Why I’m a Designer
Frustration can breed change. That sentiment most efficiently sums up my path towards design.
It all started in the accounting department. I was a young and ambitious staff accountant for an oilfield service company in Midland, TX.
Life was pretty good.
I was a newlywed. I was making good money. I was living in the same city as my dad for the first time since I was in elementary school. And I was working with great people.
I got into accounting for the same reasons most do… #
- I have a passion and aptitude for solving business problems.
- The career path is secure and potentially lucrative.
- It made me feel like a respectable member of society.
It seemed like a home run at the beginning. But after a few months on the job, I realized it wasn’t meshing with how I naturally derive value from work.
Accounting is mostly about keeping track of and reporting what gets produced or consumed by a company.
The problem with that was I’d always been the producer, the ambitious maker, the grand vision guy. I had always loved the process of conceptualizing something, and then running off to create it.
I thought I could ignore that part of myself for the sake of my secure accounting career. But I was wrong.
I eventually realized that I was fundamentally wrong for the accounting world.
Finding a New Fire #
I wish I could remember exactly how it happened. All I really remember is I became very curious about how websites were made. Maybe it was sparked by a blog post, or a podcast, or a tweet. I can’t really say for sure.
All I do know is this: that first Google search changed my life.
I went from just being curious about how websites were made, to wanting to build my own. Just to see if I could do it.
So I learned enough about HTML, CSS, and Wordpress to make it happen.
At this point, I wasn’t actively searching for a new career. Yeah I was a little dissatisfied with my accounting job, but I wasn’t yet desperate to get out of it.
That changed immediately after building my first website.
I was hooked. I would think things like, “you mean to tell me, I can type stuff into this text editor and things will magically appear in the browser?”
All web developers and designers remember that pivotal moment.
I’ve been practicing design for 3 years now. Only recently have I been able to articulate exactly why I love this work. I completely expect this list to change as I keep growing.
But for now…I’m satisfied with these 10 reasons for being a designer.
Reason 1: I’m Spoiled & Lazy #
Yes, you read that right. Maybe it’s a millennial thing, but I’ve got little patience for clunky apps and websites that don’t value their users’ time.
We live in a era that offers multiple options for anything we want. If any of those options work terribly and look ugly, we don’t mind abandoning them for something functional and beautiful.
When I realized that good design can save users from wasted time — as well as save brands from losing fans — of course I jumped on the design train. I understand the annoyances today’s consumer deals with.
The great irony of course is this: it takes an extreme amount of work to design and engineer simplicity.
Thankfully it’s the kind of work I’m happy to spend my time doing.
Reason 2: I Get to Create New Things Daily #
Whether it’s a simple social media graphic or a complex app with tons of interactions to account for, one of the best things about design is there’s always a deliverable.
There’s always a visual output to create and share.
I was starting projects and creating things even before I became a designer. Now, design allows me to make a living doing something I love to do anyways.
Reason 3: I Get to Mix Creativity with Business #
This was the main thing that eventually gave me the courage to leave my accounting job and pursue design. As a designer, I get to solve real-world problems and pursue business objectives.
And I get to do all of that using a unique blend of creative thinking, artistic vision, and strategy.
It’s a perfect mix for people who are creative and expressive, but also like to solve problems logically and pragmatically.
Reason 4: Constant Education is Required #
Design is an ever-evolving field. Especially when paired with technology. It makes its evolutions at an incredibly rapid rate. So designers have to stay sharp.
We get to do this by reading articles and books by influential thinkers, attending conferences to meet peers, and even learning new skills that complement our current abilities (e.g. front-end development, photography, illustration, copywriting).
Reason 5: I Get to Help Develop a More Attractive World #
If my work is good and gets put out into the world, I play a small part in creating a more attractive planet. When people interact with good design, they walk away with a feeling of satisfaction.
That means I have an opportunity every day to inject a little value and beauty into another human’s life. That’s a privilege.
Reason 6: Technology Deserves Some Soul #
Designers who help build apps and websites are in a unique position. We get to think analytically to create logical and helpful interfaces, flows, and interactions. But we also get to inject a bit of brand expression into the product.
I believe the current buzzword is adding “delight” to a product. But I call it soul. There’s an opportunity to communicate something honest about a brand when designing a product that humans will interact with.
It’s similar to creating a sincere piece of art or music. Humans naturally resonate with beautiful things.
As a designer, there’s a great opportunity to connect humans with beauty through the technology they use every day.
Reason 7: Good Typography Makes People Feel Better #
It’s amazing how much influence typography has on my feelings towards things like websites, advertisements, or even movies. Good type tends to make me feel sharp and like I can trust the content.
Bad type does the opposite. It can make me feel sluggish and skeptical. However, this isn’t unique to me. Kevin Larson and Rosalind Picard did a study at MIT about how typography affects people.
We have also demonstrated that high quality typography appears to induce a positive mood, similar to earlier mood inducers such as a small gift or watching a humorous video. — The Aesthetics of Reading, Kevin Larson & Rosalind Picard
As a designer, I get a chance to set type and layout that might make someone feel good.
Reason 8: I Have Many Interests #
Designers are some of the most curious and versatile people I’ve ever been around. We all seem to play an instrument, or write, or shoot photos, or draw. There have been a handful of times when I’ve had opportunities to use my other interests to push my design work further.
This is a pretty valuable part of the job because I get to stretch my creative muscles in ways that go beyond layouts, fonts, and Sketch documents.
Reason 9: “Deep Work” is Addicting #
There are few experiences more invigorating than diving into deep work. I get to brew a fresh pot of coffee, turn all devices to “do not disturb”, put in headphones, crank up the 90s R&B, and get stuff done.
I could do that all day, without talking to a single soul, and be happy as a clam. It’s an experience that I actively seek out. And I won’t lie, my mood can turn sour if I get interrupted too many times. But I’m working on that (hello future employers).
Design work thrives in this kind of uninterrupted time and space. Since I’ve always been drawn to those environments naturally, design has been rewarding for me.
Reason 10: Having Design Experience Lets Me Execute Ideas Quickly #
I come up with new side project ideas all the time. Thanks to my design experience, these ideas don’t have to live and die in my head. I can create mockups and prototypes to at least demonstrate my idea to anyone who cares.
Showing is always more powerful than telling.
A prototype is something I can knock out in a weekend. That puts me in a better position to execute my ideas quickly as opposed to someone who has no design experience.
Do We Match? #
I didn’t write all this to brag about how awesome my job is. Although I do love the work. It’d be easy to do just that.
Really, I wrote this for 2 reasons…
- I’m checking in with myself. I wanted to reflect on my last 3 years in the design field. Just to see if I still feel on fire for the work I busy myself with.
- This might be for you. If you’re reading this and flirting with the idea of pursuing design, I’m hoping my reasons for being a designer confirm some of the ideas or inklings you’ve already got bouncing around your head.