Issue #2: [Getting Started in] Design
Where and how to start when you're interested in design, Showcasing D@B Community Projects!
Made by our VP of Resources, first seen on Zoom Memes for Quaranteens, Original artist unknown
Hello 👋
Welcome to the second issue of [Navigating] Design at Berkeley, Design at Berkeley's blog about navigating design at UC Berkeley, and newsletter!
This issue answers commonly asked questions about:
ways to start learning design
how to start getting experience
how to create your own opportunities
But first, some quick announcements!
General Meeting #2: Design [Careers] Panel
Come hear from designers about their experiences working in the industry and chill with the Berkeley design community afterward this Thursday (3/18) from 6 to 7:30 PM PST.
We've curated a panel of designers with experience in a range of fields including UX design, web development, product management, and UX writing to answer questions about design careers, navigating design in school and as a career, and more!
🏃♂️ Register at https://lu.ma/dabGM2 anytime before the event to join!
🗓 Want a calendar invite? Add our Design [Events] calendar here
FAQ#1: How do I get started?
We get a lot of questions on how to get started and begin building up experience, which is great! Experience is an important factor that recruiters look for when hiring designers. We also know recruiting season is rough and we too were worried about having to do projects and internships in order to add things to our portfolios. We also got a LOT of rejections emails, too.
However, dealing with rejection is a life skill and the great thing about design is that you can define your own experience.
As long as you have the ~ passion ~ and drive to pursue design, it will show when you're actually designing something. (Sorry that was cheesy 🧀).
There are so many ways to practice and show off your amazing skills! If you're new to design, there's definitely something for you. If you're trying to break into the industry, don't let recruiting struggles demotivate you from pursuing design! Everyone learns differently and everyone is constantly learning so here are just some of the ways we practice design below:
1.) Weekly Challenges
There are a lot of weekly challenges that generate design prompts for you to practice your design skills! Here is an example of a daily challenge and the prompts you can use:
Jago Pang’s work on the Daily UI Challenge! @jago.png on IG
2.) Class Projects
It's probably a bit late now since it’s midterm season, but it's a good option to keep in mind for future semesters! Students have worked on some pretty cool projects through taking some design classes at Berkeley and they’re all portfolio-worthy! Make sure to take pictures and document your process.
A walking robot from Fall 2019 DESINV 22 that a couple of our Officers made!
3.) Personal Projects
Design or redesign something you're passionate about! Any idea is a good idea since no matter what, you can practice your skills. Also, we'd love to spotlight YOUR projects whether it’s from class, personal, or work! Feel free to fill out this form to feature your project in our future issues!
GIF Credit @SorenWorks
If you're stuck or not sure what to start with, you can take inspiration from existing work (just make sure to give credit if you do and avoid copying someone, because it happens and it sucks :/ )
Maybe you prefer working in a team? Hackathons, designathons, and creative jams are all great places for finding a team (or going with friends) and also guidance on how to complete a project in a short amount of time!
4.) Bootcamps
Note: this option and the one below are more costly.
There are a lot of bootcamps during different seasons and different modes of instruction. Instead of trying to link ALL of them, here is a website that tracks the best ones:
Best UX Design Bootcamps of 2020
5.) Grad School
For those who might learn the best in a school setting, getting your Masters or PhD is an option! Also a lot of these too, here's a list of degrees related to design:
UX Degrees - A Global List of UX-related Bachelor & Master Degrees
Up Next:
These are just some of the ways you can gain experience when learning design! 🥳 We will talk about internships and the internship application process in a future issue!
Thanks for reading!
If you’re interested in getting the next issue of [Navigating] Design at Berkeley and updates sent directly to you every other week, please consider subscribing if you aren't already.
And if you know someone else also interested in design, we’d appreciate it if you could spread the word!