Experience shows

A young designer works fast. A young designer is aware of trends. A young designer know the tools. BUT, a young designer jumps to those tools. A young designer starts right away. A young designer wants to do it on their own, and their own way.

That option - leaves us with an imperfect solution. That option - requires the overseeing of the in-experienced designer by an experienced one, making sure that all loopholes are considered.

Junior Designers vs. Senior Designers - let’s talk about it. What are the pros and the cons? Often we believe that the difference is about experience, speed, and the ability to use all the most recent and trending tools. But the real difference is in the way that an experienced designer thinks, decides and handles unique processes and spontaneous issues, as well as the people involved.

Some points to think about -

1. junior designers jump to their tools while seniors designers start with questions about the project, they want clarity. 2. junior designers fix specifically what they see while seniors designers fix what were the causes of what they see/the problems. 3. junior designers wait for feedback from their art directors while seniors designers move forward by asking new questions. 4. junior designers are working with doubt while senior designers don’t.

What really happens is that when your thinking starts to change (and I remember exactly when that was for me), you start to become that senior designer. That is the pivot point and it is subtle.

A junior designer is uncomfortable with silence. They are concerned that they had not done ‘a good job’. While that silence is going on, inside the head of the senior designer they are constructing new questions to move the conversation forward. When a junior designer does not come to a meeting with the possibility of taking ‘notes’ (I’ve seen this often), that’s a sign of a youngin’.

The project brief is a common component of most jobs. If the junior designer does not thoroughly understand it or want to ‘change’ it, that’s a sign of a youngin’. When a meeting with the client or the art director occurs, and a discussion about the project highlights some issues, the junior designer jumps to immediately ‘fix’ what has been pointed out - rather than - learn more about ‘the why’ and what caused the disagreement, that’s a sign of a youngin’.

There are many tools at a designer’s disposal. A junior designer’s toolbox includes the mechanical tools and software of the trade.

A senior designer’s kit, includes an appreciation of business, psychology, marketing and design principles as well as design applications . More importantly, a senior designer wants to make sure that the design solution they arrive at, solved the real problem not simply ‘fixed’ it.

— the brand auditor —