Letter to Young Designers

Dear Young Designer, 

Yes, you can already call yourself a “Designer”
Everybody in this world is a designer.
What you want to be is an “Excellent Designer”.
To become that;

Explore!
Do not worry about specialising. You will have time for that.
Take whatever comes your path in design.
Find out what you are good at, what you are terrible at, what you enjoy/hate doing...
You will discover who you are and what you have to offer.

As you explore, build lifelong relationships with people.
Make friends with clients,
Care for them, care for their business,
You will never be alone in your life-long journey with design.

Don’t be lazy!
Don’t sit around and wait for people to give you work.
Do not be satisfied with the bare minimum to save the day.
Go above and beyond. Show what you can do, first to yourself!
Make the most of the opportunities you have for the moment.

Move your head out of your screen!
The answer to being an exceptional designer is not all in the pixels you move around.
It’s rather in the world out there.
Go out, see a musical, get lost in a museum, try surfing, try new things.
As you expand your experiences, you will notice the way you see design will evolve for the better.

Read!
Not as in moving your eyes over the letters, but looking through them. Study them!
Not only design books but philosophy, architecture, science, history, fiction, nonfiction...Expand your mind’s horizon.
Design is everywhere, fed by everything. Read them.

Don’t worry about good design when you first start!
Just design! Accumulate as many ideas, techniques, styles, approaches, art movements as you can.
Your creativity will harmonise them with your self-being.
It will guide you to your unique sense in design.

Learn the rules.
Not to follow them. To know what, when and how to break them.
Be brave, make your own rules.
Explore and see what you can do with design.

Grow tough skin!
This world will be brutal at times.
People will rip your design apart, change it, reject it.
Don’t let this process discourage you.
Take these moments as opportunities for your growth.

Earn!
Don’t shy away from earning with design. It is not an insult to your craft.
Design gives so much to people and businesses, do not undervalue your contribution.
Cherish the endless possibilities Design has to offer, earn from them.

Years will pass…
If you do these and more, you'll find yourself in high places.
The imposter syndrome will kick in, you will question your abilities.
Don’t give away to that inner voice!
Look back at the years you put in the hard work with passion and the relationships you've built.
Acknowledge that your journey brought you there and you deserve it! Own it!
Stay humble though and hungry, forever…
There is always more to learn in design. This is a lifelong journey.

Remember,
Some days will be tough, some easy. You will need to do things you do not enjoy.
Accept the design with everything it has to offer with ups and downs.
When you stand back, take a moment and look at the big picture, you will see a beautiful life.

Never ever forget!
There is more to design than the pixels you see on your screen.
Develop your confidence, communication, negotiation, your human skills.

I’ve every faith in you!
You will have an amazing, rich, satisfying life with Design.

With Love
Oykun