How graphic designers deal with rejection, frustration, and uncertainty

Buddy: “What do you do for a living?”

Me: “I’m a graphic designer”

Buddy: “Lucky you!”

I get that almost every time people ask me about my career. People think all I do at work is draw fluffy cats, rainbows, and unicorns everyday. But to be honest, being a graphic designer can be depressing. The work is full of rejection, frustration, and uncertainty. 

I want to give some tips for my fellow graphic designers out there on how to overcome these negative emotions so you can continue drawing fluffy cats, rainbows, and unicorns!

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Rejection: Don’t get attached to your work. Ask questions instead. 

There will be a moment when your client, your boss, your friends, even your mom says “Ew, that’s ugly.” Graphic design is in between art and science. You can back up your rationale with science, but you can’t back up how people feel when they see your work. 

I remember the first time I got criticized for my work in my internship, I became really defensive. I was very attached to my work. I took the critique as a personal attack and it made me feel like a bad graphic designer. 

I still feel that same sadness when my work gets rejected, but these critiques make me a better designer. When people criticize your work, it means they care about you and your work. They just don’t know how to give critique positively. 

Clients, most of the time, have a specific image they want. They just don’t know how to unscramble that visual for you. Be patient and ask what, when, where, who, and how, so that both of you and your clients will be happy. 

• Who is this for? It can’t be for everybody.
• What do you want your audience to do when they see the product? 
• When do you want the product to be out and how long?
• Where will you publish the product?
• How do you feel about yellow (or the specific look you would suggest for the product)?

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Frustration: Set boundaries and take your time to refine your style.

I love brainstorming and sketching, but most clients don’t, especially when they expect you to do magic on their urgent requests. This is where you set boundaries when you get unreasonable deadlines for projects like that 100-page report to be done in 5 hours or that 1 hour introduction video. Say no and see what they say. 

I learned that most of the time, clients don’t really want it, they just request it out of curiosity of your capability. If they really need it, they will be willing to negotiate to make the best out of it. Once you know what you are going to design, take your time to work on it. 

• Grab your pen, pencil, crayon, (or paint brush!) and start sketching. 
• Let your imagination fly. 
• Add fluffy cats, rainbows, and unicorns to your design. 
• Learn new tricks utilizing different tools, applying new effects, and coding path expressions when you have time.
• Have a lot of fun.

When you start with what you like, you will be comfortable with whatever you do. When you know your own style, you can easily communicate to clients to see if the design needs adjustments to meet their expectations. 

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Uncertainty: Compare yourself to others until you can’t.

It is inevitable for a graphic designer to compare your work to others. I’m never 100% sure about my skills. There is always someone who is better than you. It can be your coworker, your boss, or even someone on YouTube. 

When I started my career, I felt as though all my friends were better than me. I tried to copy their work but I never got the same result. Maybe I was lacking some knowledge or I simply had a different style. 

Instead of feeling bitter and sad that I’m not good enough, I keep comparing myself to others so that I learn something new about myself. It’s an endless world! 

That is the beauty of graphic design. You can visit others’ worlds and make your own after. You will eventually get tired of copying other peoples’ style, and you will go back to what makes you happy. The point is that when you find your own style, the uncertainty becomes so clear. 

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Designing is not all about the end products, but it’s also about people, it’s about you. Draw those fluffy cats, rainbows, and unicorns all day, everyday, and have fun!