"Be fearless, make mistakes, and most importantly, be passionate."
I recently attended a talk by Sarah Hanley, the creative director of Newcastle based design agency Sumo. Hanley studied the same course as what I am currently studying, and therefore it was extremely beneficial to hear what she had to say, and also quite reassuring.
Hanley admits that whilst a student, she wasn't the best designer on the course. She wasn't the best on computers either, but she had good ideas and utilised others to help craft them. This worked in her favour, and made her more determined to work hard in order to succeed. This was shown in her first project following graduation: when working at an agency, she went into her first client meeting for Nestle's After Eights with more ideas than Nestle's junior designers, going above and beyond the brief.
Hanley also spoke of her experiences as a woman in the design world. What used to be a mans profession, she began to see women starting to become creative directors, and realised it wasn't enough to just be a designer.When Hanley joined the agency Sumo, they had a small staff of three. Now growing into a highly established agency with a strong client base, working for places such as the National Trust, Sunderland City Council, Newcastle University and the National Museum, the agency has stuck to being quite a small knit group, with seven members of staff.
"It's about the client. You are not designing what you want to design, you are meeting needs."
Hanley offered up some advice for new designers trying to find their footing in a world that is beginning to become quite crowded: "The future is learning on the job and discussing with peers. It doesn't matter if there isn't a job there. Do a placement, and think that there could be. I would create a job for the right person: you need to stand out, and show your passion."
Similarly, she gave advice on working in an agency, and how to get yourself known: "No generic emails, or group emails. Get to know everyone, ask questions and become part of the team: Tea is a great way."
There are a lot of misconceptions about designers, with many believing that you need to be from London and live in London to succeed. Similar to what Founded said, though getting experience in London is beneficial, with the use of the internet and pdfs, it's no longer necessary to live there. And the North East attitude of diving in, having fun and being all in works in our favour -- a lot of Londoners are sensible and afraid to be brave and foolish.
Hanley told us to utilise social media. Be social, get on twitter, start following agencies, retweet designers, have an opinion, share active designers, share things you like -- emerse yourself into an online representation of you.
Similarly, she gave advice on working in an agency, and how to get yourself known: "No generic emails, or group emails. Get to know everyone, ask questions and become part of the team: Tea is a great way."
There are a lot of misconceptions about designers, with many believing that you need to be from London and live in London to succeed. Similar to what Founded said, though getting experience in London is beneficial, with the use of the internet and pdfs, it's no longer necessary to live there. And the North East attitude of diving in, having fun and being all in works in our favour -- a lot of Londoners are sensible and afraid to be brave and foolish.
Hanley told us to utilise social media. Be social, get on twitter, start following agencies, retweet designers, have an opinion, share active designers, share things you like -- emerse yourself into an online representation of you.
I personally felt quite inspired walking away from the talk. It was a great experience to hear from someone who had gone far since doing the same course as I, and also to hear from a woman. So far our industry talks, last year and this current year, have been from men, so it was great to be able to connect fully with a person and see that it really isn't about your gender, more about your quality of ideas and how willing you are to succeed. I think Hanley offered a great insight into the design world, and also into placements and how the industry works.
You can find more on Sarah and her incredible agency, Sumo here, here, here and here.
You can find more on Sarah and her incredible agency, Sumo here, here, here and here.