Daily Life of a Digital Designer

You can love creating digital designs for fun, but if you don’t love the lifestyle that comes with being a professional Digital Designer, it may not be the right career for you. Remember that there’s nothing wrong with choosing a different career path and continuing to pursue digital design as a treasured hobby. The truth is that while digital design is a highly creative field, you’ll be required to work within the limitations set by today’s client market, which isn’t always as exciting as working on a project for your own enjoyment. That said, digital design is well known for having a much wider variety of projects than other design fields, making it important to be prepared for continual change. 

What is a Digital Designer?

The simplest way to describe a Digital Designer is as a visual media creator who emphasizes interactivity. These designers are distinguished from other classes of designers by their focus on how people experience their designs. Rather than focusing solely on what their designs communicate visually, Digital Designers spend considerable time perfecting components like information architecture and accessibility. To improve user-friendliness even more, digital design projects often include prototyping and preparatory phases that include demographic research. 

Digital Designers are best known for their digitally generated graphics, animations, and visual effects, but many Digital Designers also create full-scale websites and apps. If one type of project piques their interest more than others, a Digital Designer can specialize in a unique aspect of digital design. Some Digital Designers highlight primarily digital projects, while others work exclusively on preparing interactive print designs for marketing. 

Because digital design is an umbrella term that includes many different design niches, most digital design professionals collaborate with a team. Their team may include fellow Designers, Project Managers, Product Designers, and IT professionals. 

Digital Designer Specializations

Digital design is among the most diverse creative fields on the job market today, with as many specializations as there are artists to fill them. Among the most popular jobs you can hold in digital design are:

• UX and UI Designers produce digital interfaces (primarily websites and apps), taking special care to ensure that users have a positive experience as they interact with their designs. 
• Web Designers focus solely on creating websites, and incorporate UX design and SEO to make interfaces accessible to both people and search engines. 
• App Designers produce web and mobile apps, including simple game applications. 
• Product Designers have much in common with UX/UI Designers and spend their days creating functional yet beautiful products (both digital and physical). 
• Packaging Designers create aesthetic, user-friendly packaging for consumer products. 
• Graphic Designers produce images that use design principles to communicate complex feelings and ideas. 
• Social Media Designers create SEO-friendly social media content along with editing social media pages for harmony and visual appeal. 
• Digital Advertising Designers develop digital ad campaigns and increase awareness of brands and services. 
• Publication Designers manage and design large publication projects, including books and websites. 
• Motion Graphics Designers create simple animated graphics and special effects for use in projects as varied as websites, videos, and video games. 
• Animators develop complex animations that may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. 
• Video Game Designers are responsible for creating many components of video games, including environment and level design, interactive user menus, and animated effects. 
• Multimedia Artists generate two and three-dimensional graphics for inclusion in videos and video games.
• Digital Illustrators sketch original artwork using digital tools such as Adobe Illustrator. 
• Digital Fashion Illustrators draw mock-up designs for Fashion Designers to reference as they create new clothing.

Starting Your Work Day

Because Digital Designers are part of numerous industries, you’ll have a high degree of flexibility when it comes to where, how, and when you work. If you work for a company or design studio that meets in person, you’ll likely begin your work day by commuting to your workspace. In a design studio, where you work side-by-side with other designers, you’ll typically be provided with the equipment and software needed to perform your work.

As a Digital Designer, you’ll also have the option to work remotely, either as a self-employed freelancer or as a remote employee. When working remotely, you’ll be completely responsible for creating your own workspace, including supplying your own equipment and high-speed Internet. While some remote work opportunities require you to work specific hours, most allow you to set your own schedule, making them incredibly flexible. 

Regardless of which work style you choose, performing your daily tasks as a Digital Designer will require access to:

• A design-friendly computer. Popular examples include the iMac and Mac Mini, Microsoft Surface Studio 2+, HP ENVY 34 All-in-One, and Dell XPS Desktop. 
• Digital design software. Essentials include prototyping tools like Figma along with graphic design tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Other useful tools include web design tools, motion graphics tools, and AutoCAD tools. 

Depending on your unique specialization, there may also be a few additional tools to include in this list. For example, digital fashion illustration may call for a digital drawing tablet. 

9 AM:

If you’re a remote Digital Designer, you may not begin your day at 9 AM, but whatever time you start work, the tasks you begin with will likely be the same (otherwise, you know what works for you). First, you’ll likely want to get admin tasks such as answering emails out of the way. You may also use this time to reply to messages from your colleagues on work platforms like Slack, Trello, or Basecamp. The beginning portion of your work day may also include a short “standup” meeting to ensure that everyone on your team is on the same page. 

Unless you did it the night before, you’ll also take this time to plan out the day’s tasks. This may include creating a to-do list, slotting meetings and tasks into a planner, and identifying your biggest priorities.

11 AM:

After taking care of essential admin tasks, you’ll have some dedicated time to work on your design projects. Because of the varied nature of digital design, this part of the day can look incredibly different depending on what type of project you’re working on and which phase of the design process you’re in. For instance, you may spend this time collaborating with your team on a conceptual brainstorm for an app you’re designing, or you may spend it creating graphics for the app in Illustrator. 

Other tasks that you may complete during this time include:

• Designing user interfaces
• Developing website and app prototypes
• Testing prototypes for functionality and user-friendliness
• Fixing designs and implementing user feedback
• Creating user flows 
• Making style guides

Whether you’re doing these tasks at 11 AM in a design studio or at 3 PM at home, this is the part of your work day when your brain is still functioning at peak capacity (before you start to feel focus fatigue). Consequently, this time is best spent on your high-priority client projects (other tasks can get done later). 

Many teams utilize agile project management methods to plan digital design projects to transform larger projects into several smaller chunks. These chunks are then planned out in a manageable schedule. As a result, you may be expected to complete a specific design task within a short window of time. 

2 PM:

The afternoon often incorporates many of the same tasks as the morning, particularly if you still have client projects pending. However, having a break in the middle of the day also provides an opportunity to switch gears if you’re working on multiple projects at once. You may spend your morning working on a project that’s nearly finished while dedicating your afternoons to early-phase design work on a second assignment. In addition to spending time on other client assignments, you might also focus this time on an internal assignment for your company.

At this point in the day, you’ll likely be feeling a bit less sharp than you were in the morning. To keep your energy up, you may join countless other Digital Designers in opting for a change of pace. For some, this means dropping creative tasks and heading out to meet with clients in-person. For others, it means switching workspaces from home to a local coffee shop.

The latter portion of the day is an ideal time for long meetings, especially if they involve clients or members from multiple teams. If it’s catching up to you, admin work can also be slotted in here. In addition to managing emails and messages, you can take this time to return phone calls. If you’re a freelancer, admin work may include tasks like updating your portfolio, posting on social media, or creating other online content. 

5 PM:

In addition to finishing up last-minute project tasks, you’ll likely spend the last minutes of your workday answering a build-up of emails. Though digital design projects always come with deadlines, this won’t usually mean you’ll have to stay late at the office. Because digital design projects are typically split into manageable chunks and planned out in advance, you can generally expect to complete your daily tasks on time. What’s important is that you stop work at a spot that’ll be easy to pick up and continue in the morning. 

If you work freelance, you may find it challenging to stop at all, as combining your office space with your living space can upset your work-life balance. According to Parkinson's Law, work expands to fill the time we give it, and at home, it’s much easier to accidentally give too much. Creating firm boundaries around how long (and when) you work can help you avoid falling into the trap of endlessly working. For example, if you commit to joining your family to make dinner every night at 5 PM, you’ll be more likely to wrap your tasks up on time. 

After Work

When all is said and done, you’ll spend most days after work replenishing your energy with activities and people you enjoy. However you love to spend your free time, the after-work hours are your time to eat delicious food, spend time with loved ones, pursue hobbies, and be entertained. 

On occasion, however, you may also devote your evenings to professional pursuits. When you need to acquire new skills or refresh old ones, you may participate in evening digital design classes. The after-dinner hours may also be served working toward or renewing certifications. If you’re a freelancer, you can also use this time to tend to your portfolio website and manage your online presence. 

Because you won’t be held to a strict schedule during your time at home, this time is ideal for working on creative tasks. This may mean tackling a personal project for fun, but it can also mean giving yourself more time to complete work tasks that demand extra creativity. Although you’ll typically finish most of your digital design projects at the office, you may dedicate a bit of overtime to hitting deadlines at home in rare cases. 

Regardless of whether you’re working a bit late, however, it’s important to take some time to do something that relaxes you. That way you’ll be fully refreshed (both mentally and physically) when you start work tomorrow morning. 

Learn the Skills to Become a Digital Designer at Noble Desktop

Want to learn design in a supportive environment? Noble Desktop offers highly-rated design classes covering a range of digital design topics for students at all levels. In addition to shorter classes, you’ll find a variety of career certificates that provide comprehensive training, complete with one-on-one mentorship and professional experience opportunities. Start your journey now by signing up for training live online or participating in face-to-face classes at the school’s NYC campus. 

With the hands-on training you’ll get in the Digital Design Certificate, preparing for a digital design career isn’t hard. Even if you start with no experience, you can learn the UI design and graphic design skills you need to launch your career in a matter of weeks. Instead of sitting through dull lectures, this program will teach you practical skills through activities and projects. In addition to mastering tools like InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Figma, you’ll gain the expertise necessary to apply design principles for truly stunning results. 

Learn the skills to make websites and apps that are truly user-friendly in UX & UI Design Certificate. Working with a team, you’ll create your own interactive digital interfaces from start to finish, resulting in work you can proudly display in your portfolio. Rather than focusing only on aesthetics, you’ll learn how to research your target users and prototype to improve accessibility. This course also includes a job preparation segment designed to help you workshop your resume and create the perfect portfolio website. 

If websites are your jam, you can make it into a career by joining Noble Desktop’s Web Design Certificate program. Work toward an impressive portfolio with hands-on assignments that will help you learn a combination of design, coding, and software skills. Quicker than you know, you’ll acquire a versatile skill set that includes UI design theory, Figma, WordPress, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Before you’re through, you’ll also have the chance to build a high-quality portfolio website with help from your expert mentor.