Why Thinking You’re Not A Designer Might Make You A Better One

It is an amazing time to be a designer. Designers are launching multi-billion dollar startups. One-hundred year old companies are transforming to become design-led organisations. Design thinking is being taught at business schools and technological advances are making it easier than ever to design & build beautiful products.

Given our vast career options, talented peers and new responsibilities, it has some of us asking:

• How do I compete with all these talented designers?
• How do I learn what they ‘already know’?
• Could I ever produce the same quality of work?
• Is my work really good enough?
• Am I really a designer?

Those thoughts are your impostor syndrome. The fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud’, regardless of any real life achievement or evidence of talent.

But don’t worry, it’s actually a good thing.

I am one of those designers who did not graduate design school. I actually did not get introduced to what I now know as design until I joined IBM as a graduate back in London.

Soon after joining, I stumbled across a small team that designed and developed mobile apps. I was blown away with what the designers could do. They were not the paint brush wielding artists that society had previously made them out to be (however they did love a pencil & a sketchbook). They were problem solvers, researchers and makers. And I wanted in.

After introducing myself, I discovered they were looking to take on junior designers. To apply, I had to complete their design challenge. The brief was to redesign a well-known insurance companies home page for mobile.

That weekend, I absorbed as many design articles and photoshop tutorials as possible. And reviewed more insurance apps & websites than I care to admit. And through 95% luck and 5% cramming, I got offered a role!

4 years on, I’m still employed (phew!). Now working across the pond as a Product Designer with Apple+IBM. However reaching this point would not have happened without great mentors, a few training courses, endless reading and much much practise. The journey was also not without much self-doubt and the thought that a lot of what I did sucked.

All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.

–Ira Glass

What I have learned from my short & hectic career is that, early on, pretty much every designer sucks. Or at least they are not as good as they are now. Those questions asked at the beginning of this post are asked by designers all over the world. Most feel those same fears.

For those who try to dismiss their impostor syndrome, this can lead to insecurities and have negative impacts. These designers may try to do whatever an ‘imposter’ wouldn’t. They may be less willing to admit when they need help or take advice from others. Often the impostor-deniers would shy their work away from critiques and be less open to feedback. Attempting to be perceived as experienced whilst having a negative effect on their growth.

The biggest differences for those who embrace their impostor syndrome is that:

• They are often more self-aware of their lacking skills.
• They are open to listen to others.
• And they have lower egos.

These three skills are key in becoming a great designer.

So my advice to you is to embrace your impostor syndrome and use it to drive you to be better. Use your self-awareness to focus your learning. Develop a growth mindset and utilize the amazing resources we have today:

• Read design blogs to learn from the experience of others
• Listen to podcasts and be inspired by the challenges and career paths of top designers
• Take on side projects to develop new skills and gain different experiences
• Most importantly, be open to learn and collaborate with those around you. Allow their knowledge and experiences to become yours.

Then track how you are improving, get feedback from others and repeat. Be motivated by your progress. Then use that motivation, along with the satisfaction that we have an awesome job, to help continue your learning

Confidence will come with time, as will sucking less. And sure, those feelings of self-doubt will rush back every time you step up to the next challenge. But with your low-ego, constant learning and growth mindset, you can be the best goddamn designer out there.