Do any of you go through designers block? If so how do you get yourself out of it?
Step away from the sketchbook.
Get out of the house.
Go for a walk or to a museum or something. You should always have a period of thinking before you start.
Thinks guys. I think I just need to suround myself with good design and creativity. Right now I am the only designer here and I think that might have somthing to do with it. I work for a major corprate company that is trying to bring design in and they tell me I’m doing a great job but some stuff just isn’t as good as I think I could make it.
But I agree with you guys. I just need to step back, Take a deep breath and relax.
I’m in the same boat and looking for new employment.
Honestly, start looking for a new job if your employer has no plans to add additional designers.
It is not worth it to stay there if you’re the only designer. I’ve worked alone and on a team - team enviroments are so much better not only for bouncing ideas back and forth, but you will see drastic improvements in your design skills in a relatively short time.
I cannot stress this enough - if your current employer thinks one designer is enough, JUMP SHIP IMMEDIATELY. You will be bored out of your mind and completely un-motivated in a very short time.
I agree but this company is great and I have on been there for a year. I can also see with time they will hire more designers. But I could use more creative minds in the office. I have a manager that has worked for dig design companies in the past but he is an engeneer and doesn’t really have a creative mind.
Hopefully with time it will change.
i thought i was the only one going through this…i am the only designer in my company too…it sucks to talk about design , aesthetics or detailing and not get any answers or feedback back…
all that my guys can talk here is dollars!
it does diminish your eye for good design over time…
I do get to travel a lot but absolutely miss talking to someone about design and products…
i guess the best thing to do is to be a part of more online design communities and keep updated at the least…
Me too… I thought it would be such a great opportunity to be the only designer on a team, to really develop my own style. It of course ended up differently than I thought.
I get sucked into all kinds of non design related problems, which do need someone competent to handle, take up the little time I have to design. When I do get an interesting product, I always have an unbelieveably short runway to get something together, and coupled with design muscles that have become diluted with all the other task, I am usually unsatisfied with the result.
To add insult to injury, my coworkers usually don’t appreciate the effort and try to dumb down the design as much as possible during mechanical development… Im no prima donna who tries to make unrealistic designs either - I’ve designed dozens of product and won a couple of Ifs in my day. these guys would be happy with square boxes for everything though! With another designer, at the very least we could have some dialog on the design and share the other work.
I’ve been advised to put the current work in the back of my folio, or not at all. I hope I can find a new position soon…
hey its not good to be the only one in a company as you tend to loose confidence to compete…are not used to design arguements…and lots more
you can surely create your own design style but it works only if your company lets you sign off your products with your name…
else you are kinda lost with no one knowing that you exist
its best to be a part of a design team…it is creatively stimulating…and motivating…
may be you can try being a part of some other design projects apart from your work…it really help vent out all the frustration built up at work…
it work for me!
Well about the building the own style… I mean that I had previously worked in a very confining brand language, so developing my own style was tricky there too. Maybe in consulantcies you have much more opportunity to explore…
thats why I jumped on this company, no design police nor limiting corproate design language…
…been solo for so long, i cann’t remember otherwise…your job is what you make of it…do whatever you know you need to do to recharge those design batteries…as long as no one gets killed in the process.
for anyone dealing with numbers people, read the business news. not just BusinessWeek and Core talking up design. find business articles and pass off an email to coworkers just saying “Thought you might enjoy this article.” make part of your job educating these people. Dont fight them. Bring them over. there are good business reasons for the engine to fire on all cylinders. if you succeed at that you gain respect. and the influence that goes with it.
for inspiration i dont just look at competitive product. i’ll go to a store and look at other kinds of products. cross-pollinate ideas. good little interview with Richard Sapper on that today. maybe it’ll help.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2005/id20051006_291329.htm
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When i have no inspiration,i could understand why some designers take addictive drugs. It makes me depressed.I think it’s time to force myself to stop doing that,which makes me go to the wrong way .I have to relax and think about nothing.Maybe when i’ll awke,i’ll have had good idea.
I love to go out for inspiration! Visit design stores, go dancing, theater, yoga or swimming at night…be outdoors! Being in front of a computer for a whole day just kills me!!!
I am also going crazy with my job and have thought of going into creating my own products (furniture and housewares) If I have to sit out at street fairs to get it out, I will do it! The office environment is mind numming!!
My company has one engineer of each kind and I’m the only designer. They don’t support me on attending conferences and trade shows and I am utterly bored.
Creative people need creative minds AND a creative office space to be more productive. Can’t non-designer bosses get it?
…some do, most do not and many companies are cutting those kinds of “perks” anyway…they see it as ‘up to the employee’ to keep productive.
Just wait to see what happens in 5-10 years when all the baby boomers retire…
All those perks your heard about during the Dot.com days will be back. There won’t be enough Gen-Xers to back fill all the positions left open and employers will bend over backwards for qualified candidates.
…the way things are going alot of boomers will not be retiring…i lost over 200K of my nest egg supporting my family between gigs over the last ten years…i also heard that 40% of boomers are self-employeed…hard to believe.