Creative Advent 2008: Elliot Jay Stocks

Culture

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given - by various people - has been to work ‘for the man’ before jumping into full-time freelancing. I’d originally planned to start freelancing straight after graduation, but I’m glad I didn’t: the experience I got from working as an in-house designer has been invaluable.

Working for the Man

Not only do you get to deal with clients, developers, other staff members, and general real-world situations on a daily basis, but you get all this experience without having to look for any of the work yourself. Plus, for an inexperienced designer, it’s an easy way to quickly fill your portfolio up. Of course, it’s not for absolutely everyone, but I’d say that 99% of graduate designers would benefit massively from working for someone else before setting up on their own.

Guest Author Bio
Elliot Jay StocksAlways aspiring to create something ‘a bit different’, Elliot’s work is frequently featured in online and offline publications, showcased on various ‘inspiration’ websites, and used as an example of how accessible web design can still look beautiful. His portfolio includes work for Automattic, The Beatles, Blue Flavor, Twiistup, EMI Records, and Carsonified. On a semi-regular basis, he writes about design trends, issues, and techniques for industry-leading publications such as .Net and Computer Arts Projects, and is currently putting the finishing touches to his first book, which will be published in March ‘09. Elliot is a regular face at design conferences around the globe, taking to the stage as both a speaker and a workshop host. This works out rather nicely, as he’s quite fond of travel and enjoys working from the coffee shops of the world.
12/03
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