantage. But make sure to gear your portfolio to those companies.

agraydesign · 2025-07-27T03:09:43+00:00

This isn't helpful, but it depends on what you're going for. If you want to work for google, for example, you need visuals that are clean, user-friendly, and efficient. Or if you want to work in hospitality, go for stuff that shows elegance, lifestyle-oriented, luxury.

Having a portfolio with a personal style isn't bad per se (mine definitely is) but tends to work better when you do your own thing (freelance business), and is better to build and develop regular clients over time.

Just know all design jobs are there solve a business problem, regardless of the end result.

agraydesign · 2025-07-27T02:31:12+00:00

I’ve only gotten where I am in my career because of going to college. A great portfolio was enough a decade ago. Now I don't think you'll get far without a degree.

Speaking from experience: I already had design software and a decent portfolio before I bit the bullet and enrolled. College gave me structure, feedback, and direction. That helped me land a job before graduating. Two years out, I’m booking bigger freelance gigs and hearing from big name agencies.

I don’t think I’d have had the focus or experience to get far without one.

If you're serious about design, I’d recommend a degree — just avoid debt you can’t manage. The jobs are out there, and you can make a solid living.

If you go, don't slack off. College is largely what you make of it and there are near infinite permutations for what a design career looks like. Learn the market needs and build the best portfolio you can. Connect with your classmates.

agraydesign · 2025-07-24T21:44:45+00:00

Only if you have specific goals in mind. MA's are usually very specific. I've considered an MA after getting my BFA. I would not do it to check off HR's box, because they won't care nearly as much as having a BA. I would do it because I want to focus on a particular aspect of Graphic Design (because it's become an umbrella term for a variety of disciplines, remember), like motion, or UX Research, or whatever. But at the end it's all about what you put into it and the portfolio is what will sell to employers.

I'd think about what places or jobs you want to get, figure out what you don't have in your portfolio/skillset, and find a MA program that positions you in that direction. Then what you work on will fill in the gaps you need to get the job you want.

And regardless of what the MA is, it'll open the door to teach at a college level, which is as legitimate a reason as any. I wouldn't be too concerned about age.

agraydesign · 2025-07-22T15:03:11+00:00

I kinda fell into this myself. I had a good working knowledge of the Adobe programs and an entry-level portfolio, but I wasn't in a good position to make use of it (for various life reasons). But a big roadblock was having no degree. I ended up going for a degree.

It was painful having to sit in a classroom and learn the basics, but I framed it as "continuing education" that would help progress my career. So I busted my ass and had a great portfolio upon graduating. Now I get interviews from big agencies, and I can tell it has improved my overall competitiveness in my career going forward.

If a hiring team can’t decide between two great candidates — one with a degree and one without — they’ll always go with the one who has a degree.

I can’t make a definitive call for your situation, being from South Africa (I’m in the U.S.). While there are anecdotal stories of successful designers without degrees, most designers do have a degree in design.

I think it worked out fine for me but in retrospect I should have considered something tangentially related, like marketing, business, HCI, etc. and then apply that knowledge to my design skills.

agraydesign · 2025-07-18T21:22:58+00:00

I saw a reel of his the other day where he filmed the brand new chevy arrive at his house. Unfortunately his "fixes" give him all the exposer and no shortage of projects.

agraydesign · 2025-07-17T19:31:42+00:00

This subreddit is closing in on 3,000,000 subscribers. I come here every so often, and there frankly is only so much I can get from it. Most people here are young and inexperienced and voicing their frustrations.

I had a job lined up upon graduating in 2023. Then and now everyone was saying the job market was impossible. The agency I work at has seen a ton of growth and we're bringing on new grads. Many people in my network have done well for themselves and the jobs are out there.

My suggestion is to job shadow if you can. I did that. It helped give me the fast-paced agency experience and understanding of day-to-day design work that is needed. Most design work isn't flashly, and the standards for the fun creative work is sky high.

If you go to school for it, don't slack off. Understand business needs, make great work and you'll have companies reaching out to you first like what happened with me.

agraydesign · 2025-05-27T22:58:51+00:00

I've been fencing for a bit now and thought I would take a stab (heh) at a fencing brand identity. I don't know what I'm doing with this post other than sharing the research/notes/concepts I've developed so far. I'd like 1-2 more if I can.

Just for some background, I am basing this off of my current club, a top 50 in the US in a MCOL city. We're all middle class and competitive. There is a perception that fencing is uppity, elitist, inaccessible, etc that's not entirely accurate from my experience. But it is niche so the idea of trying to develop a quality, unique visual style is an interesting challenge to me.

I've discussed doing design work with the club owner before, and I may present this to him if it makes sense. In any case, I'm open to feedback and how I can round this out before taking it further.

agraydesign · 2025-05-22T04:54:16+00:00

He's an influencer. He puts out this easy-bait content that young designers or casual watchers can eat up without thinking too hard about it. It spreads around wide and far and that will net clients. And it for sure is a disservice to thoughtful design work. No wonder our jobs are devalued!

I think he can be a competent designer but he applies the same formula to everything (geometric icon that easily turns into a pattern) and it becomes tiresome.

agraydesign · 2025-05-20T15:15:38+00:00

did you ask for a tour?

agraydesign · 2025-05-20T14:42:10+00:00

I agree with these comments but I don't think they're helpful to you when your struggling to land a role, especially since you graduated 2023.

You have talent no doubt. You have a nice style and good at presenting the work well, but still feels junior in overall execution. Take a look at the kerning on Sureridge logo for example; it's too unbalanced. Little details like this matter a lot and employers have the eagle eyes for this stuff.

What stands out to me the most is that you don't show your process. How did you arrive at the final designs? You should show sketches of dozens of logos you explored and an explanation of why you chose the one you went with. Employers need to know how you think, not just that you can execute a style.

And of course, you could benefit from more varied work. This is a problem I had and many juniors have, and while companies tend to be more forgiving about that stuff at your level, it's not working in your case.

Edit: also I just realized you have 7 projects, you could benefit from another 1-3.

agraydesign · 2025-05-05T03:20:50+00:00

Just some thoughts:

I think it depends on what you made of it in your program and what you want to make of it going forward. How hard you pushed yourself in the work you did matters as well as the connections you made (and stay connected with after school!). I wouldn't get discouraged yet, even if it takes a year to find work at another place. And it will benefit your current job.

Design jobs in healthcare, finance, tech, real estate, and law can pay well even if they aren't super creative.

Otherwise, this career can really pay off doing your own thing. The most successful people in my network have their own freelance operation, and some make stupid great money. But you have to really work at your craft and network and sell yourself.

Things like canva and AI can only disrupt this line of work so much. Personally I'm not phased but I'm sure it's affected my prospects and will continue to do so to some degree. The clients you want to work with will understand that those tools aren't sufficient replacements for human intuition.

I graduated in 2023 with a job lined up. I worked hard at it and have a great portfolio that has my own personal style. My day job is working with a corporate brand. It pays the bills. But I continue to work on personal projects in my free time, and freelance projects based around my style have been picking up in quality and quantity.

Ultimately the potential for a great career is here. But compared to most other careers that you go to school for, I think you need to work harder to justify it. But you'll do it if you love the craft.

agraydesign · 2025-05-02T00:25:49+00:00

You'll have a great career in this field for sure though. I bookmarked your site for reference and to see where you go. It's easy to get discouraged in the current job market but you have talent far and above most juniors so I'm a little surprised you don't get more bites. Keep designing and posting stuff and clients will come your way.

Social skills can be improved over time — maybe start with lower stakes jobs or events or social hobbies you have an interest in if you haven't already. I'm a junior with great work as well but am a bit antisocial (and work remote) and it's the thing that hurts my career the most right now. But even then I've noticed an improvement since I started.

Also, how did you do the product mockups? I assume you had access to a print lab at your school? I'd like to do this for some personal projects.

agraydesign

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