Follow the three Q's

When making a career choice, follow the three Q's: quality, quality and quality. Do the best work possible. Work with the best people you can find. In my experience, good work gets you more good work. Bad work will always attract more bad work. The best people know other good people. In the end, your future will be determined by the quality of your design work. Money may be tempting, but the work is your future.

Sean Adams is a partner at AdamsMorioka in Beverly Hills, California.

Align yourself outside your comfort zone

Design is not an occupation-it's an obsession. Our value is measured in increments of personal drive and passion. Designers entering the professional ranks offer desire and fearless invention. You bring the energy of challenge. You're the new light in the room. Your spirit is the ultimate human benefit.

The design landscape is shifting rapidly. Design thinking is the new commodity and disciplines within the field are blurring. The opportunities to contribute are limitless and exciting. When choosing your career path, align yourself somewhere outside your comfort zone. Allow yourself to fail. observations

Refuse to be labeled. Look for knowledge in every task. Demand this from your employer; demand it of your peers. This is where you discover your real value. Your professional growth will be fueled from your own strength, conviction and sense of purpose.

A new generation of designers is entering the field at a critical time. Our responsibilities as influencers are shifting from commercial persuasion to meaningful endeavors. Success will be measured in social progress. Rewards you can't imagine will follow. You have the power to make a difference. Be the light in the room.

Jim Ales is the art director for the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California.

Trust your instincts

Before you choose a firm, you'll want to do your homework. Make sure it has people you admire and can learn from and opportunities for growth. Understand what a day in the life is like. Know who its clients are.

After you've drawn up your list of pros and cons, how do you decide? Think about the work environment. Is this the kind of place where you'll be able to grow creatively? When you interviewed, did you see yourself fitting in and thriving there? A common theme I've heard from candidates about their previous jobs is that they didn't thrive in the work environment. And the truth is, not every studio will be a right fit for you.

Once you feel good about a workplace, then you need to tune in to your gut. This is the time to listen to that voice in your head and not censor it. Did you have a visceral reaction to your potential boss or coworker? How did you feel after the interview, when you were on the street walking away? What was the first thing that came into your mind?

Remember, great designers have great creative and intuitive instinct. Use yours and cultivate it when you interview. The ability to trust your instincts and know yourself is a skill that will benefit you not only on interview day, but also throughout your career.

Connie Birdsall is creative director and senior partner at Lippincott in New York.

Seek personal development and cultural match

When evaluating job opportunities, I believe that three of the most important things to consider are portfolio development, skill development and cultural fit.

Check out a firm's client list and the quality of its work-spend five years at a firm that only does Barbie doll packaging and you might have nothing to show for it but an allergy to the color pink. At the interview, ask how much opportunity you'll have to work with senior-level staff-they can help you hone your skills and provide inspiration and mentoring. The difference between figuring it out on your own and having a mentor is the difference between correspondence courses and private tutoring. Also, try to determine if the firm's culture is collaborative or competitive and which is a better fit for you. If you get inspiration from sharing ideas with others and working as part of team, you might not be happy or successful where designers are pitted against each other to compete for work. Likewise, if you prefer to go it alone, all that teamwork may only hold you back.

It may be tempting to take a position for the pay, but it's these other less tangible issues that can determine your ultimate satisfaction and success.

Janet Dedonato is partner and strategic director at Methodologie in Seattle.

If money didn't matter…

Embarking on a design career poses as many questions as it does choices. One choice might be, “Should I go after the job in a large design office that pays more or the job that offers more creativity?” Perhaps that is the wrong question to ask. Instead, consider this: “If the decision had nothing to do with money, which job would I choose?”

Regardless of the salary, the larger office could offer you an opportunity to learn what you don't know or, rather, what you want to know. But if you're certain of your abilities and talent, the job offering more creativity (albeit a smaller paycheck) may allow you to observations handle assignments from inception to completion, which can lead to faster job growth and development of important skills.

I have never made career decisions based on money, and yet success and financial rewards have been byproducts of those decisions. My first two jobs after college laid the cornerstone for my design career. I barely got by on my salary, but during those years I established a foundation of design skills, business knowledge and professional contacts that I am certain led to both creative and financial success.

Jennifer Morla is chief creative officer at Design Within Reach and principal of Morla Design, both in San Francisco.

Salary is only one factor

If you're a recent design grad with a student loan to repay, you might be tempted to choose your first job based on starting salary alone. Money should be just one factor when evaluating career opportunities. You also want to find a place where you can expand your creative skills and begin building your network of professional contacts.

To start, concentrate on the particular type of design you're most passionate about and identify the three top firms within that discipline. Research those companies in detail, and then adjust your job expectations accordingly-in terms of starting salary and geographic location.

The competition is intense for staff positions at top firms, so you'll need a great portfolio and excellent interviewing skills. Don't be surprised if starting salaries for entry-level positions are low. Keep in mind, though, that base salary is not the only form of compensation. Staff positions also come with a benefits package, which may include insurance coverage and incentive plans.

Most of all, there's a huge upside to taking a staff position with a leading firm that will open doors and jumpstart your career. You'll have award-winning creative directors as mentors and participate in major projects for well-known clients, resulting in an impressive portfolio and standout résumé. As time passes, you'll find that your expanded skills and experience bring you increased compensation-and there's no downside to that.

Shel Perkins is president of Shel Perkins and Associates in San Francisco and chair of the AIGA Center for Practice Management.

The 10-question prescription

When considering a job, right out of school or in the first several years after graduation, ask yourself these questions, in this exact order:

1. Do I have any interest in the organization, corporation or design firm that is offering me the job, other than getting a job?
2. What does the work look like that comes out of that organization, corporation or design firm? Do I respect it?
3. If the work is good, who made it, and will I be around those individuals?
4. If the work is mediocre or bad, was that a result of a circumstance that is changing, or is it endemic in the structure of the organization?
5. What are my job responsibilities?
6. Who will I be directly working for? What do they do?
7. Will I be mentored?
8. Will I have an opportunity to learn about client interaction?
9. Is there an opportunity for growth and advancement once I've proved myself?
10. What does the job pay, etc.?

If you don't like the answers to 1-6, don't even bother asking 7-10.

The most important thing now is to learn how to be a good designer and learn about client interaction. Any job you take has to support that goal. Money is secondary.

Paula Scher is a partner at Pentagram in New York.

Cultural fit and collaboration fuel the journey

What should a young designer be looking for in the first couple of years of work? (Ironically, I'm looking for the same things in a young designer.)

Cultural fit: Any studio or in-house design/creative department has a culture that is essential to its success. Ask your interviewer to describe the culture with examples of how the culture has created success, both for clients but also for the designers in the studio. Does this fit for you? If not, would it be a great stretch assignment? Be honest with yourself.

Collaboration: Design is not the genius of the individual. It is a highly participatory and collaborative process. Fresh out of school, you are probably most familiar with defending your work in open critique sessions. Now you must thrive on the collaborative process-with many partners such as writers, creative directors, marketers-to arrive at solutions that everyone feels part of, and feels ownership of.

Learning journey: Design is a discipline that one builds with experience. The more you are open to diverse challenges, the more you will learn. Find work assignments that allow you to stretch yourself, embracing the journey and redirecting as needed. Having a mentor as a sounding board, either in the studio or outside, helps with navigation.

Kristin Seeberger is vice president, corporate marketing, at T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, Maryland.

The balancing act: creative culture and compensation

There's a delicate balance between the salary one earns and the intangible value of a workplace experience-the culture of creativity. Salary surveys help us analyze the left-brain aspects of our compensation-money, health care, retirement plans and other benefits-all of which are crucial when assessing what is fair in a particular job market.

Still, as creative professionals we should be the first to acknowledge that right-brain experiences demand serious attention, too. Mentoring or independence, initiating designs or executing others' ideas, client interaction or indirect feedback, flat or hierarchical studio structures-there are myriad workplace philosophies, and the designer's dream job is certainly not one-size-fits-all. How much is collaboration, inspiration and actually liking the people you work with worth? Should you accept less money in exchange for a culture of creativity that fuels innovative ideas, nurtures the imagination and matches your ideals? Does it even have to be an either/or question-or can you make enough money and realize your dream in the same place?

Determining what is most valuable to you personally and finding that precise balance of fair compensation and creative culture can be the difference between a job you do and a job you love.

Sam Shelton is a partner at KINETIK in Washington, D.C.

What is most important will evolve

What's the most important benefit a firm can offer beyond monetary compensation varies for each designer and may depend on where you are on your career path. For some, the ability to have flexible hours and work part-time-having the ability to nurture a family in addition to, not at the expense of, a career in design-is key. Some designers are eager to learn about the entire business and creative process by working with smaller clients who are more likely to require comprehensive identity and communications programs. Consider also the range of clients-does the firm represent the kinds of businesses and organizations that would either interest you observations or challenge you in a positive way? Do you have similar values? Newer, smaller firms are likely to be in the process of defining their values and work culture, so you could be a part of that creation. As a young designer, you are likely to grow in a culture that values curiosity, play and smart work. If you are interested in sustainable design, seek out a firm that will help you develop your expertise and skills in that area.

Successful firms are equipped to serve the needs of their clients and community while providing a work environment that is both challenging and nourishing. If you take time to do the research, you'll learn what kind of work culture is a good fit for you.

Ann Willoughby is president and creative director of Willoughby Design Group in Kansas City, Missouri.