Graphic Design & Illustration

I do feel that nowadays there is a bias towards hiring less-seasoned graphic designers. My sense is that clients feel that designers with fewer years in the business will produce fresher and more creative work.

For me, though, there is no substitute for experience. I’ve been a graphic designer for the best part of 20 years. In that time I’ve created designs for pretty much every type of business and organization you can think of. And because of that, I’ve had to adapt my style and be flexible. So I don’t feel that I’ve become stale. Nor do I feel I have ended up with a house-style that I merely tweak for each new client.

I find that experienced designers like myself tend to produce more original work. We are less prone to be influenced by the latest trends. As a designer, you need to draw on wide range of sources of inspiration, and not a current and narrow-range.

The longer you’ve been doing this for, the more ideas you are able to generate. Often, for example, when I need inspiration I turn to my Mood Book which I have been updating for many years. In it I keep relevant cuttings, samples, textures and so on. This is a life-long reference guide and I regularly use it to stimulate new ideas for clients.

Also, I feel that experienced designers are better at managing the design process and keeping the client in the loop. We know how important that is.

Experience also brings with it the ability to suggest design and marketing strategies that have proven successful for other clients. An experienced graphic designer can save you from creating materials that will not produce good results.

Of course I’m not suggesting you’ll only ever get good work from an experienced graphic designer. But I do think you’re more likely to.

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