Are You Open to Be Mentored?

I’ve been a graphic designer now for over 30 years, and one of the big things I’ve learned is learning. As a person who is type A, I struggle with admitting that I don’t know something. But what I’ve never done is think I know it all. Early on in my career I worked under some pretty talented people who I admired. This mentorship was invaluable to me and has helped me get where I am today.

In the early days of my career, I worked with some very talented and creative designers who not only showed me how their creative processes worked, but allowed me to experience the much needed hand over my work that I desperately needed. It was a constant reminder that I had so far to go and a lot to learn.

If you’re reading this and just getting started in your graphics or creative career, you might get what I’m saying. But in this high tech world we find ourselves in now, I have a feeling that the young creatives these days don’t respect those who have gone before them. Personally, I’ve been treated as if I’m behind on the times and that there’s nothing I could teach them. Technology-wise this is probably accurate, but creative thought and delivery are not things you can learn from watching a You Tube video or just “figure out” as you go. Working under successful people in my opinion is not only smart, but a necessary element in your success. I want to say thank you to all of my mentors!

That leads me to the second point of this post: A LOT of websites are lacking in depth of thought and creativity, because I’m guessing a lot of developers and designers have not learned from those who came before them how the creative process works. Yes, the websites might look good, but what is the message? Is your website actually saying anything that your competition isn’t also saying? Just making a nice website isn’t enough. The content and marketing message have to have an original and creative basis for you to be able to stand out from your competition. This is something my writer Valerie Bickley and I have struggled to get across to some people we’ve talked to. Content writing isn’t just about telling people what you do. It’s about saying it in an engaging message format that makes your audience want to read more. In my opinion as a graphic designer, I think the content on your website is WAY more important than the design.

Website development isn’t just about getting hits and driving traffic. It’s a place for your clients and customers to come get a feel for who you are and what you do. Slapping up a vanilla template and throwing some nice photos and words will not be doing your company justice. I would encourage you to consider digging into who you are as a company and figuring out what your message should be to the world. Valerie and I would love to discuss this further with you! Please contact me today.