But my dad had the right idea. Sometimes you need to call in a professional. And to help you figure out when you should do that, here are two clear signs:
1. You’re Out of Your League
The boss-lady gives you the assignment and makes it clear to you what she wants in a presentation. Reflections, rounded corners, smooth animations, and a motion piece up front with a nifty lens flare. She also wants a complete speaker script, new template and grid system, and a printable version for leaving behind. She wants everything to adhere to the company’s brand guidelines, but also push the envelope a little bit and create something original. Oh, and she’ll project in 16:9, but she also wants a 4:3 version to use later with her sales force.
Don’t get me wrong; deisger skills are important. Especially when it comes to presentations. Let’s face it, designers aren’t cheap – especially good ones. So hiring a designer or a design firm to build your world-class presentation might be out of your price range. Do it yourself and save big bucks.
For some time now, Tommy Smith has been considered “the iconic beauty for everyday elegance” and through her work it is easy to see her high level of personal involvement and unique interest in her customers. Tommy came together with the Kmart Design team to create a new and elegant image for the face of her home décor product launch.
Getting into the industry is pretty informal, Richard shares. “There’s a huge collection of random informal training, which is good, because you’re just learning for yourself and you get to push yourself in to the area you want to go. It’s not ‘you get a degree and get that job’. The field is open. You can just specialise in something which is great.”
Advice for people entering the industry?
Have the passion to make it work. It’s a small industry, but people who are dedicated and keen, will go far really quickly. Be prepared at the start to do work for free.
There’s good money, but at first, be prepared to do gig you don’t want to do. I spent a few years going birthday parties and weddings.
That’s one of the reasons we publish this blog. So anyone with an internet connection can start educating themselves and learn how to design for themselves. It’s also one of the reasons Nancy published slide:ology – to provide some in-depth instruction that anyone can get their hands on. And finally, for the armchair designer who wants to get as close to Duarte as possible without being on our 401k plan, we offer a series of workshops and webinars.