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Overall, this module has taught me how to be more creative, and what is considered a good portfolio when applying for jobs. Furthermore, the interview have given me a creative and professional insight to the design industry. I hope to be able to apply it in the future and improve my current skills and knowledge.

This blog post is written based on this article. The article shares the best creative advice they have ever gotten. I will be discussing further and give a reflection regarding responses that I found to be interesting.

Disclaimer: this blog is solely based on my interpretation of each response and may differ to others’.

Beginners with limited “creative” background tend to be insecure about their performance and ideas. However, what is needed in the workplace is not a “creative” background, but a fresh perspective. Our job as a designer is to think outside the box and develop from it.

I think that this advice suggests to not give up on projects that might not go your way. By finishing it, we can actually reflect and learn from all the mistakes that we have done. Through that, we can become better designers and not repeat the same mistakes.

This statement is interesting to me as people tend to obsess over their good ideas and be secretive about it. They have the fear of someone stealing their idea or gaining inspiration from it. However, I truly agree with the statement above. In the end, people could come up with the same or similar ideas, our job as a professional designer is to execute the idea; and without the execution, the idea will just be a meaningless thought.

In conclusion, each designers have their own fair share in unforgettable creative advises. Personally, what stuck out the most to me was the advice on not to obsess over ideas. I have always thought that ideas was something incredibly valuable and constantly coming up with new ideas and outcomes would be crucial in this career path. Although it is not completely wrong to think so, through this article, I am reminded that the execution is incredibly crucial. Furthermore, it is important to always reflect and learn from each project, regardless of it being good or bad.

Mr. Elvin Fye is a Graphic Designer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has been working in this field for around 7 years. Currently, he works in Kairos Works as a Head of Branding Division.

The interview was conducted via email in Bahasa Indonesia, as he mentioned not being fluent in English. I will be translating and summarizing his response below.

Below are the questions and answers of the interview.

1. What inspired you to enter the Graphic Design field?
Ever since I was young, I have always liked drawing and painting. Thus, I could not imagine working in fields outside of graphic or art.

2. In your opinion, what makes a good portfolio?
A good design should be able to communicate its message accurately. A beautiful, artistic, or revolutionary design that could not deliver its message is a failure.

3. What do you always keep in mind when working with a group of people for a project?
Each of the members should be able to deliver their tasks, and the project should be able to reach its objective.

4. As an experienced Graphic Designer, what are the criteria of an ideal junior candidate?
They should have a unique design style, yet still flexible in adapting to the current trends that are ever-changing in this era.

5. What do you think is the most common mistake beginners make in the field?
Prioritizing visuals yet failing in delivering the message or objective, and also confusing the audience with too much information.

6. How can we become more creative and innovative as a designer?
There will always be someone better than you. We should always find new inspiration and seek knowledge.

7. As time progresses, new trends have emerged, what do you think will be the design trend of 2020?
Based on the fast-paced development, the design trend in 2020 will be surrounding unique videography and motion graphics that could catch the audience’s attention and also provide enough information concisely.

Overall, most of his responses are directed towards the message and objective of the design. Identifying a message and delivering it successfully is crucial in this field. I notably agreed with his statement in number six. Designers should never feel satisfied with the current state they are in; they have to continue improving and seeking for knowledge and inspiration. Furthermore, by feeling satisfied, it will limit oneself inside a box, whereas it is a designer’s task to revolutionize and provide better solutions.

Ms. Yoshepin Handra is a Graphic Designer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She graduated from BINUS University in Visual Communication Design with a Cum laude predicate. She has experience in the field for around five years. Currently, she owns and manages a design agency called Designland, whose clients include: Sariayu Martha Tilaar Salon Day Spa, Lumi Facial & Aesthetic, Favoroils for Young Living, and more.

The interview was conducted via email in Bahasa Indonesia, as she mentioned not being fluent in English. I will be translating and summarizing her response below. 

Below are the questions and answers of the interview.

1. What inspired you to enter the Graphic Design field?

She mentioned that she has always been passionate about the art field. “Ever since I was young, I have always loved anything to do with visuals, colors, texture, and patterns.” She decided to pursue the art field, and this decision made her realize that “graphic design is a wide field. It does not constrict in printing. Now it has evolved into animation, UI/UX design, social media, pattern making, and more. Moreover, that is one of the reasons I like being in this field, as it has a wide range, and I could pour my talent in various ways.” She also mentioned that her biggest inspiration is Walt Disney as he did not have the smoothest history; however, he always succeeds in visualizing every story into a dream that each child (or even adults) aspire to be or have. 

2. In your opinion, what makes a good portfolio?

She said that a good portfolio is a portfolio that can show the designer’s style but also vast in range. The designer has to be able to convey different moods based on the client’s needs, but also know who is the designer behind those works.

3. What are the necessary skills and expertise needed in order to advance in this career path?

She mentioned that the necessary skill needed in this career path is not illustration skills or photography skills. It all comes back to the client’s needs and interests. “I have encountered several clients that have asked for designs that I think looks horrible. From those experiences, I concluded that what is crucial in the design field is a strong mentality, accepting of constructive criticism, or even insults that may refer to how “bad” your design skills are or how slow you work even though you have done the best for them.” She added that this quality is crucial when dealing with deadlines and pressure from clients.

4. As an experienced Graphic Designer, what are the criteria of an ideal junior candidate?

“I always tell my juniors that making revisions are a risk in this field; thus, the criteria that I need is a diligent, eager to learn, mentally strong to deal with all the things I previously mentioned, could be trusted on the works delegated to them, and also honest.” She mentioned that attitude is much more important than skills as skills could be gained if they are willing to learn it. Other than that, she added that she likes designers who could visualize different moods and fit into the client’s needs. 

5. What do you think is the most common mistake beginners make in the field?

She said that people tend to give up before trying, play safe, and go with the flow. “In the end, if you want to be successful in this field, you cannot always see it from a corporate point of view. You must be able to be initiative and grow on your own. You must learn diligently and be reach the point in which you are able to stand on your own or create your own creative agency.”

6. What is something crucial for a designer to know, be it, beginners or professionals?

“Clients are always right. Even if their tastes might be horrible as they are not in the same field as we are. As long as it does not risk your brand or theirs, it is better not to be too idealistic or a perfectionist unless you have great communication skills to convince your clients to follow your artistic direction.” We have to remember that we work in the service industry, so clients’ satisfaction needs to be prioritized. 

7. As time progresses, new trends have emerged, what do you think will be the design trend of 2020?

She thinks that people are starting to favor modern and minimalist design. “I think that people are starting to favor clean fonts too, and also colors with gray elements and ambiguous colors that are rarely used.”

In conclusion, through this interview, I am able to understand more about how different each person’s point of view is from each other. I strongly agree with some of her statements like how attitude is more important than skills as skills could be learned, and how a strong mentality is needed in terms of dealing with clients who may ask for multiple revisions for a “horrible” design. Other than that, in question number six, she mentioned “great communication skills to convince your clients to follow your artistic direction.” This question is quite interesting, and through her answers I learned that we should convince and educate the clients on our artistic direction. This could be achieved through building a relationship, and also talking in a more business point of view in which the clients will understand.

Ms. Angelia is a Graphic Designer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She has been working in this field for around 7 years. Currently, she is working freelance. Her notable clients include Tea&Co, Everwhite, Worcas Coffe, and BROS (Water Bottle).

The interview was conducted via email in English. Below are the questions and answers of the interview.

1. What inspired you to enter the Graphic Design field?
“I enjoy working in this field because it gives me the opportunity to bring my ideas to life.”

2. In your opinion, what makes a good portfolio?
“In my opinion, it should be able to communicate the ideas they want to tell.”

3. What do you always keep in mind when working with a group of people for a project?
“Listen to other first and try to understand their points.”

4. As an experienced Graphic Designer, what are the criteria of an ideal junior candidate?
“They need to be creative, of course. And I’d prefer someone who loves this field more than just do a job for a living.”

5. What do you think is the most common mistake beginners make in the field?
“Try so hard to be perfectionist and idealist.”

6. How can we become more creative and innovative as a designer?
“Always write down your ideas, whatever it is.”

7. As time progresses, new trends have emerged, what do you think will be the design trend of 2020?
“I think it’s gonna be a simplified illustration, going monochrome and also shiny metals.”

Overall, her answers are concise and to the point. There are some statements that I agree with; for instance, she mentioned that a good portfolio “should be able to communicate the ideas they want to tell.” Some designers have quite a huge ego and might prioritize aesthetics more than objective. Although aesthetics is just as important, some designs fail as it is not able to deliver the objective and give an excellent experience to the users. Furthermore, she also stated that we should “always write down your ideas, whatever it is.” Although some ideas might be a little bit absurd at that moment, it might be useful or a great one when polished and elaborated. There were not any particular statements that I disagreed with as everything was quite simple; however, her answers could be quite ambiguous due to the conciseness.

In conclusion, I learned that sometimes our design might not turn out like how we envisioned it to be, our objective as a designer is to convey what our client is trying to tell their audience.

Ms. Fanny Tania is the Design Principle in TitikGaris Design Agency. She has been working in the design industry for around nine years, in which she started out working in an agency, then became a corporate in-house graphic designer. In 2013, she and her business partner, Denissa, started building their own design agency, TitikGaris.

The interview was conducted through Skype in English. Below are the summarized questions and answers. It should be noted that the responses below have been paraphrased.

1. What do you think is the criteria of an ideal junior candidate?
As a junior designer, she thought that design is all about visuals. However, later on, while working as a corporate in-house graphic designer, she learned that design has to sell, be understood, and work. She stated that “I learned that creativity as a designer is not only about creating good visuals but also to understand the process of creating visuals that works.” With this, she continued that “for me, an ideal candidate should be the one who is willing to listen to the clients’ problems, process the information and ideate possible solutions in solving the problems. Also, they have to be eager and humble enough to always learn about design.”

2. What makes a good portfolio?
She stated that a good portfolio should be able to express who you really are. Furthermore, she also added that “it is important to add in the background, concept, and process of the artwork itself, as it is important for us (people who will hire you) to know how you think.”

3. How to expand knowledge in the field?
She stated that nowadays, there are a lot of useful resources to learn about design. For instance, “from (some) Instagram account, we can learn how to survive as a freelancer, learn about design thinking, and user experience design. But, actually, we, designers, love to gather and learn from case studies and visual references to keep us updated with the recent styles.” She also added that we should not limit ourselves to the design field. “To create a design that actually works, we need to learn about things outside of the design field to give a bigger picture in letting us see things differently and make our design richer.”

4. How to become more creative?
She stated that inspirations could be found everywhere, but creativity is the process of translating those experiences into ideas. “Design, itself, borrows from things that we actually see, capture, and translate.”

5. What do you think is the difference between art and design, or artists and designers?
“I think that there is a thin line between designers and artists. Designers can be artists, and artists can be designers. I think that the difference is the process of creating the artworks.” She explained that designers are more challenged to create visuals that could be understood by a lot of people, while artists have more freedom to create the artworks. She added that as designers, we need to be more objective rather than subjective. However, artists have to express who they are; therefore, they need to be more subjective.

6. What is something crucial for a designer to know?
She thinks that it is important for designers to love design because a good design is the one you pour your heart into. “For me, a good design is a work of art, so I find that it’s important to empathize with our audience to understand how it gives meaning to the problem.”

7. What do you think is the most common mistake beginners make in the field?
“Designers love visuals too much and may forget the objective of it.” She also added that designers tend to forget to put themselves as the audience of the design.

8. Why do people think that it’s easy being a designer? And what are the challenges you have faced while working in this field?
“Design is long perceived as a beautiful arrangement of visuals. And when you see a brand, you see their logo and marks.” She added that design nowadays had evolved much more than that. “With that said, my challenge in the design industry is to explain to the clients on how branding is not just about the logo’s colors, but about how people perceive their brand. And in UI/UX design, our task is not just to make a beautiful and sophisticated app, but actually help and benefit the users. Lastly, its to let other people or clients understand that designers are not only artists but also a listener.”

9. Have you ever dealt with clients that might not be as cooperative as you would imagine? And if so, how do you deal with them?
She said that she has, and “the only thing we could do about the situation is by coming back to the objective of the project and explain on how the solution we propose might benefit to them.” She added that at the end of the day, the only thing designers will regret is to give up in educating their clients. “I try not to let the circumstances bring me down and just deliver my best. At the end of the day, it’s not the clients’ attitude that will bother us, but it’s whether our work is good enough or not.”

10. How is the culture like in Indonesia towards the design industry?
“In Indonesia, I see a lot of people are more aware of the design and the value of the design.” She added that it has also given designers a lot of opportunities to grow and expand their knowledge. Nowadays, creative spaces are more common, and the government has also started to involve designers in solving their problems. For instance, in Jakarta Jam, a traffic-related transportation problem, the design thinking process was utilized in tackling the problem. “I think this country has grown along with the designers very well.” She mentioned that as a fast-growing country, start-ups, who are seeking for new designers, are often found in Indonesia.

11. What do you think will be the design trend of 2020?
“I think the digital industry has taken over our attention and also most of our screen-time. So, to adapt to the changes, I think designers are challenged to learn more about how digital marketing works.” She elaborated that this includes digital content, motion graphic, 3D, and videography. “Other than that, designers have to keep up with the recent styles.” She further elaborated that with the current digital resources, designers are now able to experiment with crazier and vibrant colors and elements. “Besides all those trends, I think that designers are now breaking the rules and more experimental. Big brands like CocaCola are now using several styles, all in one fold of their Instagram page. So, I think the most important thing is for a brand to have a strong identity and values. It should be versatile enough that even though we translate them into different forms and styles, it still shows its authenticity and character.”

In conclusion, this interview has given me more insights into how the design industry is perceived in Indonesia. Other than that, I think that she gave a great tip in including the design process in a project. Overall, I think that this interview was a success and I am able to understand more about what it takes to be a Design Principle in Indonesia.

Mr. Patar Simatupang is a Documentary Film-maker based in Indonesia. His remarkable works include “Catharina Dalam Sebuah Negara Koor,” a documentary about an opera singer (scheduled to appear in cinemas in June 2020), and “Kepada Bapak di Rumah,” a short self-expression documentary (currently screened on tour around Indonesia). Other than creating independent films, he has numerous experience in volunteering in film festivals such as the Vancouver International Film Festival (2000) and the Jakarta International Film Festival (2006). Besides film-making, he is also a lecturer in Raffles Institute of Design Jakarta, SAE Indonesia, and Berlitz Global Training, on various subjects relating to film, marketing, business, and language. In addition to all of his experience, he is also the founder of the Youth Leadership Institute that provides training programs and seminars in human capital effectiveness, media, communication, and youth leadership skills.

The interview was conducted along with Christine Dinata as the other interviewer. Unfortunately, the footage of the video and audio interview was not recorded due to technical errors. However, we managed to record a short clip at the beginning of the interview with Mr. Patar Simatupang. Below is the clip.

Here are the questions and answers during the interview.

1. How did you get your start as a film-maker?

He has always wanted to become a film-maker ever since he was young; however, at first, he pursued business management due to concerns in not being able to make money out of the film-making career. He then started to create independent films and pursue his education in performing-arts in Canada.

2. You created the Youth Leadership Institute, can you explain to us what that is and why did you create such a community?

He explained that the Youth Leadership Institute is a community to teach youth regarding communication. Through his contribution and experience in the community, he was able to achieve the Sang Putra Foundation Pioneer Award.

3. What’s the number one piece of advice you have for young people who are in your field of work? Moreover, what do you think is the most common mistake beginners make in the field?

His advice would be to start from small. “Making a film is not transferring what is written to the screen. You have to understand the story or character”. He also mentioned that he had to work his way to his position now, involving himself in many activities. Through his hard work, one of his documentaries was nominated in Nepal and Italy. As for the most common mistake beginners make in the field, he thinks that they do not understand the complexity of the film industry. “Film directing is complex. No one can ‘directly’ be a director.” 

4. What do you always keep in mind when working with a group of people for a project?

He thinks that teamwork is a challenging task. His advice would be to be patient, manage each task responsibly and to their own (for instance, being a director on location and a producer out of the location), and lastly, to accept the role delegated to learn and gain experience from it.

5. Have you ever had to work on a project that is different/against your beliefs? How do you deal with it?

He has never experienced this as his films are written and developed by himself. However, in his documentary “Kepada Bapak di Rumah,” he faced the challenge of having the story decided by the stakeholders despite the film being about him. 

6. What makes a film “good”?

He said that the film must seem like an artwork as he thinks that film-making is an art form. The story told through visual and audio has to be unified with each other. The film also must convey the emotions the film-maker is trying to show. Other than that, it has to have a flow (dramaturgy), and a purpose. 

7. As time progresses, new trends have emerged, what do you think will be a huge trend in the film industry this year?

He thinks that the movies with good dramaturgy will be a huge trend this year, especially in the USA, with Parasite winning four Oscars. Besides that, he thinks that the documentary and drama genre is what Indonesian film-makers should focus on more instead of keeping up with technologically advanced movies (such as superhero films).

In conclusion, the interview was a success. Through the interview, I gained more insights into the challenges film-maker face during film production. Teamwork is crucial in the field that I have chosen; I will be working with clients and peers that might not always be my forte. Patience and managing one’s task is essential to meet deadlines and fulfill clients’ requests. Furthermore, his advice on starting from small is quite crucial to the current instant culture and mindset that my generation has.