Becoming a Designer Without an Art Degree
I’ve been a full-time web designer for 7 years now and I don’t have an art or design degree. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a bachelor’s degree, but it’s in advertising and public relations. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Growing Up in a Gallery
My number one inspiration has always been my mom. She started her custom picture framing business, Gallery 293, in 1995 and I have watched her live her dream ever since. I grew up helping in almost every aspect of her business from customer service to assembling custom picture frames. It ingrained in me an admiration for entrepreneurship and a passion for creativity.
It’s no secret that small businesses don’t have big budgets for design and marketing, so I started taking on those responsibilities for my mom. I would look up tutorials online and play around in Photoshop to figure things out. That’s when and how I discovered my passion for design and eventually web design when I designed my first website for her gallery.
Pursuing an Art Degree
When I was accepted into Grand Valley State University right after high school, my automatic assumption was that I would need to pursue a graphic design degree to become a professional graphic or web designer. So that’s what I did. Grand Valley’s graphic design program requires you to complete two years of core art prerequisites before applying to the graphic design program, which had a stringent GPA requirement.
My first semester was filled with things like 24-hour line drawings and other super artsy things of that nature. My strengths have never been in traditional art, although I have created a few things I’m very proud of, and being immersed with so many amazing artists in my classes was inspiring, but also pretty intimidating and a tiny bit disheartening. Art school just didn’t feel like the right fit. I wasn’t confident that I could achieve a high enough GPA within my traditional art classes to even get into the graphic design program.
Course Correction
After my first semester I started to reevaluate my educational direction. My love of design has always been rooted in my love of business and entrepreneurship, which lead me to think about abandoning my art degree and pursuing a degree in Advertising & Public Relations instead. My end goal was always to be a designer, but my thinking was that I could take what I learned from my Advertising & Public Relations degree and apply it to my design in a purposeful, business-driven way. And as for the design, I decided I would continue on the self-taught route instead, practicing with freelance jobs to hone my skills and build my portfolio.
I truly think this educational shift has had a profound impact on my career path and given me a significant differentiator in my field. I understand the design side, the business side and the marketing side.
The Design Hustle
I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Advertising and Public Relations in the spring of 2011, moved home and started my own freelance design business, K(EIGHT), while also working at a bank part-time for steady income. I advertised my design services on Craig’s List (at a very modest rate) to get my first ‘official’ clients and also relied on personal relationships and family referrals, building my portfolio as I went.
With each client I took on, I would learn something new and push my skills to the next level. I never stopped learning and seeking out tutorials and educational opportunities in design, coding and marketing.
The Interview
About a year later I received a LinkedIn message out of the blue asking if I would be interested in interviewing for a web designer position at Meijer corporate (a midwest super grocer). I was intrigued, accepted the request, interviewed and got the job!
I was honestly a little shocked, initially. I’ve always had a small case of ‘imposter-syndrome’ where I don’t always believe I’m up to par with my peers who’ve had a more traditional design route. But my Meijer team believed in me and this job ended up being the launchpad of my corporate web designer career. I’ll be forever grateful that this opportunity arose for me.
I’ve also always maintained, and continue to maintain, a freelance design business of some sort on the side to keep my creative juices flowing (can’t stop that entrepreneur itch!). My side biz has morphed over the years from client work to more product based. The Gold Paperclip is my tiny modern stationery company.
I can’t stress enough how integral LinkedIn has been for my career. I don’t regularly post on it, but I always keep my profile updated and keep a link to my portfolio super visible. All three of my amazing design jobs I’ve had so far can all be tied back to someone finding my portfolio and profile via LinkedIn.
You Can Do It, Too
Since Meijer, I’ve had the pleasure of being a web designer at two other large companies — Haworth and now Hush Puppies (a subdivision of Wolverine World Wide). All without having an art or design degree.
My biggest tips for people struggling on their current path:
Whether you have an art degree (or are in the process) or not, seek out real world client work. No matter how small. This will help build your portfolio and give you real world experience that is invaluable.
Learn from your peers. I’ve learned so much from the other amazing designers I’ve worked with. Take any opportunity to pick someone’s brain, ask questions, get constructive criticism or learn something new.
I hope this post inspires an aspiring designer who may not have an art or design degree (or any degree at all) to still pursue their passion — it’s more than possible. The design industry is one of very few that can value raw talent over a diploma if you have the hustle and the heart to educate yourself, learn from your peers and build your portfolio.
If you have any questions about my career journey or your own journey, I am all ears!
