3 Lessons I’ve Learned While Growing as a Designer

Wassup Designers,

Looking back at my journey, I can honestly say growth didn’t come from sitting still—it came from acting, experimenting, and learning the hard way. Today, I wanted to share three lessons that shaped me as a designer that I wouldn’t ignore. These aren’t abstract theories, they’re things I’ve lived through and insights I’ve shared with people along the way.

Lesson 1: Growth Comes From Acting on Opportunities

The only difference between growing your personal design brand and staying stagnant is choosing to act on opportunities. That’s it.

Sometimes an opportunity is about noticing when something can be better and putting yourself out there. Sometimes it’s about being faster; faster to share, faster to communicate, faster to execute. Other times it’s about using the connections you’ve made to get your voice heard.

One of my earliest lessons in this came when I redesigned a popular creator’s event logo. This wasn’t just a small stream—it was pulling 600k live concurrent viewers every single week. All I thought was, “I think I can make this logo better.” Instead of sitting on that thought, I tweeted my version publicly.

The reply? A simple, “Can you change this?” That was my moment. I acted fast, delivered the revision, and suddenly I was in. I earned $1,000 for that logo and, more importantly, an extra $5K in client logos that followed. Up until then, I’d never charged more than $150 for a logo. That one decision shifted my perspective on the value of my work.

I had another moment where one of my biggest potential clients asked if I could handle a project they were also considering giving to a studio. Naturally, I felt I could—but I doubted why they’d choose me over a full team. Weeks passed with no response, and out of boredom I mocked up the event logo and apparel anyway. I emailed it over casually: “Had some free time today and thought I’d share what I was thinking.” Two days later, they replied asking for a call. On that call, they said my concepts were strong and what impressed them most was speed. While the agency had been delivering radio silence and one concept a week, I sent 3–4 complete directions in my random boredom email. That’s when I learned skill isn’t always the deciding factor when people choose an artist—sometimes it’s experience, initiative, and showing up faster than anyone else.

This isn’t about speed for the sake of speed. It’s about understanding that in a competitive design world, your ability to communicate and act is as valuable as your ability to design. Being quick with a friendly reply, using language that connects with humans instead of hiding behind design jargon, or simply being bold enough to show your work—those are the things that create momentum.

You know you’re growing as a designer when you’re no longer chasing work. The work starts chasing you… eventually. I know that one might seem foreign to some of you guys, but it’s the truth.

Lesson 2: Don’t Complain, Pretend

This one may sound strange, but stick with me: when you’re aiming for higher titles or positions, don’t complain—pretend.

What do I mean? A lot of people get stuck noticing problems and saying things like, “We should be doing this before we even start that,” or “I don’t want to do it because it’s not my job.” That mindset doesn’t push you forward.

When I say “pretend,” I mean: step into the role you want before it’s yours. Fill the gaps, take initiative, act as if you already hold that title. It’s not about faking skills you don’t have—it’s about showing you’re willing to operate at a higher level of responsibility.

Design is 10% execution and 90% everything else: storytelling, communication, brand cohesion, tone, marketing, and strategy. That 90% is vague on purpose—because it’s all the things you won’t learn until you start doing them.

Work will always feel like work, and some days will suck. But stepping into the unknown—taking on things outside your lane—gives you context and knowledge you’d never gain by staying in your seat. The design industry is rinse and repeat at its core. The more gaps you fill, the more you learn how that rinse-and-repeat applies to new ideas, new projects, and new positions.

So if you want to move up? Pretend. Step up when no one else does. Because that’s what people notice.

Lesson 3: Organization Will Save You

This one might not sound glamorous, but it will save your career: organization.

Think about it—

• Have you ever spent hours digging for a PSD or image you swear you had?

• Have you ever forgotten about a great project because you didn’t document it?

• Have you ever tried to rebuild a portfolio and blanked on what you even made last year?

I’ve been there. And every time, I regretted not being more disciplined with my files and tools.

Now, I treat organization as seriously as execution. Here’s the folder system I use as a rule of thumb:

Year → Month → Project → (Marketing, Art Direction, Exports) → Client → (Marketing, Art Direction, Exports)

It’s simple, but it works. I know exactly where to look, and years later I can pull files without a second thought.

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And it doesn’t stop at files. Your suite of productivity tools is just as important. Whether it’s Notion, Figma, sticky notes, a private Discord server, or even Slack DMs to yourself—find the system that makes sense for you and stick to it.

Why? Nothing worse then having 3-4 clients at a time with extended and short deadlines in-between final delivery, didn’t track, and you’ve now got a client email “Still on track to deliver _____ today?” Meanwhile it didn’t even cross your mind and now you’re stressed.

Tracking, project management, client access. file delivery, ect. are all things that will make for a better experience that can only be had with systems in place.

Organization isn’t just about staying sane today. It’s about giving your future self the ability to interview better, build stronger connections, and make collaboration easier. It’s an investment in your future career.

Final Thoughts

These three lessons—acting on opportunities, pretending instead of complaining, and staying organized—may sound simple, but they’ve shaped my growth more than any design tool or trend ever could.

If you’re just starting out, don’t overthink it. Look for the opportunities you can grab right now. Show the world the designer you want to become, even before you’ve fully grown into that role. And get your organizational system in place early—it will save you years of headaches.

Design isn’t just about making things look cool. It’s about positioning yourself, communicating effectively, and building a system that allows you to keep leveling up.

And if you want tools to help you on that journey, I built the Everything Pack for exactly that reason—a bundle of resources to sharpen your design process, save you time, and help you focus on what matters most: growth.

Until next time,
Seso