I’ve been thinking a lot recently about Designers and what people look for when employing a junior to senior designer. Personally we have just been through the process of employing some new members of staff, and all be it different situations call for different people I think there are some universal truths.

Online Portfolio…

The one thing that I take as a given is that you should have a online portfolio. Even if you are a print designer. The mistake I made fresh from university was to be to creative and to show to much. There needs to be a fine line between creativeness and showing potential employers that you can do the simple things they expect. The other thing quantity over quality. Don’t be tempted to put to much up. You are a lot better off showing one great bit of work, than ten mediocre pieces.

CV…

Short, and interesting and designed CV. I was always told no more that two pages, and now having to read CV after CV I see the reasons for this. If I get a CV that is over two pages I will skim read, and wont take everything in. Your CV needs to keep someones interest, look good (as you are trying to get a design job) but not over designed, and get to the point. Be aware that not everyone reading your CV will have the technical know how. Try to relate to them as well.

Cover Letter…

Make sure that you change this for every job application. If you make this generic the employer may never get as far as reading the your CV. Do your research and personalize each letter.

Skill Set…

Most people will look for someone that is a all rounder. I agree with this to a point. I think it is essential to have the basics, but the thing that will make you stand out above the rest is a peek in your skills set. Find an area that you enjoy and spend some time on that area. Having something that puts you above an beyond the others will help you get that position.

Do Something Different…

If you want to grab the attention of a potential employee then do something to grab their attention. Here are a few ideas:

• Send your CV in a Tube – This wont sit well in anyones in tray
• Build yourself up – Send a post leading card before sending in your CV to build anticipation
• Send some thing – Say you have a theme of toys as your website, you could send some toy soldiers, branded with your URL. Be carful that this is not seen as a bribe

Hopefully with this is enough to get you a telephone interview, or even a face to face.

(Originally taken from buildinternet.com)

This was an example of some design tips to improve your website. So many of them are true and mistake you see out there all over the web that I felt talking about them again might help some people.

1. Brighten Colours

If you are having problems trying to get your website to pop then try tweaking the saturation. To many website out there are washed out and fade into nothingness. Set your colour pallet before you start. Try using something like Colour Scheme Designer to help set this.

2. Use Monochromatic Themes Sparingly

Monochrome websites can get boring quite quickly. There are some great websites that use black and white, in fact I work on one day to day, but even we introduce a 3rd colour. Don’t be afraid to splash a bit of some other complimentary from your pallet to get the desired effect.

3. Layout on a Grid

There are time use this and there are times not to. Having a design that looks correct is the key. Basically if you don’t have a reason to move something then keep it in line. This helps the end user read the page easier, and it looks a lot tidier.

4. Take the Time to Polish

Its the subtle things that will make your design stand out:

• Drop Shadows - This will add that 3D effect. Just be careful on how much you use.
• Gradient - Add a hint of gradient to text to help the overall lighting.
• 1px Line – Adding a closely toned line will clearly defining edges.

5. Break the lines

Break out of those boxes, and dare to be different. HTML is designed to be boxy but what we find more visually appealing is something that breaks out. Don’r be afraid to break out into the white space.

6. Add Whitespace

Give your user room to appreciate what you’ve done, it will help them focus on each element and not feel overwhelmed. Think of the padding as the frame for your work.

7. Textures

Adding a subtle texture to the background can add that next level of interest. As the end user may not notice this but they just know that it look nice. All of this work helps compliment the foreground.

8. Strokes

Don’t have them, use them. Strokes can be used in addition to the above effects to differentiate the foreground from the background. They can be a good substitute if you are trying to avoid gradients and maintain a more 2D look.

In Conclusion…

Everything here has a time and a place, and each can and should be used with a pinch of salt. Its not always right. At the end of the day it comes down to you, and you need to decide what to use where. These should give you a good grounding though to produce some eye catching website.