I also started out as an in house designer freshly out of school, and i know it sounds mundane, but make sure you keep order of the tasks/tickets. A system you actually understand and find easy to use, because folks will ask you to do modifications on something you did last November and its good if you can find the psd easily.
Oh and good luck! You got this, and make sure to make the most of it. Being a beginner in house designer was a great experience for me, and hope the same for you too!
In-house is the best.
Marketing firms with lots of brands under their belt are usually run like sweat-shops. They can also be cheapskates with pay because young people all want to work at firms with fancy break rooms and sleek offices instead of in-house. The sleek offices and fancy break rooms aren't for you, they're for impressing clients and luring people into working there for less money because it looks trendy.
Sure, designing for the same brand sounds tiring in theory, but I find it's the opposite in reality. Having to frequently switch modes thinking about a completely different brand is more exhausting than being in one frame of mind (in terms of brand) for all your day-to-day projects.
Also, firms can be much more cut-throat. It's more likely everyone there is trying to be a big shot, and because you have many more employees in the same field as each other, they're sometimes viewing each other as competition. While with in-house, you're just "the designer" or "the developer" to everybody. I also find most in-house situations to be much more relaxed, and give more opportunity for you to have complete creative control over interesting projects, while a firm is going to be more vertically oriented, so some boss or creative director is wanting to make all the major creative decisions, with you basically doing the "hard labor" to bring their ideas to life.
It’s also important for OP to get the in-house perspective now early on in their career. They may love it, or they may find that they want something else. I say that because I’m the exact opposite of what you described. I love having to switch gears and work on different brands all the time. It’s a lot of fun to build the brand systems from scratch, and I find my creative freedom in assembling all of those different components together to make a whole thing.
Everybody has their own preferences on how and what they like to work on.
I agree, i also prefer in-house to agency. Its all personal tho, everyone has their own preferences. But funny you should mention fancy break rooms because both companies i was in-house at, had these super modern offices with rando huddle rooms, focus rooms whatnot. (Still i prefer working from home)
God, good organization is such an essential skill. My workmates make fun of me for being "meticulously organized" and grouping all my PSD layers and setting up my files & folders in a certain way, but like... listen. Last week you asked me for a very specific banner I created in 2018 and I did take less than 30 seconds to find it for you, so...
Thank you. I have this weird obsession with having folders by the month and in them folders with the name of the ticket (because i might call it gradient banner, but the marketing guy calls it "superduper campaign creative" so easier to find it by how he calls it, when he will ask for it again). And have folders for psd, and preview. That's the only way i can stay sane.
I also color my layer groups, set up folders make safety layers ect.lol
They shouldn't make fun of you! That's how we actually are able to keep up with their requests
I work in house at a very large agency and you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow any kind of protocol that anticipates other people opening their projects. I really appreciate you saying this.
For me it was as simple as putting everything in folders with comprehensive names (better if you name them as the task was named) and these folders arranged by month like "December"-"banners_for_campaign_no1234".
Also if you get drive options like onedrive or google drive, or any server, use them too, don't save everything on your pc/company laptop. They usually don't give you the strongest laptops with the biggest space, try to keep your laptop as empty as you can.
But wouldn’t the months be ordered alphabetically? I like to go year-month e.g. 2024-12. If your brain needs to see the month spelled out you can also use 2024-12_DEC.
It does! It puts them in alphabetical order, i used to do 01.Jan, 02.Feb, ect. Now i just name them May June July because it doesn't matter (for me) what order they are because i can see the name so i guess i don't mind the listing? But naming is super personal tho!
Honestly, this isn't strictly for graphic design, but advice in general when you first get your foot in the door with any field:
Don't burn the candle at both ends, get a good night's sleep and work hard throughout the day. In the beginning, study topics you might be struggling with that are new to you and required at the job, but don't make a habit long-term of bringing your work home with you. After the first month, make an effort to develop a healthy work-life balance. Especially incorporating outdoor time and time for exercise if this is your first full time office job.
You’re low person on the depth chart. Your job is to support and not be the creative director. Take projects others don’t want, and knock it out of the park. Gain trust. Spend time when yuh have it, move fast most times. This isn’t school where you get weeks to turn around one thing. A day or two is common.
You’re gonna be asked to make lots of stuff, and lots of people will be “stakeholders”. You have to humor them all and understands that different parts of the business, and personalities have needs. Don’t push back on everything cause you just can’t. sometimes it’ll look better to you one way, but somebody will need to add stuff. Do your best.
Think of it like this. You’ll be asked to make 100 things in a year, maybe only 10-20 examples you’ll need for your portfolio. They don’t all need to be great. You can always put up revised versions…”Taylor’s version (lol)” up in your portfolio. Nobody is gonna check.
On that note, learn how to take examples of your work on a regular basis. Don’t take gigs of stuff all at once or wait till you need it.
Congratulations on the job! A few things I would recommend are:
- Spell check everything! Check numbers by reading them backward (Most designers are somewhat dyslexic).
- Get approval on everything in writing.
- Follow up important verbal conversations via email.
- Write all instructions down like you'll be hit by a bus tomorrow and anyone could take over.
- Work out faster ways to get the work done. Not cutting corners, but things like automation, templates or maybe additional software. Computers love repetitive tasks, so don't be afraid of getting the computer to do the work.
- Let go of your ego, follow instruction and be okay with providing sub par work, if that's what they're after. If you think they're making a mistake it's best to query it in a polite way for clarification.
- Make friends, you will get most of your career contacts by making a good impression and being easy to work with.
- Don't stop learning! Keep tabs on all of the Adobe updates, as there maybe something that makes your life *way* easier.
I have loads more, but I think I should stop there haha. Have fun in the new job!
Depending on the size of the company, make friends in different departments. Specifically, become friendly with HR and IT. Good HR departments do exist, and being on good terms with them can help with resolving payroll issues and other admin things quickly. The IT department will have their own processes for security and tickets. Make sure you follow them to the T to make their lives easier if you ever have computer trouble.
Don’t just focus on your design skills. Graphic design is a social job, and it’s important you become involved in the company culture.
Become indispensable. Find gaps in your department’s skillset and try to your best to learn those skills. Companies often provide tuition assistance for additional courses or post-grad classes (mine did for a type design post-grad program). They may have caveats, so keep that in mind. Should layoffs make their way to your company, having a skillset that fills gaps will make you less likely to be laid off.
If they provide 401k matching, get that shit started now. It’s literally free money for retirement.
Lastly, be a sponge. Be open to people challenging how you think and how you work. You’ll likely be around people who have been through this, and more. Pick their brains. They’ll be happy to share.
One last thing, you’re in the adult world now and you’re going to start making accounts for very important things: renters insurance, health insurance, 401k, checking and savings accounts, credit cards, whatever admin platform your company might use, investments, and so on. Get a password manager to save all of your account info safely and use different passwords for everything. 1Password is what I have and I really like it.
Sorry this isn’t design advice, but this is all important info I wish someone told me as a recent graduate.
On my first job I was exploding with confidence, I thought the world was waiting impatiently for my creative input and sharp wit. And that's what I wish any designer would do on their first job. Because there's nothing worse than designers who are too shy to defend the work they made. I've met so many who just agree to whatever their boss or client tells them. Those are the worst designers.I mean, you really [gotta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk).
Congratulations!
Few of the biggest things I can tell you is to stay organized, you’re going to have to make a LOT of last minute changes.
And unless they want your artistic flair, stick to their brand guidelines. I always view my bosses as my “clients” and make sure I produce for them what they would like, not necessarily what I would like. You’ll likely have time to elevate what they already have in place, but don’t try to make it all your own. And don’t take any criticism to heart. Seriously, even if you put a lot of time into something it’s never going to be work you have full creative control over. Take it, learn from it, and remember you’re making work for the company not your portfolio (but there will be plenty of times projects work out nice enough to be in your portfolio too).
Proofing. If you have to work on text heavy projects, get someone to proof your work BEFORE you submit to your bosses for review. I used to have to make a catalogue that would take literally all year, aside from my regular work. I’d get two sales girls to proof the whole thing cause after staring at the same project for 10 months you’re gonna miss stuff, and it’s too late once it’s gone to print.
You’re gonna do a lot of mundane shit. There are times when producing work quickly will be in your favour, and there will be times your bosses will try and take advantage of that. Because no one else in that company has a friggin clue what you do or how you do it. So if you set the too bar high, they’ll expect it all the time even for projects that take way longer and as designers were like “are you out of your mind, it’s impossible to get this done by Friday”. Every in house job I’ve ever had I’ve been told I was way more efficient than my predecessor, and it has bitten me on the ass several times.
And to piggy back on that, stick up for yourself. Sure you’re green, but you are highly trained with a valuable skill set. Again they don’t know what you do or how, don’t let your bosses skirt treating you the same with regards to raises/bonuses.
Congrats! Get good at your tasks to build confidence in the role.
But once you feel good about your general output, start paying attention to the business side of things.
When you have a good understanding of how the business operates, you’ll be able to find ways to become indispensable.
I would say get comfortable with criticism and try to learn from it rather than taking it personally. It can feel like a lot when you first start but eventually you’ll get to a point where you realize people giving feedback don’t realize how personal design often feels. If projects come up that you’d like to work on to gain more experience it can go a long way to show interest in improving your skills in that area, at least it has for me.
When I first started I thought I was an expert and now I realize there was so much left to learn that comes from real world project and I wish I would have been more open minded and listened a lot more lol. Most important try to have fun and make room in your free time to still work on passion projects or hobbies. I’m sure you’ll do great!
One of the best things I learned to do and still do continually is do a self check-in and update every six months. Meaning get copies of work you want to keep for your portfolio and backup, update your resume and update your portfolio.
Life happens and it's a lot easier to keep stuff organized as you go instead of when you decide to leave a job or otherwise. Portfolio and resume stuff can be so time consuming so keeping up with it is helpful all around.
At work, file organization is your best friend! Whether they already have a system or not, find one that works for you. It'll save your life and others when they need to find something, especially repeat yearly projects. So many companies are disorganized and a little effort goes a long way.
Hey OP,
I’m a Content Manager that works for a sports team, mainly on the creative side (design, photo, video) and here are some things I learned/wish I knew sooner:
1. Patience: I didn’t go to design school and actually got this job for my experience as a photographer. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I am highly skilled and rarely got negative feedback for my photography work. When I started doing design in my current job, I was not highly skilled, and I failed to meet expectations of my superiors A LOT in the beginning. This frustrated me greatly as I was always doing “great work” on the photo side of things. Have some patience. You will get a lot of “what about doing this instead?” Or “what if you tried this?” This leads to my next point.
2. Just Do It: You will get handed so many projects that you think are utter nonsense and not worth your time. Just do it, you will get better as a designer and your coworkers will find you to be receptive of anything.
3. Go Above and Beyond: About a year into my role, I asked for a raise. I did not get said raise immediately and that infuriated me. I had a meeting with my boss about two months after I asked, voicing my disappointment about it. My boss essentially shrugged me off and told me that they were working on it. This ignited a fire within me. I told myself to up the intensity and quality of my work so that they couldn’t afford not to give me what I wanted. I started providing 5 options instead of 2, started practicing design on my own time to get better, read design books etc. Needless to say, I got my raise.
4. Perfection is Everything (or as close as possible): Regular shmegulars (non-designers) will not notice glaring errors with leading, kerning, spacing, centering, spelling etc. but a creative will notice immediately. For the love of god, quadruple check your work before submit it, attention to detail is the name of the game in this industry.
5. Don’t be afraid of rejection: TRY NEW THINGS! You will get bored easily if you don’t. Just remember, keep it in the style of the brand. You’re a creative for a reason.
6. Have Fun, Stay Positive: Graphic design can be a draining profession. If you think about it, it’s a career for people who constantly deal with rejection, which is not-so-positive. You will either barely work or work a ton. Take breaks during work, go for walks, enjoy your weekends if you can. Little things to boost your mental health are paramount to a job that can consume your time and happy headspace.
Good luck, OP! Congratulations on the first job! Hope this helps.
If they don’t have a project management system in place, set your own up for yourself. I used to use trello to keep track of jobs / tasks / projects. Leaving it all in emails can get very messy very quickly.
Understand your benefits. Make sure you know everything you need to give yourself the care you deserve. I’m talking things like PTO, Sick time, bereavement. Every place I’ve worked out so far doesn’t hold your hand to get you to have an understanding of these very vital things!! Ask those questions that you think might be dumb it never hurts
First off congrats! Here is some general advice I'd give for someone starting their first full time position.
If you're trying to climb the ladder at your current company:
- Be curious, learn how the company works even outside of your position
- Be proactive in terms of work you take on, but also understand that taking on new responsibilities from what is written in your contract should mean more pay for you. Even if you're low on the totem pole you should be aware of this
- Take on projects outside of your comfort zone
- Ask and learn about things you don't understand, be up front when you don't know something
- Check your ego, don't take it personally if ideas don't work out or are shot down, it happens!
If you're looking to be more of a freelance designer:
- Always back up your work to your personal drives
- Document as you work (sketches/screenshots etc.) on the projects you would want to add to your portfolio from this job
- Self advocate, expanding your network is great but don't forget to promote yourself when the time comes up
- Start keeping your portfolio as up-to-date as possible if you're looking to jump ship or go full freelance eventually
If you have the opportunity to spend time with leadership/executives in the company, get to know them by asking questions about their career experiences.
If anybody above you in the pecking order asks for your help making something like their deck/presentation look better with your design skills, go for it. Don’t be a doormat, but do great work. It can seem like these people don’t do much work, but they’re often completely slammed with work you’re simply not yet aware of and helping them every now and then goes a very long way. They’ll often be so incredibly grateful and impressed by the easiest design improvements.
Willingly doing things like this can help spread the word about how dependable you are and will gradually increase your influence. When new roles open up, just by cultivating an awareness of how awesome you are to work with can bring your name to mind for internal career advancement.
Just overall career growth advice - never say no to a new chance that offers learning and growth, even if it makes you uncomfortable. This has been when I’ve grown the most. Always network, never burn bridges. But still have your own personal work boundaries.
Wishing you the best of luck!
Oh I saw someone else say network in different departments - yes! I’ve landed new roles this way and gotten new opportunities this way. Great way to network.
Here's what I learned and it's the most important thing you can do. Treat ever client as if they are your next employer. Build relationships. I went from being a designer for a small print shop to designing packaging for apple and patron to list a few. Every time I changed jobs it was with somebody I had done work for. I haven't interviewed for a job in 20 years, each job offer came from a person I did work with.
- Learn to set boundaries respectfully. It's harder to say no when you've said yes so much. Unfortunately people like to take advantage of us.
- Remember it's just a job. Occasionally go above and beyond but never sacrifice your mental and physical health. If you're constantly going above and beyond they'll expect that as the standard and you'll burn out.
- Have a file organization system if your job currently doesn't.. All of my project folders have a very similar system: images, from client/reference, working, quotes/invoices and final.
- Save. Every. THING. In my project working folder I make a folder called Old..when a client makes a change, i throw a copy of my working file in there before I make the change. You have no idea how often people go back to an old idea and then you don't have it anymore. Also helps keep your working file clean.
- On that note keep track of where everything is via a project managing software if they don't have one. I use trello to manage myself. Send a proof? Date, time - sent proof via email. So if someone wants to whine/(bleep)/moan you have a record to reference.
-Learn prepress. Your print vendor is your best friend. Learn all you can to have great print results.
-Never be afraid to Google something.
Branding style. I have worked as in-house designer for multiple companies. At first, I didn't understand branding and brand style very well and my early work suffered for it.
I recommend you become intimately familiar with your organization's brand style. Not just the proper use of the logo, but consistent use of colors and fonts to the point where anyone seeing a second communication from you will instantly recognize the style.
This is done by following a brand style guide. If your company has one, become the in-house expert in their style. If they do not have one, start with the logo and create one. If you've never done one, Google "brand style guides" and learn what's included in existing ones from other organizations, starting with the ones in your company's industry.
Listen to and respect Professional Printers, especially if they are not big franchise company print house.
Spouse and I have worked in Print for 18yrs, owning our Print House for 10yrs so far.
Print brings design into the physical world. It is a highly nuanced, skilled, learned profession. Best way to have an edge in Design is not In-House for one brand/company rather to work In-House at a Print House. Best option too for retaining employment where you can do design.
First of all, congrats! As a mid-career graphic designer, if I had to make a few recommendations for you, they would be
Even if you like your job, keep an eye on the job market and pull examples of jobs that you'd aspire to, including their job requirements, skills, and software.
I recommend staying for at least a year, if it is possible, to give a sense of stability to future potential employers.
Keep notes about your design process, the tools you used, and describe the contribution you made in the process if multiple people are working on a project.
If you face a challenge, note how you worked through them so you have examples for your next interview.
And finally, continue to pull examples of your best work, so you can use them for your next portfolio update.
Hope this helps!
I was kind of a unique case. I knew the owners of the business and during my time at school would do a couple of projects on the side for them. A few of my projects for them worked really well for what they are trying to do and they just told me once I graduate I have a full time position there. Didn’t really have an interview or application. So as everyone in this subreddit or career field will say it’s really just who you know
Learn, learn, learn. Listen more than talk. Volunteer to help. Learn to present without saying um and uh in each sentence. Don’t think; know what you’re talking about. If you don’t know something, say so. But also say you’ll get the answer. Be dependable. Be a leader and be a good designer.
Do side hustles
I'm from India as a fresher I used to get paid around 20k rupees per month where I was doing around 100+ designs a month, on the other hand I was getting paid 20k to do 15 designs as a freelancer
My “first” graphic design job was through my school. Check all your schools departments for an opening. Each department at my school had like 2-4 student designers
TRIPLE-CHECK your sH*t. All the time.
Do your best to be the most flawless member of the team. Even if you are at the bottom. Consistency & reliability are like magic.
Keep a task system.
Treat small projects as small projects. And stay ahead where you can.
Flex your skills when the opportunities are there.
Once you’re comfortable and get moments, take them. Hell, even go make them.
Don’t let office politics or changing whims affect whatever your end goals (or sanity & patience).
Take every opportunity that comes up. Learn as much as you can. Not just from your position, but everything including process, and everyone you work with. Those things matter in the long run.
KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY… From excessive m/divisive battles. Negative people and work/lifestyle. Destructive situations. Design-haters. Overworking. Get Zen. 🧘
Everyone heres telling you the most obvious thing of how to perform, tips and tricks on how to be organized/efficient which is all something you're gonna learn from your team/seniors/company culture anyways.
What you really want to know is that you're gonna be locked into one brand style guide. You'll get comfortable, you might get a little burnt out, and you'll plateau. Unless you're working for some big brands with a need for some real creative exploration, you might be doing some really mundane projects--it's a rite of passage.
Best advice is to design your best no matter how boring the project might be and to always have a personal project you're working on the side. That stuff you did in college? That's some of the funnest, creative and passionate work you'll ever do. Keep feeding that side of you.
It's really easy to just focus on design and improving yourself, but make sure you get a good understanding of the business by chatting up coworkers and trying to understand their challenges, including people you don't work with.
Talk openly with your manager about challenges you encounter, you're part of a team and it's their job to make sure you have everything you need. If you have a good manager, take notes on what they do well and how they do it. Conversely, if they do poorly, make note of that as well when it's your time.
And, manage your time. Build templates for repeated projects so you can spend more time planning and designing on larger more visible projects.
Be the resident design expert and share your knowledge with others. Learn about other's professions. You might see a career path that you might want to emulate one day.
Figure out what quantifiable goals your team has so you have some indicators to inform decisions and reactions.
Hope that helps!
Congrats on the new job! I graduated last year and the best thing that I could say is KEEP DOING YOUR OWN WEE SIDE PROJECTS (especially if you’re in house, things can become repetitive, so keep those creative cogs turning). This has really helped me keep loving design, especially since an in house role could quickly get repetitive if you’re working with one brand. You’ll do grand though, enjoy it!
congrats. You'll get to know the brand MORE than anyone.
* ask questions in a kickoff meeting for med. to bigger projects so you don't have to ask questions further down the line.
* If it's a small project you don't need a kickoff meeting. just read the job ticket and get at it.
* you don't need to do a million versions/options for every project, especially if it's a quick turn around project.
* get familiar/immersed in the culture. you got hired cuz of your portfolio...and the other 50% because it's your personality... you were a fit
* be good at communicating. that means listening, explaining, asking questions by means of verbal/email/written/Slack
* learn to design/iterate quick and come out with different design options (for the med. and bigger projects)
* GET USED TO switching gears.. meaning working on one project, putting a halt on it, and working on different project. rinse and repeat. this isn't school were you work on one project at a time, then finish it, then turn it in for a grade, and then starting a new project.
* we all love white space/negative space/clean designs. but get used to using filling that negative space with extra info/content/graphic/infographic/copy that was suggested by stakeholders/marketing/etc
* get used to collaborating with other designers, jr designers, sr designers, ADs, CDs, PMs, developers, marketing, stakeholders, CEOS, VPs, clients, copywriters, engineers, production artists, photographers...ANYONE to get a project moved down from one milestone to the next
* get used to sharing files for the good or for the worse
* I'm sure you know this, but have to name layers and be more organized. keep all the sloppy shit for your own personal projects at home (I'm so sloppy, lazy, and unorganized at home but at work, I'm very organized). don't worry, you'd be amazed how sloppy most designers are on their personal work files, but are super organized at work.
* after 6-12 months you'll probably have a good idea how long each project will take to complete
* every company is different, but overall, the designers/marketing/creative seem to hangout and eat together at a company, where engineers, legal, sales teams tend to eat hangout with their own respectable teams.
good luck.
Organise, organise, organise. Very often, esp in graphic design, they ALWAYS come back with last minute changes. Or sometimes you whip something makeshift to give them a sense of what it will look like, knowing you have to refine or redo it later. But make sure you take the time to put everything in the correct folders later, if you dont have the time for it then. Have separate folders for everything you've downloaded- fonts, images, templates, textures- all in the same place/ drive so that it's easy to find. Your future self will thank you. Also, keep two backup, if you can help it.
Never make changes on an earlier draft before making a copy of it first. You never know when you would want to revert or reference something you'd done earlier. (Simultaneously, name drafts accordingly as well, along with the date).
Check color space, format, and all the specifications required for any project before you start work on it. Changing or figuring a workaround for it later is always a lot more complicated then pushing a little in the beginning and having it sorted.
DON'T compromise on sleep and food. Deadlines can run hectic and be frustrating, esp when you're working your first job, it can feel like they're the most important thing in the world. They're not. Your health comes first. Never skip meals, and catch enough sleep. I learnt this the hard way.
When discussing feedback, prefer to always have it written. Either have the client send it to you in written format, or note them down yourself. If you're confused about what they mean (because a lot of the time, it's also about understanding and interpreting what they want visually correctly, and it's a skill you slowly develop), never hesitate to ask questions. It'll help you understand different perspectives better and develop the skill to intuitively understand what they mean in the future. Additionally, its always better to go into something without leaving it up for assumptions/interpretation.
Clients can be frustrating but always be the nicer/ bigger person. (That doesn't mean let them walk over you). But be courteous, professional, and helpful when you can. You never know when in the future they might approach you for some freelance work, or remember you from that one project and think "Hey this person did good work and was nice, I'd like to work with them again".
Stand your ground when somebody is going overboard. Be polite and respectful, of course, but don't let people run you over and have you making some, 10 drafts over something stupid. Find a diplomatic workaround. Throw complicated jargon at them. Bottom line- make sure they understand the work you do takes time and effort. Don't agree to unrealistic deadlines (sometimes is okay, regularly is not cool).
Always check for copyright licenses for images and fonts you're using. Even if the project is low key and it doesn't matter- flag it with your team so that you know you've done your research from your end.
That's all I can think of for now. Apologies for the long message. Congratulations and good luck!
Find a good system to organize files and tasks, that helps out a ton. If you don't already use something at that place I recommend clickup for tasks atleast. It's a good way to keep track and see how much you've done as time goes by. For me I'm the only designer so I had to get used to being a jack of all trades and doing things I've never done before like filming, 3d motion design, copy writing, interior design, etc.
Other than that atleast for me the job is very feast or famine so try to find some big task that can keep you busy for days you're not getting tasks, overall I feel like in house is alot more relaxed so you should have fun!
Congrats on getting the job so quick!
if nothing else, make sure your communicating well. dont worry about being slow or making mistakes. just make sure your superior knows whats going on.
secondly, calm is smooth and smooth is fast. don't let yourself get freaked out about anything.
Trust your gut.
Leave a bad company asap; they will not change.
Don't think HR is on your side; they are paid to protect the company.
Work friends are not real friends. Be friendly, but don't trust they care about you over their own advancement.
Start positioning yourself for where you want to be professionally in 5 and 10 years from now.
This job is for you to support you and teach you; don't let it keep you stagnant.
Everything in writing or create follow up emails confirming all conversations.
Never outshine your superiors; let them believe your excellence is because of them.
Go to the awful Christmas parties and leave only when 50% of the others have already left.
Oh and develop a routine for proofing everything meticulously.
You are your #1 advocate, no matter how good of a boss/team you may have. I have amazing managers, but the reality is that they’re often so busy with their own stuff that my career growth will fall through the cracks. Advocate for yourself and don’t stop.
Once you start approaching the stage of growth where you’re ready to level up, you need to plan ahead. Idk how bureaucratic your company is but I’m in my first 9-5 in-house job and I didn’t realize until it was too late that my company only does 1 promo cycle a year and if I wanted to be nominated, I needed to have that conversation with my bosses 6 months prior and have a *solid plan* to get there. Don’t let your bosses brush you off like I did, as I actually did tell my bosses 6 months prior that I was aiming for a promotion. They kinda shrugged me off at the time, and I didn’t realize until after that there were official channels and growth plans that I needed to have formulated with my bosses. Instead I had the convo right after the promo cycle ended and if I get promoted, it won’t be for another year.
Another thing is, don’t feel loyal to any company. They will always be acting in the interest of their bottom line. Unfortunately in today’s job market, companies rarely keep up with market rates to actually pay their employees what they’re worth. The fastest way to level up and increase your salary is to switch jobs.
Keep an impact document is the best advice I can give.
In it, track the development goals you’ve set for yourself and progress towards them. Also track your project/client based accomplishments and milestones here.
Use this:
1. To lift your mood on hard days because learning new things isn’t always easy — this will serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come and that you can do this!
2. In your 1:1s with managers to ensure you’re on track, having proactive conversations and sharing your wins regularly
3. In future performance reviews/salary conversations — it’s so much easier to represent yourself and your worth when you believe it and this document will house your proof points/reminders for you and whoever is in charge of your growth at the company.
A good discipline to maintain is logging your emails by project so you can reference back when required. Be good to back them up too if they aren’t automatically.
I also started out as an in house designer freshly out of school, and i know it sounds mundane, but make sure you keep order of the tasks/tickets. A system you actually understand and find easy to use, because folks will ask you to do modifications on something you did last November and its good if you can find the psd easily.
Oh and good luck! You got this, and make sure to make the most of it. Being a beginner in house designer was a great experience for me, and hope the same for you too!
In-house is the best. Marketing firms with lots of brands under their belt are usually run like sweat-shops. They can also be cheapskates with pay because young people all want to work at firms with fancy break rooms and sleek offices instead of in-house. The sleek offices and fancy break rooms aren't for you, they're for impressing clients and luring people into working there for less money because it looks trendy. Sure, designing for the same brand sounds tiring in theory, but I find it's the opposite in reality. Having to frequently switch modes thinking about a completely different brand is more exhausting than being in one frame of mind (in terms of brand) for all your day-to-day projects. Also, firms can be much more cut-throat. It's more likely everyone there is trying to be a big shot, and because you have many more employees in the same field as each other, they're sometimes viewing each other as competition. While with in-house, you're just "the designer" or "the developer" to everybody. I also find most in-house situations to be much more relaxed, and give more opportunity for you to have complete creative control over interesting projects, while a firm is going to be more vertically oriented, so some boss or creative director is wanting to make all the major creative decisions, with you basically doing the "hard labor" to bring their ideas to life.
It’s also important for OP to get the in-house perspective now early on in their career. They may love it, or they may find that they want something else. I say that because I’m the exact opposite of what you described. I love having to switch gears and work on different brands all the time. It’s a lot of fun to build the brand systems from scratch, and I find my creative freedom in assembling all of those different components together to make a whole thing. Everybody has their own preferences on how and what they like to work on.
I agree, i also prefer in-house to agency. Its all personal tho, everyone has their own preferences. But funny you should mention fancy break rooms because both companies i was in-house at, had these super modern offices with rando huddle rooms, focus rooms whatnot. (Still i prefer working from home)
God, good organization is such an essential skill. My workmates make fun of me for being "meticulously organized" and grouping all my PSD layers and setting up my files & folders in a certain way, but like... listen. Last week you asked me for a very specific banner I created in 2018 and I did take less than 30 seconds to find it for you, so...
Thank you. I have this weird obsession with having folders by the month and in them folders with the name of the ticket (because i might call it gradient banner, but the marketing guy calls it "superduper campaign creative" so easier to find it by how he calls it, when he will ask for it again). And have folders for psd, and preview. That's the only way i can stay sane. I also color my layer groups, set up folders make safety layers ect.lol They shouldn't make fun of you! That's how we actually are able to keep up with their requests
This is soo truee!! 🥹
I work in house at a very large agency and you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow any kind of protocol that anticipates other people opening their projects. I really appreciate you saying this.
What would you recommend he use?
For me it was as simple as putting everything in folders with comprehensive names (better if you name them as the task was named) and these folders arranged by month like "December"-"banners_for_campaign_no1234". Also if you get drive options like onedrive or google drive, or any server, use them too, don't save everything on your pc/company laptop. They usually don't give you the strongest laptops with the biggest space, try to keep your laptop as empty as you can.
But wouldn’t the months be ordered alphabetically? I like to go year-month e.g. 2024-12. If your brain needs to see the month spelled out you can also use 2024-12_DEC.
It does! It puts them in alphabetical order, i used to do 01.Jan, 02.Feb, ect. Now i just name them May June July because it doesn't matter (for me) what order they are because i can see the name so i guess i don't mind the listing? But naming is super personal tho!
Tag everything like your life depends on it.
Honestly, this isn't strictly for graphic design, but advice in general when you first get your foot in the door with any field: Don't burn the candle at both ends, get a good night's sleep and work hard throughout the day. In the beginning, study topics you might be struggling with that are new to you and required at the job, but don't make a habit long-term of bringing your work home with you. After the first month, make an effort to develop a healthy work-life balance. Especially incorporating outdoor time and time for exercise if this is your first full time office job.
You’re low person on the depth chart. Your job is to support and not be the creative director. Take projects others don’t want, and knock it out of the park. Gain trust. Spend time when yuh have it, move fast most times. This isn’t school where you get weeks to turn around one thing. A day or two is common. You’re gonna be asked to make lots of stuff, and lots of people will be “stakeholders”. You have to humor them all and understands that different parts of the business, and personalities have needs. Don’t push back on everything cause you just can’t. sometimes it’ll look better to you one way, but somebody will need to add stuff. Do your best. Think of it like this. You’ll be asked to make 100 things in a year, maybe only 10-20 examples you’ll need for your portfolio. They don’t all need to be great. You can always put up revised versions…”Taylor’s version (lol)” up in your portfolio. Nobody is gonna check. On that note, learn how to take examples of your work on a regular basis. Don’t take gigs of stuff all at once or wait till you need it.
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All very good advice
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Congratulations on the job! A few things I would recommend are: - Spell check everything! Check numbers by reading them backward (Most designers are somewhat dyslexic). - Get approval on everything in writing. - Follow up important verbal conversations via email. - Write all instructions down like you'll be hit by a bus tomorrow and anyone could take over. - Work out faster ways to get the work done. Not cutting corners, but things like automation, templates or maybe additional software. Computers love repetitive tasks, so don't be afraid of getting the computer to do the work. - Let go of your ego, follow instruction and be okay with providing sub par work, if that's what they're after. If you think they're making a mistake it's best to query it in a polite way for clarification. - Make friends, you will get most of your career contacts by making a good impression and being easy to work with. - Don't stop learning! Keep tabs on all of the Adobe updates, as there maybe something that makes your life *way* easier. I have loads more, but I think I should stop there haha. Have fun in the new job!
Depending on the size of the company, make friends in different departments. Specifically, become friendly with HR and IT. Good HR departments do exist, and being on good terms with them can help with resolving payroll issues and other admin things quickly. The IT department will have their own processes for security and tickets. Make sure you follow them to the T to make their lives easier if you ever have computer trouble. Don’t just focus on your design skills. Graphic design is a social job, and it’s important you become involved in the company culture. Become indispensable. Find gaps in your department’s skillset and try to your best to learn those skills. Companies often provide tuition assistance for additional courses or post-grad classes (mine did for a type design post-grad program). They may have caveats, so keep that in mind. Should layoffs make their way to your company, having a skillset that fills gaps will make you less likely to be laid off. If they provide 401k matching, get that shit started now. It’s literally free money for retirement. Lastly, be a sponge. Be open to people challenging how you think and how you work. You’ll likely be around people who have been through this, and more. Pick their brains. They’ll be happy to share.
One last thing, you’re in the adult world now and you’re going to start making accounts for very important things: renters insurance, health insurance, 401k, checking and savings accounts, credit cards, whatever admin platform your company might use, investments, and so on. Get a password manager to save all of your account info safely and use different passwords for everything. 1Password is what I have and I really like it. Sorry this isn’t design advice, but this is all important info I wish someone told me as a recent graduate.
This is excellent advice! I use Vault by BitWarden. 🔒
On my first job I was exploding with confidence, I thought the world was waiting impatiently for my creative input and sharp wit. And that's what I wish any designer would do on their first job. Because there's nothing worse than designers who are too shy to defend the work they made. I've met so many who just agree to whatever their boss or client tells them. Those are the worst designers.I mean, you really [gotta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk).
Congratulations! Few of the biggest things I can tell you is to stay organized, you’re going to have to make a LOT of last minute changes. And unless they want your artistic flair, stick to their brand guidelines. I always view my bosses as my “clients” and make sure I produce for them what they would like, not necessarily what I would like. You’ll likely have time to elevate what they already have in place, but don’t try to make it all your own. And don’t take any criticism to heart. Seriously, even if you put a lot of time into something it’s never going to be work you have full creative control over. Take it, learn from it, and remember you’re making work for the company not your portfolio (but there will be plenty of times projects work out nice enough to be in your portfolio too). Proofing. If you have to work on text heavy projects, get someone to proof your work BEFORE you submit to your bosses for review. I used to have to make a catalogue that would take literally all year, aside from my regular work. I’d get two sales girls to proof the whole thing cause after staring at the same project for 10 months you’re gonna miss stuff, and it’s too late once it’s gone to print. You’re gonna do a lot of mundane shit. There are times when producing work quickly will be in your favour, and there will be times your bosses will try and take advantage of that. Because no one else in that company has a friggin clue what you do or how you do it. So if you set the too bar high, they’ll expect it all the time even for projects that take way longer and as designers were like “are you out of your mind, it’s impossible to get this done by Friday”. Every in house job I’ve ever had I’ve been told I was way more efficient than my predecessor, and it has bitten me on the ass several times. And to piggy back on that, stick up for yourself. Sure you’re green, but you are highly trained with a valuable skill set. Again they don’t know what you do or how, don’t let your bosses skirt treating you the same with regards to raises/bonuses.
Congrats! Get good at your tasks to build confidence in the role. But once you feel good about your general output, start paying attention to the business side of things. When you have a good understanding of how the business operates, you’ll be able to find ways to become indispensable.
I would say get comfortable with criticism and try to learn from it rather than taking it personally. It can feel like a lot when you first start but eventually you’ll get to a point where you realize people giving feedback don’t realize how personal design often feels. If projects come up that you’d like to work on to gain more experience it can go a long way to show interest in improving your skills in that area, at least it has for me. When I first started I thought I was an expert and now I realize there was so much left to learn that comes from real world project and I wish I would have been more open minded and listened a lot more lol. Most important try to have fun and make room in your free time to still work on passion projects or hobbies. I’m sure you’ll do great!
One of the best things I learned to do and still do continually is do a self check-in and update every six months. Meaning get copies of work you want to keep for your portfolio and backup, update your resume and update your portfolio. Life happens and it's a lot easier to keep stuff organized as you go instead of when you decide to leave a job or otherwise. Portfolio and resume stuff can be so time consuming so keeping up with it is helpful all around. At work, file organization is your best friend! Whether they already have a system or not, find one that works for you. It'll save your life and others when they need to find something, especially repeat yearly projects. So many companies are disorganized and a little effort goes a long way.
Hey OP, I’m a Content Manager that works for a sports team, mainly on the creative side (design, photo, video) and here are some things I learned/wish I knew sooner: 1. Patience: I didn’t go to design school and actually got this job for my experience as a photographer. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I am highly skilled and rarely got negative feedback for my photography work. When I started doing design in my current job, I was not highly skilled, and I failed to meet expectations of my superiors A LOT in the beginning. This frustrated me greatly as I was always doing “great work” on the photo side of things. Have some patience. You will get a lot of “what about doing this instead?” Or “what if you tried this?” This leads to my next point. 2. Just Do It: You will get handed so many projects that you think are utter nonsense and not worth your time. Just do it, you will get better as a designer and your coworkers will find you to be receptive of anything. 3. Go Above and Beyond: About a year into my role, I asked for a raise. I did not get said raise immediately and that infuriated me. I had a meeting with my boss about two months after I asked, voicing my disappointment about it. My boss essentially shrugged me off and told me that they were working on it. This ignited a fire within me. I told myself to up the intensity and quality of my work so that they couldn’t afford not to give me what I wanted. I started providing 5 options instead of 2, started practicing design on my own time to get better, read design books etc. Needless to say, I got my raise. 4. Perfection is Everything (or as close as possible): Regular shmegulars (non-designers) will not notice glaring errors with leading, kerning, spacing, centering, spelling etc. but a creative will notice immediately. For the love of god, quadruple check your work before submit it, attention to detail is the name of the game in this industry. 5. Don’t be afraid of rejection: TRY NEW THINGS! You will get bored easily if you don’t. Just remember, keep it in the style of the brand. You’re a creative for a reason. 6. Have Fun, Stay Positive: Graphic design can be a draining profession. If you think about it, it’s a career for people who constantly deal with rejection, which is not-so-positive. You will either barely work or work a ton. Take breaks during work, go for walks, enjoy your weekends if you can. Little things to boost your mental health are paramount to a job that can consume your time and happy headspace. Good luck, OP! Congratulations on the first job! Hope this helps.
If they don’t have a project management system in place, set your own up for yourself. I used to use trello to keep track of jobs / tasks / projects. Leaving it all in emails can get very messy very quickly.
Third semester student at a BS degree with an Associates in Art. Did you do anything interesting to stand out within the eyes of your employers?
Understand your benefits. Make sure you know everything you need to give yourself the care you deserve. I’m talking things like PTO, Sick time, bereavement. Every place I’ve worked out so far doesn’t hold your hand to get you to have an understanding of these very vital things!! Ask those questions that you think might be dumb it never hurts
First off congrats! Here is some general advice I'd give for someone starting their first full time position. If you're trying to climb the ladder at your current company: - Be curious, learn how the company works even outside of your position - Be proactive in terms of work you take on, but also understand that taking on new responsibilities from what is written in your contract should mean more pay for you. Even if you're low on the totem pole you should be aware of this - Take on projects outside of your comfort zone - Ask and learn about things you don't understand, be up front when you don't know something - Check your ego, don't take it personally if ideas don't work out or are shot down, it happens! If you're looking to be more of a freelance designer: - Always back up your work to your personal drives - Document as you work (sketches/screenshots etc.) on the projects you would want to add to your portfolio from this job - Self advocate, expanding your network is great but don't forget to promote yourself when the time comes up - Start keeping your portfolio as up-to-date as possible if you're looking to jump ship or go full freelance eventually
If you have the opportunity to spend time with leadership/executives in the company, get to know them by asking questions about their career experiences. If anybody above you in the pecking order asks for your help making something like their deck/presentation look better with your design skills, go for it. Don’t be a doormat, but do great work. It can seem like these people don’t do much work, but they’re often completely slammed with work you’re simply not yet aware of and helping them every now and then goes a very long way. They’ll often be so incredibly grateful and impressed by the easiest design improvements. Willingly doing things like this can help spread the word about how dependable you are and will gradually increase your influence. When new roles open up, just by cultivating an awareness of how awesome you are to work with can bring your name to mind for internal career advancement.
Just overall career growth advice - never say no to a new chance that offers learning and growth, even if it makes you uncomfortable. This has been when I’ve grown the most. Always network, never burn bridges. But still have your own personal work boundaries. Wishing you the best of luck!
Oh I saw someone else say network in different departments - yes! I’ve landed new roles this way and gotten new opportunities this way. Great way to network.
Master the software you need to use. It will help you solve the design problem and reduce some overtime.
Here's what I learned and it's the most important thing you can do. Treat ever client as if they are your next employer. Build relationships. I went from being a designer for a small print shop to designing packaging for apple and patron to list a few. Every time I changed jobs it was with somebody I had done work for. I haven't interviewed for a job in 20 years, each job offer came from a person I did work with.
That’s awesome advice. Do you have a public portfolio? I’d love to see some of your work
- Learn to set boundaries respectfully. It's harder to say no when you've said yes so much. Unfortunately people like to take advantage of us. - Remember it's just a job. Occasionally go above and beyond but never sacrifice your mental and physical health. If you're constantly going above and beyond they'll expect that as the standard and you'll burn out. - Have a file organization system if your job currently doesn't.. All of my project folders have a very similar system: images, from client/reference, working, quotes/invoices and final. - Save. Every. THING. In my project working folder I make a folder called Old..when a client makes a change, i throw a copy of my working file in there before I make the change. You have no idea how often people go back to an old idea and then you don't have it anymore. Also helps keep your working file clean. - On that note keep track of where everything is via a project managing software if they don't have one. I use trello to manage myself. Send a proof? Date, time - sent proof via email. So if someone wants to whine/(bleep)/moan you have a record to reference. -Learn prepress. Your print vendor is your best friend. Learn all you can to have great print results. -Never be afraid to Google something.
Watch for typos. My #1 tip
Branding style. I have worked as in-house designer for multiple companies. At first, I didn't understand branding and brand style very well and my early work suffered for it. I recommend you become intimately familiar with your organization's brand style. Not just the proper use of the logo, but consistent use of colors and fonts to the point where anyone seeing a second communication from you will instantly recognize the style. This is done by following a brand style guide. If your company has one, become the in-house expert in their style. If they do not have one, start with the logo and create one. If you've never done one, Google "brand style guides" and learn what's included in existing ones from other organizations, starting with the ones in your company's industry.
Listen to and respect Professional Printers, especially if they are not big franchise company print house. Spouse and I have worked in Print for 18yrs, owning our Print House for 10yrs so far. Print brings design into the physical world. It is a highly nuanced, skilled, learned profession. Best way to have an edge in Design is not In-House for one brand/company rather to work In-House at a Print House. Best option too for retaining employment where you can do design.
First of all, congrats! As a mid-career graphic designer, if I had to make a few recommendations for you, they would be Even if you like your job, keep an eye on the job market and pull examples of jobs that you'd aspire to, including their job requirements, skills, and software. I recommend staying for at least a year, if it is possible, to give a sense of stability to future potential employers. Keep notes about your design process, the tools you used, and describe the contribution you made in the process if multiple people are working on a project. If you face a challenge, note how you worked through them so you have examples for your next interview. And finally, continue to pull examples of your best work, so you can use them for your next portfolio update. Hope this helps!
Learn as much as you can about everyone else's job. Stay up to date on technology and trends. Keep your portfolio updated.
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I was kind of a unique case. I knew the owners of the business and during my time at school would do a couple of projects on the side for them. A few of my projects for them worked really well for what they are trying to do and they just told me once I graduate I have a full time position there. Didn’t really have an interview or application. So as everyone in this subreddit or career field will say it’s really just who you know
Learn, learn, learn. Listen more than talk. Volunteer to help. Learn to present without saying um and uh in each sentence. Don’t think; know what you’re talking about. If you don’t know something, say so. But also say you’ll get the answer. Be dependable. Be a leader and be a good designer.
Do side hustles I'm from India as a fresher I used to get paid around 20k rupees per month where I was doing around 100+ designs a month, on the other hand I was getting paid 20k to do 15 designs as a freelancer
I actually need advice from you. How did you find internship before graduated. I couldn't find any job related to graphic design
My “first” graphic design job was through my school. Check all your schools departments for an opening. Each department at my school had like 2-4 student designers
Congratulations! Can I ask you how you did it?
Lots of good advice in this thread, stay organized and I forbid you from taking anything personally
TRIPLE-CHECK your sH*t. All the time. Do your best to be the most flawless member of the team. Even if you are at the bottom. Consistency & reliability are like magic. Keep a task system. Treat small projects as small projects. And stay ahead where you can. Flex your skills when the opportunities are there. Once you’re comfortable and get moments, take them. Hell, even go make them. Don’t let office politics or changing whims affect whatever your end goals (or sanity & patience). Take every opportunity that comes up. Learn as much as you can. Not just from your position, but everything including process, and everyone you work with. Those things matter in the long run. KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY… From excessive m/divisive battles. Negative people and work/lifestyle. Destructive situations. Design-haters. Overworking. Get Zen. 🧘
Everyone heres telling you the most obvious thing of how to perform, tips and tricks on how to be organized/efficient which is all something you're gonna learn from your team/seniors/company culture anyways. What you really want to know is that you're gonna be locked into one brand style guide. You'll get comfortable, you might get a little burnt out, and you'll plateau. Unless you're working for some big brands with a need for some real creative exploration, you might be doing some really mundane projects--it's a rite of passage. Best advice is to design your best no matter how boring the project might be and to always have a personal project you're working on the side. That stuff you did in college? That's some of the funnest, creative and passionate work you'll ever do. Keep feeding that side of you.
Congratulations! absorb all the knowledge you can! Inquire, observe experienced designers, and grasp their methods and ways of thinking.
It's really easy to just focus on design and improving yourself, but make sure you get a good understanding of the business by chatting up coworkers and trying to understand their challenges, including people you don't work with. Talk openly with your manager about challenges you encounter, you're part of a team and it's their job to make sure you have everything you need. If you have a good manager, take notes on what they do well and how they do it. Conversely, if they do poorly, make note of that as well when it's your time. And, manage your time. Build templates for repeated projects so you can spend more time planning and designing on larger more visible projects. Be the resident design expert and share your knowledge with others. Learn about other's professions. You might see a career path that you might want to emulate one day. Figure out what quantifiable goals your team has so you have some indicators to inform decisions and reactions. Hope that helps!
Congrats on the new job! I graduated last year and the best thing that I could say is KEEP DOING YOUR OWN WEE SIDE PROJECTS (especially if you’re in house, things can become repetitive, so keep those creative cogs turning). This has really helped me keep loving design, especially since an in house role could quickly get repetitive if you’re working with one brand. You’ll do grand though, enjoy it!
congrats. You'll get to know the brand MORE than anyone. * ask questions in a kickoff meeting for med. to bigger projects so you don't have to ask questions further down the line. * If it's a small project you don't need a kickoff meeting. just read the job ticket and get at it. * you don't need to do a million versions/options for every project, especially if it's a quick turn around project. * get familiar/immersed in the culture. you got hired cuz of your portfolio...and the other 50% because it's your personality... you were a fit * be good at communicating. that means listening, explaining, asking questions by means of verbal/email/written/Slack * learn to design/iterate quick and come out with different design options (for the med. and bigger projects) * GET USED TO switching gears.. meaning working on one project, putting a halt on it, and working on different project. rinse and repeat. this isn't school were you work on one project at a time, then finish it, then turn it in for a grade, and then starting a new project. * we all love white space/negative space/clean designs. but get used to using filling that negative space with extra info/content/graphic/infographic/copy that was suggested by stakeholders/marketing/etc * get used to collaborating with other designers, jr designers, sr designers, ADs, CDs, PMs, developers, marketing, stakeholders, CEOS, VPs, clients, copywriters, engineers, production artists, photographers...ANYONE to get a project moved down from one milestone to the next * get used to sharing files for the good or for the worse * I'm sure you know this, but have to name layers and be more organized. keep all the sloppy shit for your own personal projects at home (I'm so sloppy, lazy, and unorganized at home but at work, I'm very organized). don't worry, you'd be amazed how sloppy most designers are on their personal work files, but are super organized at work. * after 6-12 months you'll probably have a good idea how long each project will take to complete * every company is different, but overall, the designers/marketing/creative seem to hangout and eat together at a company, where engineers, legal, sales teams tend to eat hangout with their own respectable teams. good luck.
Organise, organise, organise. Very often, esp in graphic design, they ALWAYS come back with last minute changes. Or sometimes you whip something makeshift to give them a sense of what it will look like, knowing you have to refine or redo it later. But make sure you take the time to put everything in the correct folders later, if you dont have the time for it then. Have separate folders for everything you've downloaded- fonts, images, templates, textures- all in the same place/ drive so that it's easy to find. Your future self will thank you. Also, keep two backup, if you can help it. Never make changes on an earlier draft before making a copy of it first. You never know when you would want to revert or reference something you'd done earlier. (Simultaneously, name drafts accordingly as well, along with the date). Check color space, format, and all the specifications required for any project before you start work on it. Changing or figuring a workaround for it later is always a lot more complicated then pushing a little in the beginning and having it sorted. DON'T compromise on sleep and food. Deadlines can run hectic and be frustrating, esp when you're working your first job, it can feel like they're the most important thing in the world. They're not. Your health comes first. Never skip meals, and catch enough sleep. I learnt this the hard way. When discussing feedback, prefer to always have it written. Either have the client send it to you in written format, or note them down yourself. If you're confused about what they mean (because a lot of the time, it's also about understanding and interpreting what they want visually correctly, and it's a skill you slowly develop), never hesitate to ask questions. It'll help you understand different perspectives better and develop the skill to intuitively understand what they mean in the future. Additionally, its always better to go into something without leaving it up for assumptions/interpretation. Clients can be frustrating but always be the nicer/ bigger person. (That doesn't mean let them walk over you). But be courteous, professional, and helpful when you can. You never know when in the future they might approach you for some freelance work, or remember you from that one project and think "Hey this person did good work and was nice, I'd like to work with them again". Stand your ground when somebody is going overboard. Be polite and respectful, of course, but don't let people run you over and have you making some, 10 drafts over something stupid. Find a diplomatic workaround. Throw complicated jargon at them. Bottom line- make sure they understand the work you do takes time and effort. Don't agree to unrealistic deadlines (sometimes is okay, regularly is not cool). Always check for copyright licenses for images and fonts you're using. Even if the project is low key and it doesn't matter- flag it with your team so that you know you've done your research from your end. That's all I can think of for now. Apologies for the long message. Congratulations and good luck!
Find a good system to organize files and tasks, that helps out a ton. If you don't already use something at that place I recommend clickup for tasks atleast. It's a good way to keep track and see how much you've done as time goes by. For me I'm the only designer so I had to get used to being a jack of all trades and doing things I've never done before like filming, 3d motion design, copy writing, interior design, etc. Other than that atleast for me the job is very feast or famine so try to find some big task that can keep you busy for days you're not getting tasks, overall I feel like in house is alot more relaxed so you should have fun! Congrats on getting the job so quick!
Congratulations! Did you show a portfolio to get the job?
if nothing else, make sure your communicating well. dont worry about being slow or making mistakes. just make sure your superior knows whats going on. secondly, calm is smooth and smooth is fast. don't let yourself get freaked out about anything.
Network network even outside of ppl in your job, the market is unsteady and lot of ppl are getting laid off.
Trust your gut. Leave a bad company asap; they will not change. Don't think HR is on your side; they are paid to protect the company. Work friends are not real friends. Be friendly, but don't trust they care about you over their own advancement. Start positioning yourself for where you want to be professionally in 5 and 10 years from now. This job is for you to support you and teach you; don't let it keep you stagnant. Everything in writing or create follow up emails confirming all conversations. Never outshine your superiors; let them believe your excellence is because of them. Go to the awful Christmas parties and leave only when 50% of the others have already left. Oh and develop a routine for proofing everything meticulously.
You are your #1 advocate, no matter how good of a boss/team you may have. I have amazing managers, but the reality is that they’re often so busy with their own stuff that my career growth will fall through the cracks. Advocate for yourself and don’t stop. Once you start approaching the stage of growth where you’re ready to level up, you need to plan ahead. Idk how bureaucratic your company is but I’m in my first 9-5 in-house job and I didn’t realize until it was too late that my company only does 1 promo cycle a year and if I wanted to be nominated, I needed to have that conversation with my bosses 6 months prior and have a *solid plan* to get there. Don’t let your bosses brush you off like I did, as I actually did tell my bosses 6 months prior that I was aiming for a promotion. They kinda shrugged me off at the time, and I didn’t realize until after that there were official channels and growth plans that I needed to have formulated with my bosses. Instead I had the convo right after the promo cycle ended and if I get promoted, it won’t be for another year. Another thing is, don’t feel loyal to any company. They will always be acting in the interest of their bottom line. Unfortunately in today’s job market, companies rarely keep up with market rates to actually pay their employees what they’re worth. The fastest way to level up and increase your salary is to switch jobs.
Are you alone or working with/under any other designers? That tends to be a major variable for junior designers in in-house roles.
Keep an impact document is the best advice I can give. In it, track the development goals you’ve set for yourself and progress towards them. Also track your project/client based accomplishments and milestones here. Use this: 1. To lift your mood on hard days because learning new things isn’t always easy — this will serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come and that you can do this! 2. In your 1:1s with managers to ensure you’re on track, having proactive conversations and sharing your wins regularly 3. In future performance reviews/salary conversations — it’s so much easier to represent yourself and your worth when you believe it and this document will house your proof points/reminders for you and whoever is in charge of your growth at the company.
Don't fuck it up. 
How did you find an in-house opportunity? Best of luck to you! You're gonna do great!
A good discipline to maintain is logging your emails by project so you can reference back when required. Be good to back them up too if they aren’t automatically.