10 Questions every designer should ask

It is never a bad time for us as graphic designers to evaluate ourselves, we must understand that not all projects, clients or moments are for us, some give us experiences and others can offer us bad times, we can only learn.

I took the task of preparing some self-assessment questions about my current state or what I want to achieve.

1. What are my main short- and long-term goals as a graphic designer?

In the short term, I want to acquire as much knowledge as possible to serve as a reward in the future. In the long term I hope to be a mentor for entrepreneurs.

2. Am I determined to keep learning and updating myself on the latest trends?

I would love to keep learning as new updates come out that can improve the way I work and help us be more productive. I find the trends interesting and many of these I can use to my advantage.

3. Do I like working with different customers and adjusting to the way they operate?

At first I found this a challenge, but as I learned, I understood that a mutual agreement preserves a business between the client and myself. Thanks to my experience, I can reach agreements with clients, adjusting to their way of operating and they to mine.

4. Am I willing to go the extra mile?

There came a time when I found myself in a pause… I did not publish, I did not interact and I did not network, I realized that I fell into a state where if I did not move, I did not advance. So I made up my mind and started creating valuable content and since then my followers, colleagues and friends motivated me to continue.

5. Am I determined to devote time and effort to improve my skills like other designers?

I love to allocate time to improve my skills, lately I am learning faster thanks to my habit of reading books and programming courses. It is never too late to learn, the internet has all the knowledge we need.

6. Am I determined to take risks and experiment with new styles in my projects?

Every year trends change, I love to apply it to my business, as long as I can apply my style to it.

7. Can I collaborate with other professionals in the field, including designers, editors, copywriters, photographers and/or web programmer?

I have always been willing to collaborate, and now even more so as my business continues to grow. The good thing about teamwork is that we all help each other at the same time.

8. Do I understand the technical aspects of graphic design, including typography, color palette and illustration?

I have studied the technical aspects of graphic design and understand them, but there is always an interest to learn more.

9. Am I motivated to accept constructive criticism and use it to improve my projects?

I love constructive criticism, it helps me understand that you don’t always have to be right and that every client, audience and/or public is different.

10. Am I willing to work additional hours to achieve my goals as a professional?

If I have to invest 1-2 additional hours to complete a project and move it forward, I’m going to do it. I value my free time and I value time spent with clients, but I have learned to separate my personal life from my business and know when to stop.

After reading my answers, I would like to invite you to take a moment and evaluate your current state by answering these 10 questions:

1. What are my main short- and long-term goals as a graphic designer?
2. Am I determined to keep learning and updating myself on the latest trends?
3. Do I like working with different customers and adjusting to the way they operate?
4. Am I willing to go the extra mile to get my work out of the doldrums?
5. Am I determined to dedicate time and effort to improve my skills?
6. Am I determined to take risks and experiment with new styles in my projects?
7. Can I collaborate with other professionals in the field, including editors, copywriters, photographers and/or web programmer?
8. Do I understand the technical aspects of graphic design, including typography, color palette and illustration?
9. Am I motivated to accept constructive criticism and use it to improve my projects?
10. Am I willing to work additional hours to achieve my goals as a professional?

Answering these questions will help you understand if you are stuck, if this is what you want to do, if you are missing something, if you want to continue designing or if you should move to other areas. Similarly, understanding where we are right now can help us make better decisions and achieve new goals.

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