specialist or generalist?
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- mtgentry
When did you choose a design medium that you wanted to specialize in? Do you think that once you reach the senior designer level you should pick something and try to master it? I like dabbling in a bit of everything (web, motion, print) and I think I missed out on a great web job recently because they viewed me as a jack of all trades.
- campana0
nice topic, i was discussing this today with one of my colleagues, and i think this is a very personal skill related question, one should focus on as much areas of design possible, but only if that commitment won't cause significant loss on skills/learning curve on another more successful area of interest, i mean, i can be great at print, but only mantain good print works if i do web too because they are such different medias, but if i do print, web and motion, i will probably suck at all three, because i can't focus on so much stuff at the same period.
- This is what I'm thinking as well and it makes me sad.mtgentry
- omgitsacamera0
A jack of all trades is a master at none.
- wow, insightful.studderine
- /sarcasm?omgitsacamera
- wow did you pull that from a song?doesnotexist
- studderine0
honestly, it all depends. if your goal is to become a design consultant (dudes make loads of money) then become a generalist. personally, i have found that there advantages/disadvantages of both. there isn't a right answer to this.
- jfletcher0
Actually if I were to go into consulting, I'd choose a single thing to be known in. While I can see the appeal of a generalist approach here, and how it can make lots of money, I've seen the people who can haul it in are the masters of a single trait. You have to be known in the field for something (speak at conferences, etc), but if have that aura of being a master at _________, people will pay through the nose.
For me personally, I rarely see people who are good at many things. It does happen, but most people who try and do a lot of different things don't achieve a master level at any of them and it leaves them in mediorcre land (although they may not realize it)
- dude, consulting is based around pretending to be an "expert".studderine
- ukit0
On one hand, having a wide range of knowledge really helps you on a day to day basis. Most people in our field do tend to dabble in different things since there's so much crossover, and you never know when you might be able to apply your knowledge to something your team is working on. I'm fortunate enough to be able to write well and can also program, which really helped in my previous job when stacked up against people who were completely focused on design.
To become really successful though it seems like the answer is definitely to be a specialist, at least for a while. People's attentions spans are short and if you look at the people who have really risen to the top, they are often people who have mastered a particular niche or even created their own. This applies to fine art as well where it seems more and more like the way to get ahead is to find your own trademark and just repeat it over and over until people take notice.
- acescence0
i've found the specialist jobs tend to be larger, more corporate clients, with larger teams and everyone handling a small piece. most of the work i go for and get now is based on the fact that i'm a programmer with a design degree. i work with smaller teams, everyone wears multiple hats. i find it much more engaging and challenging. i'm generalizing of course. i guess my goal is enjoying what i do more so than notoriety or stacking lots of cash. though i do ok in the cash department, ha.
- studderine0
i am generalist and i couldn't imagine doing the same thing everyday. of course, i am not a designer so possibly what i am saying may not apply to the design world.
- ukit0
for many people, that might be the better option. but i am saying think of all the people who are really famous in the design world and you will find they are almost all people who mainly produce one specific type of work and have gotten really good at it.
- true thatstudderine
- but you are talking about style not the medium.studderine