Confessions of a Recovering Design Snob

Yes, I was one of those graphic designers that went through school, got my Macbook, learned the Adobe suite and felt ready to take on the world. I had my portfolio website put together, my internship completed and I was just waiting to get snatched up by a big agency...

Well, I waited and waited and realized that my path might end up looking a little different than how I imagined it. I ended up working in the marketing department at a real estate finance company and although this wasn't in my "plan" it ended up being one of the best things that could have happened to me. I met some friends and colleagues that I still have and work with today, but in addition to this I ended up learning that there's more than one way to get design work done!

This first design job required a high-volume, quick-turn project load and there was no budget for Macbooks or Adobe software. We were using Publisher on PC's and cranking out flyers and postcards on a daily basis. I learned to quickly adapt to multiple changing priorities and these valuable lessons showed me that there is no one "right" way to be a graphic designer. A few years later, I would have to re-learn this lesson when I found myself being hesitant to learn/use Canva once I was in a position where I was actively using the Adobe software again daily. However, I found that there is a reason and a place for each type of software/system in different businesses and workflows. I'll be expanding on software in some other blog posts.

#chrysalisgraphicdesign #laurierusselldesign #marketing #recoveringdesignsnob