Five things to look out for when hiring a designer

In addition to the apparent qualities you want.

Books, covers, and judgment — by Taylor Harding

I’ve had the luxury of never having to apply for a design job. We founded our agency nearly 12 years ago, in 2008, and we’ve have had just enough clientele since then to afford a place to live and the occasional craft beer. Oh, and MacBooks, of course. Can’t be seen without a MacBook.

I did, however, hire people — mostly designers. Recently, I was in the opportunity to witness a job-hunt from the other side — the designer’s side — and I noticed some anomalies in how other agencies interview people, and the hiring process in general. It turns out; I hire differently. And for good reason, I believe.

This realization got me inspired to find out what exactly I look for when hiring a designer (or other creative). Here’s what I found.

A note beforehand: these are not vague or arbitrary hiring requirements, rather they are focus points that help me understand better who someone is as a designer. Only looking at a portfolio and job history gives you a very limited idea of what kind of designer someone is. Having other things to look at helps make better judgements, from my experience.

Investigate her mistakes, not her successes

A designer is as good as the number of errors she’s made. Everyone has a success story or two, but those don’t tell you much. When everything’s working out, pretty much anyone can knock out some great-looking design work.

What’s much more interesting is to see how a designer handles a slippery slope — and how often she’s been there. Did she panic? Is she systematic in solving her problems? Are there aces up her sleeve?

A designer you want to hire is comfortable hitting rock bottom because she’s been there. She knows what it means to be in a complete creative deadlock — and she knows how to get out of one by herself.

It’s therefore much more interesting to ask about horror projects. Find out what went wrong. See if she’s willing to admit missteps she’s taken and reflect on what she should’ve done better. Find out if she blames the client, her art director, or anyone else but herself. And, most importantly, find out how she fixed it.

Because in the end, you hire a designer to solve problems and deliver.

Is she culinary?

I consider the food-paradigm to be the broadest, most inspiring creative space there is. Most of the arts tickle only one or two senses. Food touches many. There are smell, touch, taste, texture, timing, and, of course, the visual aspect and cultural back-stories of food.

I don’t think a junk-food-fuelled designer can be a great designer. Sure, we all pull the occasional all-nighter running on instant noodles and Red Bull — but those should be exceptions.

Let me ask you this: how can you not be experimental with what you eat, fascinated by the stories behind a dish, or curious about the taste of an odd-looking fruit when those are the exact traits you need as a designer?

You can’t. To me, a designer who is obsessed only with color, composition, and shape, failing to explore other worlds outside of design, is severely limited.

She doesn’t have to be a cook — but she has to be an adventurous eater.

Is she a Googler?

Twenty years go, passing on knowledge was much different from today. Apprentice workers would work alongside artisans and become better at their craft. The knowledge that didn’t come from books was passed on directly, from one person to another. This passed-on type of knowledge was called experience.

Today, people can Google stuff they don’t know. Especially practical things, like “how to type on a path in Illustrator”, “inverting colors in Adobe Photoshop”, or “webform UI best practices”.

I hate being asked questions like that. It puts a needless strain on the productivity of an entire agency if people ask each other stuff that they can also ask Google. In fact, in most cases, Googling is much faster than interrupting a coworker to ask a question.

If someone is a Googler, that means they are likely to be independent and that they can learn and grow on their own.

How is her filesystem organized?

It’s a common misconception that creatives are allowed to be messy. Sure, solitary artists who don’t want anything to do with the world can be as messy as they want. But in an agency, a designer needs to be structured. For instance, coworkers need to be able to find and understand the files she’s worked on. And not only next week, but also in two years from now.

So I highly value an organized filesystem, even if it is on a personal laptop or computer. Understanding the importance of carefully naming, organizing, and archiving your work is a manifestation of your care.

In contrast, throwing all your files on one big pile and not naming (and versioning) them properly is a clear sign of negligence and lack of care.

In an agency, structure and control are far more important than artistry.

Can she make ugly stuff, too?

One might expect that a designer you want to hire is a designer who always makes pretty, sparkly, and polished stuff. I concur. To be able to come up with great ideas and designs, she must be willing to create ugly stuff, too. Try things that don’t work. Fail.

Because it’s the ugly stuff, the long-shots, and the risky ideas, that eventually lead to ground-breaking designs. You want a designer to come up with new things, not to search for safety right from the start. Safety is in polishing and aesthetics. Invention, on the other hand, is a long and bumpy road full of ugly stuff and failed ideas.

If she doesn’t make ugly stuff, she’s afraid to try new things, and she will not grow as a designer.

These are the five things I highly value, that others seem to forego. I feel that often too much emphasis lies on portfolio and experience, which leads to people who polish too early and take the safe route getting hired, and hidden gems having a tough time finding a job.

Apart from the things mentioned, I want someone to be open, honest, and not too serious about work and life in general. Being a designer at an agency nowadays is tough shit — I can’t put it any other way. To be able to cope with this reality, a little light-heartedness is a must, and the ability to have a laugh with coworkers is essential.