Posted by Raphael on Jul 27, 2012 in My Business Adventures, Personal | 0 comments

The second tip I’d like to suggest to young designers entering the work force — pay attention to your own personal style. You know that saying “Dress to impress?” It’s TRUE!  But don’t assume that means suit & tie (or Aloha shirt and slacks here in Hawaii)

Look at your competition. See how about 3 out of 4 of them are all wearing the same boring thing that everyone in business community is wearing? They look professional of course…but they look no different from the accountants walking around downtown. As a designer, I think you should look your part. Stand out from the crowd and express your style. Your look communicates how bold you are with your design.

Early in my career, I used to take in clients when I used to dye my hair all kinds of colors. I had every color imaginable at one point in my life. Later in life I grew more conservative…both because I was sick of sitting in the stylist burning my head all morning, but because at one point in my business networking sessions the president of the group I was in told me I had to be more “professional” looking. So I started trying to impress business people by looking just like them. I felt like a corporate monkey and I didn’t like it. But I thought it was the only way I could make a better impression with CEOs and executives I wanted to woo.

You know what I found?  It’s full of shit. Years later I had an early client come up to me and tell me “You know why I liked you when I first met you?  It was BECAUSE you had blue hair and looked different from everyone else”.  My style helped me stand out from the crowd and kept me recognizable amongst the sea of downtown business people. Why should I look just like the accountant or laywer across the street from me?  That’s when it hit me, “I’m pitching myself to be a designer, should I look the part?”

Now my advice isn’t to suddenly go out and start shaving mohawks on your head to stand apart. Just be yourself but try to read your intended audience to decide how far you can go. If you’re meeting with younger executives in a cool architectural firm….be funky!  If you’re meeting with bankers or government workers, pull back a little and be more conservative. Give your personal appearance some thought just as you pay the same detailed attention to your typography and composition in your work. Look “professional” but find ways to twist that look so you stand out amongst your competition and be remembered. (image: Stadium-Arcadium)