The List Goes On
We continue our list of Top Characteristics of Creative Designers according to the opinions of those within the industry.

Not everyone has all of these traits, but we can all learn from the list to understand what design companies look for in their staff.

.
Here are the rest of the traits that design firms would like to see in potential hires:

• Care about clients. If a design job is nothing more than a product to the graphic artist, it takes on an impersonal feeling and disconnect from the client. A recognition and understanding that the final creation is for people helps to provide added impetus to do a better job.

• Be able to multitask & juggle projects. In the perfect world, a graphic designer should be able to concentrate on one job without distractions or additional duties not directly related to project at hand. But this rarely, if ever, happens. Being able to intently focus is a good thing, but the ability to multitask is virtually indispensable for successful designers.

• Be deadline oriented. Imagine a graphic design firm where everyone could turn in their work whenever they felt like it. This would not only be a formula for instant failure for the business, it communicates a lack of professionalism. Design firms are driven by deadlines, and so should you.

• Find ways to “break through the clutter. In a design job, there are lots of things to do, but not everything has to be done. The ability to sift through the unnecessary or less important tasks is often the difference between meeting deadlines and missing them. A good designer knows what needs to be done and what needs to be put on the back burner.

• Keep an open mind about things. If the art world maintained that realism was the only way to paint, Picasso, Monet, Dali and many other artists could not have created their unique styles of work. Design is also like this–there is more than one way to approach a solution.

.
Desirable Traits and the Real Job World
The attributes that professional designers feel should be inherent in people who work in the industry is varied but can be broken down into these categories: teamwork, professionalism, communication, and work ethics.

Graphic design schools educate graphic arts students on how to design, create, compose, and use various tools for illustration, graphic design, or other fields in design work. But the traits that set a successful graphic designer from a mediocre one sometimes boils down to the personal characteristics of the individual.

Design firms need to hire qualified people for their art departments, but as was stated in the Top Characteristics of Creative Designers articles, employers are looking beyond talent and towards potential hires that have many of the traits that make a designer truly successful.

If you are studying design at a graphic design school or graphic design college, you realize your education is more than just going to classes and attending lectures.

You also learn through observation, sight, hearing, and tactile feedback.

A way of expanding your horizons is by visiting museums and fashion exhibits. You may find a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for your career training in fashion or product design.

One exhibit that may be of interest is now showing at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. The current show is called Fashioning Felt. The exhibition explores the various uses of felt with historical examples and continues on to the present.

Andreu World, a leading furniture design company based in Spain, is announcing its 9th Andreu World International Design Competition. The deadline for entries is September 14, 2009.

Andreu World has been actively promoting originality and innovation in furniture design for over 50 years. The competition started in 2001 and is now an international stage for discovering, promoting, and recognizing new trends for 21st century design.

The Andreu World competition is open to design students and professionals in the industry. There are no age restrictions for entrants; so younger designers will have a chance in displaying their designs along with the seasoned professionals. Entries are judged according to innovation, technology, quality, design, and manufacturing processes.

The first prize winner receives 4000 Euros ($5,345). Second place prize is 2000 Euros ($2,673) with up to three honorable mentions for runners-up. A panel of recognized design professionals decides rankings of submitted entries.

Contestants are required to send in a 1:5 scale model of their prototype along with the design plans, sketches, CD, or anything else that is relevant to their project. A Sworn Statement of Intellectual Property Conveyance is also required. For the rules of the contest, visit the official website.

In 2008, Andreu World was accepted into the Leading Brands of Spain Forum. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade, and the Patents and Brands Office of Spain formed the organization. The forum’s purpose is to promote and develop leading Spanish brands in order to compete in markets nationally and internationally.

Use the power of Rhinoceros to design a piece of furniture that addresses relaxation! RELAX furniture design contest is sponsored by Rhinoceros, and Participation is open to anyone. Download a trial version of the Rhinoceros software to begin your entry.

Only one entry per person is allowed, no teams, schools, or companies are permitted to enter. Winner receives a full retail copy of Rhinoceros 4.0 for Windows and a Hypershot HD if they render their design using Hypershot. This contest is no limited to Windows users, as Mac OS X 10.5 users can download the beta trial to enter.

All submissions must be received by 30 March 2009. Visit the site to learn more.

Good news! The I.D. 2009 Annual Design Review has extended its deadline to 31 December. College your best consumer products, graphics, furniture, environments and more and you could see them featured in I.D.’s best-selling Annual Design Review issue!

New this year: A Student Work category for all student design work, undergraduate or graduate, in interactive, industrial and graphic design, fashion, architecture and interiors. One lucky student winner will receive $1,000 and a subscription to I.D. Visit the site to learn more.

ID is calling for entries for their 2009 Annual Design Review. Consumer products, equipment, and furniture must have been released to the market during the 2008 calendar year. Graphic, interactive, and packaging designs must have been published or distributed within this period. Environmental submissions must have been realized during this period. Concepts must have been completed during this period. Student work must be the result of a classroom/academic assignment and must have been completed during the 2007-2008 academic year. Students must include a photocopy of an official student I.D. from that year. Any submission that does not meet these criteria will be disqualified.

Entry fee is $100 for each submission, except in the Student Work category. For the Student Work category, the fee is $25 for each submission. Late entries (postmarked after December 1, 2008) must include a $25 late fee ($15 late fee for student entries). Entries postmarked after December 15, 2008, will be accepted only on a case-by-case basis. There is a $10 fee for all returned checks or declined credit cards. Visit the site to learn more.