Visual Designers, You Only Have One Job
By: Tate Shepard
Tags: UX, User Experience Design, UI Design, Visual Design, Wireframe

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

As a visual designer hoping to score their first entry-level position, 2020 has proven to be less than the ideal time to do so. With the current job market in shambles, it is critical that you do everything in your power to get noticed. One of the easiest ways to get the attention of a recruiter is to show that you are qualified for the job in which you are applying. By completing various design challenges and different exercises you can improve upon technique, while also enhancing your skills. As long as the work gets posted at the end, you have successfully increased your chance of being contacted by a recruiter.

Being a visual designer requires you to take the basic structure of a webpage and convert it into a high-quality mockup. We do this by updating the wireframes passed onto us by another member of the user experience team. The wireframes received by designers provide few visual cues. Instead, they employ your design expertise to make the product aesthetically pleasing. As a new designer, we have the opportunity to prove ourselves by adding examples of these transformations to our portfolios. There are many websites online that host a wide assortment of free desktop and mobile wireframes. All you need to do is screenshot the wireframe, and drop the image into your workspace of choice. Now you just need to apply your personal touch of creativity and design expertise.

As a professional working within the field of user experience, it is important to narrow your expertise and show an employer exactly what your specialty is. Someone with the vague title of “UX Designer” is essentially only sharing the field in which they work. There are many UX processes, meaning it generally takes a number of people with various capabilities to fulfill the demands of the UX process. As a visual designer, the main assignment you are tasked with is the conversion of wireframes to high-fidelity designs. Therefore it makes the most sense to fill your portfolio with evidence of such work. With each wireframe, you convert you will add speed to your workflow. After converting enough of them, the process will be second nature and you can focus your energy on creative application.

A common design challenge given by employers looking to hire includes having you bring a wireframe to high-fidelity. By perfecting these skills prior to the assessment, you will have more time to apply your knowledge of color theory or make decisions like which font is most appropriate for the product your working on. After doing a few of these design assessments you will feel more comfortable with them, and will also be great at explaining the work you’ve done. This will come in handy when you are asked to walk a prospective employer through previous design projects. Through proper explanation and representation, your designs will speak on behalf of your skillset. While consistently creating content, it is only a matter of time before you are recognized for the successful designer you are. Keep posting your work, and good things will follow!