Working at an Agency: Is it For You?
One of the most common career paths for many graphic designers is working at a marketing or advertising agency. When considering agency work, one must consider many of the environmental factors that come with it. These include working with tight deadlines, having a competitive mindset, and working on a variety of projects.
Hi! My name is Kristin Ardese and I am a professional Graphic Designer and Marketing Strategist. I hope that by sharing some of my expertise, I can help offer valuable insights and build an engaging community.
Working With Deadlines
Source: pikisuperstar
This Isn’t Like school
When looking at agency work, one important factor is working with tight deadlines. As a designer in this setting, you will often be tasked with projects that need to be completed in very short time frames. This can have an impact on the quality of your work and make finding quick and efficient solutions essential to finding:
“Working with clients is a completely different ball game to uni… I used to have a week or even a month on a brief! Now, sometimes I’ll get a few days to turn around a new route or jump onto the next phase of work ” (creativeboom.com).
Tasks in My Experience
In my experience, account executives will create a task for you and set it for completion the next day or even in the next hour. This urgency stems from the fast-paced nature of client demands and the need to stay on track with industry trends. Whether designing a new logo, crafting a marketing campaign, or refining website layouts, every project is accompanied by its own set of tight deadlines.
Advocate For Your Designs
While this can be stressful at times, it’s also a challenge that pushes designers to think on their feet and deliver results under pressure. However, it is essential to keep a balance between speed and quality. Taking time away from the design can compromise its performance, thus being counterproductive even if it is delivered fast. Designers should ensure that when working in an agency, they still advocate for their designs. Ultimately, a graphic designer will know the arrangement and layout best for the audience. If it takes a bit more time to do so, account managers should help their designers advocate decisions for the client. This will result in a campaign or project that is audience-effective.
It’s Competitive
Source: Freepik
If you are naturally competitive, working in an agency environment might be just right for you. As someone who grew up playing varsity sports, I loved competing with others. It gave me the drive to become better at my craft. The same applies to the design world. When I design or create something, I constantly look to others for inspiration on how to improve my own skills.
Everyone Knows What’s Up
When first entering the agency environment, you’ll notice that managers and colleagues have a deep understanding of design (more than in the average workplace). When your coworkers are experienced designers themselves, the bar for creativity and innovation is set high. Rather than being intimidated by this, try to embrace healthy competition as a way to push yourself and those around you.
Job Security Is a Thing
Sometimes, however, this competition can reach new heights. Because agencies will rely so heavily on a fluctuating clientele, a downturn in projects can result in cutting back on designers.
“Since agencies live on projects from numerous clients, there is a risk of needing to cut graphic designers if the project list dips too low” (Brianna Flavin).
This creates a sense of urgency and motivation among designers to consistently deliver top-notch work and prove their value to the agency.
If you are used to handling high-pressure situations and love to compete with others, then an agency environment is a perfect choice for you. Aside from the cut-throat ideology, creative teams within agencies actually can become quite close and tight-knit when all are working together towards the same goals.
Project Variety
If you get bored using the same brand elements over and over again, then working at an agency is worth considering. The diversity of projects in an agency is one of the more fun aspects for a designer or creative.
“With an agency, your clients are constantly changing…and this variety keeps life interesting” (Michael W.).
There’s So Much to Try Out
In this dynamic environment, you are not confined to just one industry but have the opportunity to work with a wide range of clients. In only the first six months of working at Madden Media, I was able to work on over 20 different client accounts. These projects ranged from print work and billboards to web ads and video reels. I gained tons of experience in areas I never expected to work in.
This variety not only keeps things exciting but also offers great opportunities for growth as a professional creative. Whether it’s refining your type skills or mastering a new design software, there is always a value in “being a sponge” and soaking up every tip and technique that you can.
The Bottom Line
Working at an agency can be fast-paced and competitive, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. It offers an exciting and dynamic environment for creatives—especially graphic designers. By considering a marketing agency’s environment, I hope aspiring creatives can make informed decisions about whether the agency route is right for them.
