Don't Get a Job...Make a Job
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Author: Gem Barton
Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
Year Published: 2016
Dimensions: 5.75”x8”
Pages: 144
Don’t Get a Job…Make a Job is a collection of designers’ experiences of working for themselves immediately, or almost immediately after graduating or dropping out of college. Curated by Gem Barton, this book is structured to provide a multitude of different types of advice to aspiring design entrepreneurs. Sections are broken down into different categories of advice such as propaganda (self-promotion), going mobile (working outside of a studio), specialism vs. diversity (jack of all trades or master of one), tough calls (making decisions), going it alone vs. teaming up (collaboration), and gusto (that extra oomph that’ll get you noticed and make you memorable). The content of this book is meant to be innovative and groundbreaking to show readers how the working world is being challenged and changed as new designers begin to work for themselves in order to achieve the job they want that does not exist. Although none of these tactics are to be stolen or copied, they are here to show readers the scope of how innovative one can be.
When I first picked up this book a year ago while I was a senior in undergrad, I thought this book was going to change my life. I read it as soon as I could, and I fell in love with it. The book is not too long so it was a fast read, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the advice that was presented. The book is designed well with its three column grid, tight typographic hierarchy, and solid layout, making it an aesthetically enjoyable read. And, there’s a reasonable range of advice and number of designer profiles.
But, as I reread this book post-graduation and while I’m beginning to freelance, I’ve come to realize that the advice is nothing new. It’s all stuff I’ve heard before, and reading this book only serves as a refresher. The advice in this book includes things like, “Put yourself out there, don’t run before you can walk, exploit your interests, and create positive change”. This is advice that I’ve heard throughout my education and from reading other books like, How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul, I Used to Be a Design Student, and Know Your Onions.
Another flaw with this book is it primarily focuses on designers who lost their jobs during the recession of 2008 and in the economic downturn of 2012. Although it shows the reality of needing to be creative during tough economic times when jobs are sparse, it loses the notion of creating the job you want. The designers featured weren’t creating a job that has never existed in their fields before, but rather, they were creating jobs that existed, but not at that moment because jobs were scarce. Then it follows some different creative ways in which these designers made those jobs, like offering free architecture consulting on the street, or creating a mobile architecture studio in an ice-cream truck, or turning an architect’s resume and CV into a foldout poster. The book featured different tactics and not new, innovative careers that disrupted any markets.
That leads to another issue with this book: half of the designers featured are architects (or define at least one of their careers as architecture). It’s understood that architects probably had one of the toughest outcomes during the recession, but that doesn’t mean that other creatives in other design fields didn’t have it rough as well. If there were to be a large focus on architects in this book, then that should have been stated in the description from the get-go, or the book could have solely focused on that field. It’s frustrating because there are only one or two examples of other fields such as graphic design, illustration, editorial, fashion design, and makers/industrial/furniture. It’s just not an accurate depiction of the design world. It was also a little difficult because almost every design profile wasn’t labelled as being a part of one design field, but rather, a part of a motley of them.
Oddly enough, this was the best part of this book. It solidified and nailed the concept that one of the best ways to break free from the traditional realm of design work is the need of taking on different roles instead of being specialized in just one thing. Graphic designers should also be interactive designers and industrial designers. Architects should know how to build furniture and how to lay out a book. Fashion designers should also be consultants and pattern designers. There were no limits to what these designers could and should do in order to differentiate themselves from their competition.
The book then ends with a manifesto about how design schools should educate their students and prepare them for the industry they are about to enter by consistently reevaluating the assigned projects, partnering with industry sponsors and real brands, and teaching critiquing etiquette. The manifesto also mentions that business courses are not necessary for designers to break out into entrepreneurs after graduation, because like the designers mentioned in the book, they didn’t need business classes to become successful entrepreneurs. Which is odd because designers should learn some type of basic business practice while still in school. Whether it be marketing, management, investing, etc. this knowledge expands their field. Whether or not students use that business experience to craft their own business does not matter because they can use that information in any job they pursue after graduation. The manifesto also ends with stating that schools should not focus on trying to emphasize the importance of striving for innovation because that is the best way to eliminate all prospects of students creating innovating things. I wholeheartedly agree with this point. As a student who went to one of these schools that promote the importance of innovation, I can say that when innovation is promoted more than usability and contextuality, then the project loses its value and significance. This is because the target audience is put second to the project, which inevitably, creates a project that is useless.
I will rarely ever advise to never buy or read a book, because every book is valuable to someone, and just because I don’t enjoy a book does not mean someone else will. That being said, I do think Don’t Get a Job…Make a Job is a good book, especially for someone who is still in school and wants to read a primer on some good advice on working for oneself post-graduation. But, if you’ve graduated and are already working for yourself, or if you are enrolled in a program where you are proactive, then I think the information in this book will be redundant. I think the better option would be to go towards a book that is more catered to your field of design that can offer more accurate information about freelancing. Simply because freelancing, creating a studio, and building a reputation work differently according to each field of design. Although the principles may be the same, the tactics sure aren’t. Like I mentioned previously, the first time I read this book, I loved it. And I loved it up to the point where I reread it, so you never know, this might be the book that is perfect for you.