You have just set foot at your first design job. There, you begin realizing that designing on the job requires a lot more skills than just in typography and HTML/CSS. How do you effectively communicate your work to non-design colleagues? What steps must you take to grow internally? Most of all, how do you even get noticed in your company? After three and a half years of working at TED as my first job out of college, I’m here to share with you hard-learned career lessons that we all wish someone would have told us earlier. This talk will hopefully prevent you from flailing around aimlessly for too long like I once did as a young designer.
Speaker: Lil Chen
Conference: Beyond Tellerrand 2016
Video: https://vimeo.com/165950912
2. @_LILCHEN
A bit about me
Formerly at TED Talks for 3.5 years
First design job at 21 years old
Currently 26 years old
Interaction Designer at YouTube
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A W E S O M E R E S T A U R A N T
M E N U
Chicken Caesar Salad . . . . . . . . . $14.30
(Lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken, croutons, parmesan, topped with caesar
dressing)
Vegetarian Burger . . . . . . . . . $23.30
(Tofu based patty, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese, other things that are not
meat)
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Every design job listing ever
Must have strong design sense
Good eye for detail, typography, layouts
Able to take project from beginning to end
Collaborate with neighboring teams
Communicate ideas well
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Learn how to talk about design to non-designers.1
Hold yourself accountable for ensuring that your skill set is known to others.
Avoid being soft-spoken when you start your job.
Define the future of your role through your actions.
Celebrate and highlight your design process.
Kill the idea of pixel-perfection when exploring.
Do your part in understanding your colleagues’ processes.
Advocate for your designs.
Spice your design life up with personal projects!
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Be receptive of feedback, but also stand your ground.10