What difficulties did you face at the beginning of your career?
I could sum them up in 3 words: location, focus, and limits.
Location. I started in my country of origin, Spain, when the industry and the possibilities were so limited that even the most talented people would waste their talent dealing with nonsense. I learned that fast and moved out of the country soon enough with nothing more than my laptop and a good friend’s couch I could crash on.
Focus. Back when I started you truly had to be a full stack designer to get a job, and hey, it was fun. Getting a job in the UK and moving to NYC meant I had to give up something. My multidisciplinary profile didn’t quite work well within structured agencies.
Limits. There is nothing impossible if you are willing to spend the right time learning it. The challenge is not to learn something, it is to decide what you are going to invest your time learning about.
What should a young designer do in order not to get hired by anybody?
The 3 most common Do Nots:
1. Don’t show your work because it’s not good enough.
2. Don’t reach out to people.
3. Don’t respond to emails.
Finally 2 big misinterpretations in this industry:
1. Think of NO as NEVER, instead of “not right now”.
2. Spend longer time periods pretending to be a designer than actually designing.
1. Don’t show your work because it’s not good enough.
2. Don’t reach out to people.
3. Don’t respond to emails.
Finally 2 big misinterpretations in this industry:
1. Think of NO as NEVER, instead of “not right now”.
2. Spend longer time periods pretending to be a designer than actually designing.
Are there any things you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
Don’t pay too much attention to what others are doing, find your own voice and angle.
Are there any rules or habits that help you do your job more efficiently?
— Emails in the morning and after lunch.
— Keep written communications short and to the point. If a longer explanation is needed, record and post a video walkthrough.
— Meetings in person only 1 or 2 days a week max.
— Write a “To Do” list everyday.
— Keep written communications short and to the point. If a longer explanation is needed, record and post a video walkthrough.
— Meetings in person only 1 or 2 days a week max.
— Write a “To Do” list everyday.
Would you recommend some books that young designers might find useful?
I have read tons of books over the years but in general I realized I dislike reading design books, I like looking at them for inspiration but I’ve found the internet does it better for me. Also I moved enough throughout the years and decided I don’t want to store books anymore. So I read them and then I give them away. Design books that I have enjoyed over the years:
Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life by Chris Kohler, Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Designing News by Francesco Franchi.
Claudio answered the questions on August 2, 2015.
The answers were published on August 4, 2015.
The answers were published on August 4, 2015.