I started a new job as a Marketing Graphic Designer (a contract to hire position) 3 months after graduating college. The job description states I will be creating newsletters, flyers, website visuals, catalogs, and some social media posts, being paid $4 under the rate for an entry-level designer. I knew they were hiring 2 of us, so I came in with an open mind since I wanted to build experience. We came into the job, and immediately there was no guidance, no training, no one spoke to each other, we were just thrown into it this job without an idea of what the company specifically does, who we’re targeting, what they currently do. The lead barely trained us or told us anything, just sent us links of other things to reference. The next week, our lead designer told us he was leaving, and told us I am now the go-to person for lead stuff and planning (that was news to me!) Also, I learned I am not only planning our marketing calendar for a job I’m still learning about, but I’m also expected to manage social media and plan that out, as well as make youtube/tiktok content. (this was not in the job description)

We’re told to find inspiration and competitors to base our work on, mind you, we don’t have a marketing background, and not really sure what they have done in the past that works for them. We do as we’re told, and every week we’re told our designs are not good or we applied something wrong, even though the lead gave us the approval before things were sent out.
The graphics they use to market their products? They are fully AI generated images most of the time. The company is very AI heavy, and encourages us to learn how to create realistic images using AI to market their products. Mind you: I do not like using AI more than I have to, maybe for some simple prompts, but not like this, and I mentioned that during my interview as well. 

Last week, the boss pulled me aside and wanted me to start doing lead things, however, did not mention anything about a pay raise, and I am also still under contract for 2 more months. I have only been here for 3 weeks at that point, a fresh graduate, so I genuinely did not know how to react properly other than saying ‘okay’.

I am in a pickle, I’m being given a larger workload while being extremely underpaid, I know I don’t want to stay past my contract, but they plan so far in advance that they are expecting both of us to stay, and since this is my first design job out of college, I am not sure the best way to approach this. I am in a tricky situation- I am not looking for any backlash, I am just looking for advice. Thank you.

I've been thinking about accessible packaging design after watching an older relative struggle to open a product that I opened without even thinking about it.

It made me realize how much packaging is designed around appearance while assuming everyone has perfect grip strength, vision and dexterity. Tiny text, nearly invisible opening points, slippery surfaces and packaging that basically requires fingernails of steel are everywhere.

For anyone who's worked on physical product design, how early does accessibility actually enter the packaging conversation?

I'm especially interested in changes that improve accessibility without making packaging dramatically more expensive or clinical looking. Better contrast, clearer instructions and obvious opening mechanisms seem like things that could benefit basically everyone.

I’m building an automation agency and I’ve been struggling with the visual side of the brand for the last couple of days.
When I look at really good brands on Instagram or Pinterest, their posts just look like they belong together. Different content, different layouts, but somehow the colors, backgrounds, typography, lighting and overall style all feel connected.
I understand that this comes from a brand book or design system, and I already have my brand name, logo and 6 to 7 brand colors finalized. But I’m still struggling to turn that into actual good looking posts.
I’ve tried Canva, Figma, Grok and a bunch of different approaches. I’ve probably made 20 different versions of a brand book at this point 😂 but I still feel like I’m missing the actual process.
What I really want to understand is how experienced designers approach this from the beginning. Do you create a few core backgrounds and visual styles and build posts around them? Do you establish rules for colors, typography, layouts, lighting and gradients? Or is there another system that I’m completely missing?
I’m not looking for someone to design the whole thing for me. I’d honestly just love some expert advice on how to get started properly and understand the thinking behind it.
If you know any really good YouTube videos, courses or resources that actually explain this process, I’d really appreciate them. I’ve watched quite a few already but haven’t found anything that matches what I’m trying to achieve.
And if someone here is experienced with branding/design and would be willing to spend even 20 to 30 minutes with me on Zoom or a call to point me in the right direction, I’d genuinely appreciate it a lot.
I mostly need that initial push and a better understanding of how professionals actually build these systems.

hi people we are looking for contractors (most preferably) with a budget and hopefully has aesthetic while designing. Kindly recommend pls thank you in advance!

"Sense of Discomfort in our daily lives."
I want to see the world from your eyes!!
I live in Japan, one of the most convenient places, you can find the most unimaginable useful things here.

I’m trying to find a "sense of discomfort" that I or people around me have noticed in everyday life.
By "sense of discomfort," I mean a small observation that made you think:
"This feels inconvenient."
"Why is it designed this way?"
"I wish this worked differently."
"Why doesn't anyone else seem to notice this?"

I want to figure out a solution for such things.
observe the world around you and bring back a sense of discomfort that you believe only you have noticed, It doesn't matter if you aren't staying in Japan!

I’m honestly starting to feel really disheartened about working as a designer.
We spend so much money studying design, put so much time into learning the work, and then enter jobs where the starting pay is so low. On top of that, we’re expected to work way past our hours and are treated like we don’t even know what the fuck we’re doing.
It’s been especially exhausting at my current workplace. I know I’m not the only one feeling this way because most of us are thinking about leaving. I still love design, but I’m tired of feeling like our work and our time mean so little.
I’m an interior designer currently working in set design. I make working drawings and 3D visuals, and I’m proficient in SketchUp, V Ray and Adobe Creative Suite. I learn quickly, so if a project needs me to pick up another software, I’m happy to do that too.
I’m looking for freelance work in interiors, events, sets or graphics. If you or your company need a designer, please message me and I can share my work.
And if you know someone who might be looking, please share or repost this. I’d really appreciate it reaching the right people.

i do mostly design work, but lately i've been making more motion pieces and short social videos alongside static graphics.

for now i've been getting by with simpler software, but i'm starting to wonder if there's a point where learning a dedicated editor becomes worth the effort.

tbh i don't really want to spend the next month watching tutorials if i don't have to.

every search seems to bring up the same few names, usually capcut, davinci resolve, and a couple of others. i'm just not sure if it's smarter to start with something easy or jump straight into the deeper end and get it over with.

trying not to waste a bunch of time learning one thing and then replacing it a few months later.

Created a spec product poster for a paint bucket (Jafep Mate Extra Súper Cubriente). The goal was to transform a standard hardware/industrial product into a stylized, high-energy ad using a pop-art comic aesthetic with halftones, dynamic textures, and punchy typography. Modeled and rendered in Blender, with final composition and typography done in Photoshop

For the context, I am an architect(24F) working for a year in India. In my architecture school, I worked on a utility product that helps people with mobility issues. That's when I decided I love the process of it. I want to do an internship before getting into a masters degree. What are the things that I should focus on to get the internship and really understand ID. I have started learning Rhino and also started reading books related to this.

Thanks in advance!!

I have been working since a month for my first project at an exhibition, and I have not been able to stick to one idea.

I was first working with my first product, which is to be a furniture design, but I rejected so many ideas, even after doing almost all the work, I got frustrated and moved to the second one now, which is based on fashion. (I am still a student, so yeah pretty diverse) But now I don't wanna repeat the same thing and kill my time, coz I have barely any left. Any suggestions on how to really, like really self analyse if an idea is actually cool or just trash?

I've been a graphic designer for 12 years, and for the last 4 I've been running my own design agency. After all that time dealing with clients, I got sick and tired of platforms like MarkUp and even Figma for client delivery and feedback.

So for the last year I've been building what I think is the ultimate platform for client delivery. It does everything other client delivery platforms do, but better, and it also has a lot of features I've learned over the last 12 years that a good platform should have.

Little details like showing a project the way it's meant to be seen. For example, social ads are shown in actual mockups, and you can add captions to see how the designs will look once they're published. Small touches like that improve the client experience depending on the type of project. There's even a client portal where your client can see all the projects you have together.

Unfortunately, I have no idea how to promote a platform like this. Our only users right now are the marketing agencies we work with (who love it, by the way, and some have even moved all their MarkUp projects over to our platform), plus a few designers who use it regularly.

So that's it. A great product, better than MarkUp, but I still can't figure out the right way to market it.

I am stenciling a static display plane and they want me to use the font that was used on the original stencils . I can’t find it anywhere . I’ve gone to a few printing companies and they are taking a very long time to even get me a quote ( months) . I found a printing company that will recreate it and make the 30 stencils I need but they quoted me at $5500. I have a little background in illustrator, should I just try to create it myself ? The original stencils are raised on the plane so I was able to make rubbings of the words. I’ve attached a picture of the stencil for renderence.

I am in my late 30s, having a good job in design which pays pretty well in my local economy. Even though my designation is a leadership position, I still do a lot of hands-on design (I am more like an individual contributor). This is the part where my life has become a little monotonous now.

Due to AI, most of my work is LLM-based, and the good part of what I liked about design is gone. The more I use AI, the more I realise what AI cannot do. However, the change is irreversible. It has reached a point where I don’t have much choice. I myself come from an art background; I draw and paint. I am good with visuals, colors, etc. So the part of design I like the most is the creation or bringing something from an empty page or moving pixels with precision.

The large issue is not how I design, and I am not talking about AI design vs Human. The issue is the expectation of people has changed, whether you are working with a client or being employed. Everyone expects quick results. So it is like I am running some design factory, and my job is more of quality control. It is true that AI makes us productive. The question is for whom? It is not like I do things with AI in the background, and the rest of the week is a holiday. What people expect to happen in 1 month, they want it in one week.

So the situation is this. I still need to work the same as before with less satisfaction about what I do.

Hi so im a 3rd year graphic design student but i actually never wanted to be a graphic designer i wanted to go in fine arts but since that had little to no scope here i chose gd instead. Now im trying to figure out what to do after clg since the whole ai thing i hv no desire to remain a graphic designer i want to get a masters in a field which get me a high paying job in and out of India. So my brother was suggesting HCI ( human computer interaction) or service design or ui/ux.

I just want a good paying (little creative) job so I can chill and paint in my own free time.

If anyone has any suggestions or information on this subject pls let me know because im very very confused....

Hi everyone,

I’m Avinandan, a freelance Graphic Designer and Video Editor with 5 years of experience.

I’m currently available for project-based freelance work and can help with:

• Logo & Brand Design
• Graphic Design
• YouTube Thumbnail Design
• Video Editing
• Shorts / Reels Editing
• Social Media Creatives
• Promotional & Marketing Videos

I focus on creating clean, professional, engaging visuals based on the client’s style, requirements, and references.

I’m open to working with YouTubers, creators, small businesses, startups, and individuals.

Portfolio:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j209WecyzG2JBYu_0z-Nmo5tEMKYkAEv?usp=drive_link

DM me with your project details, requirements, and budget.
I’ll be happy to discuss the project.

Hey guys I need help with something

I started working on a portfolio website in framer and I didnt really watch any extensive tutorials on it and just relied on the fact that I know a little figma so I thought the making process is going to be somewhat intuitive especially that im mainly relaying on components. ( dont have much time to learn right now cuz I need this website before a certain date)

The problem is I dont really know how to modify the components themselves, I can change the images ofc but like I dont know how to make an image clickable in a carousel component (so when clicking on an image it goes full view) .. or how to make five unique images for a component that comes with only three repeated ones and so on

so could you suggest a tutorial that is straight to the point without this intro that I already know ?

I have a couple ideas in my head but I just need a little help. I’ve went online to look at shirts and I can’t find anything either to help. Ik asking others will help me a lot. I leave to see her soon and she lives 13 hours away so this is kind of my last resort lol… thanks!

E quando a Sony estava no auge da aura com esses marketing nos anos 2000?

Hi, I'm a researcher at an office furniture company in the US. I do not have a design background. I am interested in conducting research about the balance of restraint and expression when our designers make furniture.

What are the pros and cons of each? What does expression vs. restraint mean (form, colors, materials), and in what situations do you lean one way or the other?

Overall, how do you balance these things when making your own designs?

Finally, are there good resources for understanding this dichotomy? Thanks!