In the graphic design business, it seems like ego drives a designer more often than completed (and talented) work does. In fact, we don’t know a designer alive that doesn’t think pretty highly of themselves—ourselves included. However, if you aren’t careful, all of this self-esteem can get right in the way of your actual designs and with a client-blocking ego you’ll end up losing revenue!

  1. Listen to Clients: One of the worst ways you can lock yourself off when it comes to pride is to simply not listen to what a client is telling you. We understand that the client, more often than we’d like, has terrible ideas for what they want out of your designs. However, they’re the ones with the paycheck, and if you don’t play ball, you aren’t likely to be invited back to the game. Listen to what the client is telling you, and don’t just pass off a suggestion without first considering all of the ways you can fit it into the design in a way that complements the overall feel. We promise there’s a way: Just look for it!
  2. Look for Ways to Learn: We don’t doubt that you’ve got a pretty good handle on how to create designs at this point. In fact, you may very well have stretched the limits of what there is to know. However, that never means you’re done learning. Do you read design blogs often? When’s the last time you tried a new tutorial? All of these things can drastically improve your design skills, but if you aren’t willing to look for these opportunities, the growth stops right at your desk. If we can suggest something, we’d like to suggest that you try out at least one new tutorial each month. Even if it looks like something you crank out day after day, you may yet find that other designers have found a better way to create the images you do. Or, you may have missed a tool in Photoshop somewhere. Trust us, it’s happened.