How important is it to be confident as a designer? It is vital and is a necessity. It relates this post to a previous post on “What no one tells you about attention”. If you haven’t already, then check it out. I come across so many designers, who don’t seem to have confidence in their design. For designers working at a studio or a company, they often feel like they don’t belong. They think their work is not at the same level as the rest of their team. We call this impostor syndrome, and this usually stems from a lack of self-confidence. For designers, the amount they charge their clients shows how confident they are with their work. This applies to all fields, not only design. Want work done and can’t decide which team will provide you with the best work? Look at who charges you the most because they are confident with the work they do.
Now if you’re a designer looking to develop this confidence, here’s what you should be doing.
Work More
You need to be designing way more than you are. This applies to every creative professional. There is no better way than by increasing your design workload. If you’re doing 3 finished pieces in a week, multiply that by 5 and now do 15 pieces a week. This increase in production will tire you out and you will run short on time. If you’re committed to improving, you will stick with it. You’ll then see how much more confident you now are.
Read More
It‘s sad to see so many people reading fiction and romance novels when they could improve themselves. Read books that will make you more skilled in your profession. This will give you that edge over others, and it will make you more confident as a designer. The more you read about a specific topic the more you think in terms of the topic. Read more about logo design and you will become a better logo designer, and now you’re also a more confident logo designer.
Charge More
I see so many designers who charge close to nothing for designing a logo. It shows me how much they value themselves as a designer. There are also many who do this thinking it will lead to more customers. This isn’t true. I used to charge $50 for a logo a few years ago, today I create logos for my clients ranging from $3000 to $5000. While it might seem like charging less will get you more clients, this doesn’t hold true. When I charged more, I got more work and way better clients. Charging more also allows you to hold yourself accountable and produce the best work you can.
So commit to improving yourself and your creative confidence will improve automatically.
Here’s a great book on confidence that will help you get started.
