Writing often mimics the creative design process and writing this article was no exception. I thought I’d comment on how Western Australia fits into the mix as a creative and design hotspot in Australia. But as I mulled over the content and spoke to a number of people the more I realised that depending on who you talk to, their experiences, where they live and where they’ve been, each individual, company or state can present a good case for its own unique point of difference.
Western Australia is no different. We can boast an economy that is booming, excellent lifestyle, wonderful climate, affordable housing (for now, although this is sky rocketing), people arriving from all corners of the globe fuelling an ever increasing cosmopolitan population, proximity to Asia which provides cross cultural inspiration and a geographic isolation that can be construed as both an asset and a liability.
Within this mixing pot there is a vibrant creative community with pockets of excellence and enormous potential. We win our fair share of awards given our population, face the constraints that clients place on us and the challenge of accounts moving – whether that be between agencies, studios or to the Eastern seaboard or for that matter back again. In short we face all of the highs and lows experienced in any design and creativity community.
The design and creative community is just that a community, I’d go so far as to say it is a global family. People who are attracted to it have a uniqueness that serves them well creatively but not always to their advantage financially or from a career development perspective.
What does it mean to design?
Design:
To conceive or fashion in the mind; to formulate a plan for; devise: designed a marketing strategy for the new product; to plan out in systematic, usually graphic form: design a building; to have as a goal or purpose, intend; to create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner; to create designs; a drawing or sketch; a graphic representation; the art or practice of designing or making designs; Something designed, especially a decorative or an artistic work; an ornamental pattern. A basic scheme or pattern that affects and controls function or development: the overall design of an epic poem.
What is the essence of a creative person?
According to Roger von Oech: “The hallmark of creative people is their mental flexibility… Sometimes they are open and probing, at others they’re playful and off-the-wall. At still other times, they’re critical and faultfinding. And finally they’re doggedly persistent in striving to reach their [creative] goals.”
Roger von Oech in A Kick in the Seat of the Pants
If designing and being creative involves planning, execution and a dogged persistence to achieve goals then I would argue the same needs to apply to the way you approach your career.
Starting at the beginning, Graduates come through University every year with great expectations and probably the most unbridled level of creativity and enthusiasm that they are ever going to have. The reality is that the market in general is nowhere near big enough to cater for all this talent. As a result, it is usually only the very best that are able to make a long and successful career out of their creative design talent, the rest will settle for positions on the periphery of the industry or something totally unrelated to the stream.
In addition even though you can spend the same amount of time studying in this field, you won’t necessarily be able to command the same kind of salary that, say, an accountant or an engineer can. This comes down to accessibility. The tools of the design trade are easily purchased or, heaven forbid, downloaded, and before you know it every ‘wannabe’ with a computer can start calling themselves graphic designers. As a result this diminishes the level of respect that designers receive in the market. However, where ‘graphic designers’ of this ilk may be a dime a dozen, great designers are not. As a recruitment agency, we see them all and we know that great designers only come through the door occasionally and as a result they should be remunerated accordingly. But even ‘the great’ can miss out if they don’t understand their worth.
Passionate, creative, talented, motivated and hardworking are adjectives that come to mind when I think of the designers we meet at Aquent and industry functions. So embedded is the ethos of hard work in the industry it is not uncommon for people to think this is sufficient to ensure job security and a steady increase in salary over time. Not so in an industry where clients can move accounts on a whim and there is a steady stream of people of varying degrees of competence eager to break into the industry and there are regular changes in software and technology. All this considered, you need to get serious about taking responsibility for planning your career and future.
So what can you do?
- Be aware of your options and the career paths open to you.
- Is the salary range acceptable to you in the long as well as short term? (see the Aquent salary survey for your State, the latest edition of which will be released in September)
- Look around you – who holds which positions, where would you expect to be and by when? Do you see any limitations and what do you see as your next move?
- Keep your skills up-to-date and versatile.
- Think of the skills you have and what you have achieved and keep your resume current.
- Be mindful that in today’s employment market it is not uncommon for people to change their careers three or four times over their working life.
- For those looking for a career change work out how best to ‘repackage’ and ‘sell’ yourself to a new employer – you will have many transferable skills, make them general, recognise the new skills you will need and take responsibility for acquiring them.
- Be aware people can and do find themselves out of job after many years dedicated service, be proactive in making sure you know how and where you want to be.
There is no doubt the design industry is extremely rewarding and has many success stories, with key individuals able to work overseas and others offered partnerships in the company in which they work. If that’s your aspiration go for it, but do not be blinkered, and make sure you keep your options open. While we here at Aquent can help talented designers achieve their career aspirations in many instances, remember the person with the most responsibility for managing your career is you!
About Aquent
Karen Thomson is the Perth Area Manager for Aquent (www.aquent.com), a global firm that specialises in staffing solutions for the creative, marketing and communications industries. Through a network of nearly seventy offices in seventeen countries, Aquent services in the areas of print and Web design and production; advertising and media, marketing, public relations and business support. In its twenty-year history, Aquent has made nearly 400,000 matches of independent professionals with client companies worldwide. The company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters are in Sydney. In Australia, the company has offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Karen can be contacted on 08 9381 7655 or e-mailed via kt******@****nt.com
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on September 1, 2006
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
