What Is an in House Graphic Designer

The Pros and Cons of In-House Designing

Just like any other job here on earth, every graphic design position is going to have its unique assortment of pros and cons. There will be things that you love, and things that make you want to repeatedly ram your head into a wall (I don't recommend or condone this). In a nutshell, you have your agency design positions, freelance work, contract jobs, and in-house positions.

Currently, I work as the graphic d e signer for a small, private university in Metro Detroit. That would make me an in-house designer since I work exclusively for this school and its internal departments. Prior to this position, I've worked at my alma mater in an agency type of setting, and have been freelancing since 2016.

I recently was asked to speak to a class of junior-level design students about the types of jobs available in the field right now. More specifically, the professor wanted me to go in depth about my experience as the university's graphic designer, and what its like to hold an in-house position such as this one.

Now…anyone that knows me knows that I love to keep it real with people. I can only do that by being realistic and blatantly transparent. That's the exact approach I used when going into that class to help out the design babies. On the flip side, anyone who knows me knows that I also love to aid and inspire. So I knew that I had to take my discoveries beyond that presentation and share them with you all as well.

With that, these are the pros and cons of in-house designing.

Disclaimer: I am one individual using my own personal experiences — as well as those of friends and colleagues — to create this list. Every job and every person's story is going to be different! In other words, don't let this article be your sole determining factor when deciding whether or not in-house design is for you.

The Pros

1.) The workload is typically consistent.

No matter how big or small a company is, the fact of the matter is that you are only working for that one company. You're not dealing with multiple accounts and drastically different clients like you would in other realm of design. Unless business there fluctuates, you can expect the same type of workload on a regular basis. If you're in an environment that is usually slow-paced, you'll eventually master the art of finding "busy work" or side projects to keep you occupied. You'll also become a coffee aficionado from fighting off sleep. On the other hand, if your co-workers are running through the office like Sonic the Hedgehog everyday, then you too will be spriting alongside them. You'll always have a handful of projects on your daily task list, but eventually you'll grow so accustomed that it won't bother you one way or another. Overall, in-house designers have a pretty consistent and predictable workload that is free of surprises.

2.) The work environments are generally more laid-back than agencies.

Like I mentioned earlier, in-house design jobs can definitely possess upbeat work environments. However, they don't quite compare to the world of marketing and advertising. Agency settings on average are fast-paced and quite unpredictable since you never know who the next big client is going to be. Add in overlapping client work, larger teams, and more creative personalities — you're in for a little bit of chaos. At in-house marketing/creative departments, you're less likely to have a day filled with much chaos at all. Every now and then, you might have some days where your stress levels rise slightly above the norm. That's natural anywhere you go — creative field or not. But on an average day-to-day basis, you'll have a much easier time focusing without too many interruptions.

3.) Work becomes easy with a familiar and consistent brand.

Places that hire in-house graphic designers typically have a well-established brand presence. The only exception would be start-up companies that are hiring a designer to join their team and help create (and eventually establish) that brand from scratch. Either way, a business' brand identity needs to be maintained throughout all of their materials. Your job would be to know the corporate identity inside and out. Over time you'll have the brand's color codes, typefaces, and photography rules memorized. Most of the items you design will follow similar layout patterns as well. Once you have all it down, you'll practically be designing the stuff in your sleep.

4.) Less time spent thinking outside the box gives you more time to learn other things.

Because in-house design work doesn't require much new, creative thought, you can spend that energy on mastering other skills. For example, you may learn dozens of new shortcuts in InDesign from having to create so many flier templates. Or perhaps you'll become a photo retouch pro since you have more time to explore Lightroom and Photoshop. Those are two examples of what I was able to pick up during the first year at my current job. There's always room for you to learn and refine your skills in some way.

5.) You gain valuable branding experience.

Experience as in-house graphic designer shows future employers that you know how to follow and maintain a company's brand integrity. No matter what your dream job is, this skill is something that all employers will value equally. We all know that designers can become clutter-brained from the hundreds of ideas on our minds at one time. It's important to learn a sense of discipline by keeping things simple and consistent when necessary.

The Cons

1.) If you work at a smaller company, you may be the only "experienced" designer.

If you find yourself in a position similar to mine, you might be the only person on your team with thorough design knowledge. While this can be peaceful at times (nobody is in your ear nagging about your process or nitpicking teeny tiny details), it can be challenging during those times where you could use some assistance. When things do pick up around the office, everything will fall on your shoulders because you're the only person who knows how to use the design programs.

This also poses an issue when explaining certain things to your co-workers. Sometimes you have to find ways to translate your design terms into something that non-designers can digest. Most of them won't know that "typeface" is just a fancy work for "font", or know the difference between a JPEG and PNG. Oh, and let's not forget the people who will stretch your company logo into oblivion and use skewed color codes. If you've done freelance work before, you're probably used to this already. If not, then you'll definitely need to develop a new level of patience to make it through each day.

2.) There isn't always much room for creativity.

Like I mentioned earlier, this can be a good thing when you want to learn other skills or get a creative break. But if you're someone who loves variety in your day-to-day work, being an in-house designer might not be very fulfilling. You'll be using the same set of rules every single day, so you want to make sure you like the brand you're working with. You're kinda stuck with it.

3.) There is an inevitable learning cap.

After a year or two of designing the same types of things for the same company, your destined to get a little bored. Sure, you'll get a special project every so often and learn something new. However, there's only so much you can learn before it all becomes monotonous. If your company undergoes some sort of rebrand or starts a new marketing campaign, you'd be in luck. This would open the door for more growth and learning opportunities — just like when you first started off there. But for those who work in a more traditional or slower-paced environment…yeahhhh, you probably aren't going to get that chance. That's why it is important to only apply to companies whose branding excites and interests you.

4.) Growth within the company may be limited.

Again, some marketing departments or creative teams can be kind of small. Aside from the designer(s), there might be a few copywriters, a digital marketing person, an art director, and a marketing or creative director. If this is a place with good benefits and a healthy work environment, employees will get very cozy in their spots. Unless someone leaves the department or an expansion occurs, there probably won't be room for you to move beyond the graphic designer position.

5.) Your creativity may get stunted.

I don't bring up this point to scare anyone away. Your talent isn't going to deplete like a health bar in a video game. But I wouldn't be real if I didn't bring this up. The suckiest part of in-house design is the likelihood of slightly stunted growth. Working on the same brand for the same company with the same audience has a tendency to keep you away from what's happening in the rest of the design world. Unless you take time to do your own research and study up on trends (which we all should be doing anyway), it might be hard for you to bounce back and work on completely different projects in the future.

To put it in perspective: If a baker specializes in making the same chocolate cake for a few years of his career, then he might struggle to make a lemon blueberry cheesecake later on. If a dancer only performs in ballets for her first few professional months, then her body might take a while to adjust when she tries to do hip-hop again. Likewise, if a designer works with a high-end clothing brand for a very long time, it might be hard for them to work on a children's snack brand afterward.

This is natural, as your mind will become fully acclimated to anything that you're exposed to for a long time period. Doing the same type of work everyday for hours on end will surely train the creative part of your brain to function in a particular way. This is why I will stress the importance of personal projects and other forms of work outside of your job. You don't want to develop a one-track mind in an industry that is constantly changing. Regardless of the type of work your job requires you to create, you must take time out to create things that make you happy and well-rounded.

Once again, not all in-house positions will fit this mold or have each of the characteristics on this list. These are just common things that I've seen, heard, and experienced on my own journey through the field. Regardless, I do recommend that you still take these things into consideration if you're thinking about applying for one of these jobs. At the end of the day, each new endeavor should be seen as a learning experience that will help you build the skill set needed for the career of your dreams. Wherever you end up, be sure that it is serving a greater purpose on your design journey.

Happy designing!

What Is an in House Graphic Designer

Source: https://medium.com/@taiheahurst/the-pros-and-cons-of-in-house-designing-734e15f73c3c