Attention all Aspiring Designers!

Become a T-shaped designer - a specialized generalist with a broad range of skills and knowledge.

Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

If you want to thrive in your design career, it's crucial to prioritise becoming a specialist over a generalist. Instead of attempting to master multiple design areas, concentrate on enhancing your knowledge and expertise in a particular field, such as Market & User Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Motion Design, etc.

Establishing yourself as a specialist will set you apart from the competition and enable you to command higher salaries. You'll deeply understand your craft, allowing you to create superior solutions for your clients or employer. Once you've established your expertise, you can expand your horizons and become a generalist, mainly if you work towards a leadership position. This will allow you to collaborate more effectively with other experts in the field.

Therefore, avoid being a generalist skilled in many areas but lacking expertise. Instead, be a specialist who provides thorough insights and solutions in your area of expertise. This strategy will help you achieve great success in your design career.

But don't stop there!

Strive to become a T-shaped designer - a specialised generalist. This means developing a deep understanding of your chosen design area while having a broad range of skills and knowledge that allow you to collaborate effectively with other experts in the field.

You can create more comprehensive and holistic solutions to design problems as a specialised generalist. You'll also be better equipped to work in various design roles and contexts, making you more adaptable and versatile as a designer.

Remember, being a specialist means you can learn or grow in other areas of design. Once you've established your expertise in your chosen area, you can expand your horizons and develop new skills and knowledge. This will help you become an even more valuable and well-rounded designer, tackling a broader range of design challenges and opportunities.

In conclusion, if you're an aspiring designer, focus on becoming a specialist in a specific design area. But also strive to be a specialised generalist, continuously learning and growing in other areas of design. By doing so, you'll set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling career in the design industry.