Ten Pieces of Advice for Aspiring Designers & Creative Entrepreneurs
We are so excited to share Kathryn’s most recent feature with Grace College, Kathryn’s own alma mater. The feature highlights a couple of the most valuable lessons Kathryn learned during her time studying graphic design at Grace College, her experience as a graphic designer with Moody Publishers, and how she was ultimately inspired to launch her boutique design agency, Créme Brands.
The feature goes on to outline the growth of Créme Brands, the lessons Kathryn has learned over the past eight years of owning her design agency, and her top ten tips for aspiring designers and creative entrepreneurs. We’re diving into those ten tips right here, right now. If you’re a designer with a dream of launching your own business, this blog post is for you!
01 | ACTIVE LISTENING
“Remember that graphic design is more about listening than anything else. It is your job to make your client or boss feel heard. I cannot stress enough, this is so, so important.”
Graphic design is about creating a genuine connection with your client. And in order to do that, you have to come from a place of understanding. You have to be able to put yourself in their shoes, to grasp their vision and dreams for their business to be able to translate that through design. That all starts with active listening.
02 | SELL YOUR DESIGN EXPERTISE
“Cultivate your empathic capabilities. Sell the design solution you’re delivering rather than getting into back-and-forth with your client.”
Know the design direction you want to recommend and show confidence in it! You should be able to explain to your client why you chose a specific design route and why you believe it’s the best solution for their business. If you’re confident in the designs you’re selling, then your client will be too.
03 | CLEAR COMMUNICATION
“Be clear with your clients and team. Clear is kind. If you are in a leadership or managerial role in an agency, it is important that you adopt a clear internal process.”
In order to run your design business smoothly, you’ll want to make sure you have a clear line of communication with your team and your clients. This helps to streamline your business processes and makes you seem more professional. Not to mention, clear communication is going to help foster the relationships you have with your clients and team. And at the end of the day, those relationships are so important to building your business.
04 | STICK TO THE OBJECTIVES
“Everything you do should point back to the objectives you create. Ask yourself: Does this meet the objectives we made together? Does this appeal to your ideal client?”
Honing in on a set of objectives is so important to cultivating a business that is true to your creative vision and to your dream client. It will help you communicate your business through language and design that are both clear and consistent. Which brings us to the next tip…
05 | CONSISTENCY IS KEY
“Cultivate a consistent look.”
Just as you want the language for your business to be consistent, you want the design details to be consistent too. Those visuals are what draw your clients in and make the initial impression, so it’s important that there is a consistent feel and flow. The design of your website and social platforms plays a major role in communicating who your brand is.
06 | SET PERSONAL GOALS
“Make personal goals. Record your goals on a voice memo and listen to them every day. This convinces you that you’re actually able to do it.”
We get it — as creatives, it’s easy to let self-doubt creep in, which is why it’s so important to keep little reminders to boost your confidence in your own design talents and abilities. Setting personal goals gives you a sense of purpose, which drives motivation and reminds you why you love what you do. So set your sights on those goals.
07 | WORK LIFE BALANCE
“Make sure you have things that nourish you outside of your job. Have good boundaries. Take care of yourself mentally, physically, spiritually.”
We appreciate a strong work ethic, but it’s also important to know when you need to take a breather. In order to prevent burn-out and continue creating your best design work for your clients, you have to take care of yourself, too! Maybe that’s getting some fresh air and going for a walk or run, maybe it’s spending some time reading a good book, or getting together with your closest friends. Whatever it is, find your ideal work life balance and make time for it.
08 | CREATE AN INSPIRING WORK ENVIRONMENT
“The environment is very important for a lot of creatives. Do little things to make your work environment feel more inspiring. Think about ritual. Do little things to bring inspiration with you wherever you go.”
Take a look around your workspace. What is it about the space that inspires you to do your best work? Maybe it’s a space with lots of sunlight flooding in. Maybe you have a large bulletin board to pin up your latest sources of design inspiration. Or, maybe it’s time to refresh your space! Your workspace should be a spot you genuinely enjoy spending time in – it should be a reflection of you and should inspire you to grow in creativity and create your very best design work.
09 | FOSTER A POSITIVE GROWTH MINDSET
“Dedicate yourself to mindset work. As an artist, you have to overcome a lot of doubt — read books on being confident and assertive.”
What is a growth mindset? A growth mindset is about learning from mistakes. It’s about pushing forward in the face of challenges and self-doubt. We get it, self-doubt is going to creep in here and there. It’s important to know how to acknowledge that self-doubt, and then find the confidence to overcome it. This takes a lot of practice, but with time and patience, you can develop a growth mindset. It will make you that much stronger and more resilient as a graphic designer and a creative entrepreneur.
10 | EMBRACE THE LEARNING PROCESS
“Always remember, you’re allowed to explore. And you are allowed to fail. One of the most paralyzing thoughts for a creative is that you have to get it right the first time. Let yourself make a mess. Design a bunch of things that aren’t even good. And do that from a place of non-judgement. Your best ideas will start out as the messiest, ugliest things.”
We cannot stress this one enough. The learning process is part of being a designer. It’s part of being an entrepreneur. It allows you to grow into the best, most creative version of yourself. So embrace it and enjoy it. And a few years from now, when you take a look back at your progress as a graphic designer, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.
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We hope you’ve enjoyed Kathryn’s ten pieces of advice for aspiring designers and creative entrepreneurs! To read the full write-up head over to the Grace College blog linked right here. We know you’ll enjoy it!
Interested in learning more? We offer mentoring sessions to help you hone in on your design skills. We’ll answer all your questions about the design tools and processes we use here at Creme Brands. Please reach out to hello@cremebrands.com to book your mentoring session today!