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This is a personal survey of some of my former Marketing students at the Pratt Institute Graduate Department of Communication Design in Manhattan. My course introduced the realities of the design business to students from Korea, Taiwan, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Turkey, Greece and the U.S. I teach marketing as strategic selling; how to target prospects, write marketing plans, and develop communication, self promotion and client management skills.

My first class graduated in 2000, which was a very good year for business and design job prospects. The following year was dramatically different. The dot-com debacle caused many hot companies to downsize or disappear and the market for junior designers was bleak. Nevertheless, those with marketable skills started their careers. Although this report certainly does not include every design school graduate, it presents a representative picture of what happens after graduation.

LCB: How long did it take you to land your first real job?

Henricus Kusbiantoro, Indonesia
I interned at Pushpin Studio for a year while in school and after graduation I interned at Chermayeff & Geismar. Originally this was for 3 months, but I was hired as a full time designer when this period was over.

Paula Rennis, Argentina
Four months before graduating I found an internship at a packaging design firm and when two other designers in the office left, I was hired full time.

Jason Wright, United States
After graduation I moved to Atlanta. The firms here seemed to be firing all of their mid-level employees and were only hiring entry level people or offering low salaries. After three months, I decided to start my own company.

Pelin Turker, Turkey
I started job hunting my first year at Pratt. The economy was spectacular and there was a big demand for designers. Two companies wanted to hire me, but INS regulations forbid students from working outside of school. Near graduation in 2001 I started job hunting again, but after a year and I haven't found a full time job. I have been freelancing and teaching at Pratt and The New York Institute of Technology.

Kersten Vogdes, United States
I got a job at the end of my second to last semester at Pratt (December 2000) and graduated in May 2001.

LCB: What surprises you most about your work, the company and the business environment in general?

Henricus: Working at Chermayeff & Geismar I learned to be an independent professional, but was surprised to learn that being creative is not enough. School had no boundaries, but in business, not only must my design be acceptable, I must be a bridge between the client and customer.

Paula: I worked in Argentina as a designer before coming to Pratt. I expected to find New York to be very 'professional', and relationships within the office more formal. I am surprised by the narrowness and inflexibility here, solving problems only in one way. Is this an American thing? Compared with designers in Argentina, Americans don't seem to know how to solve design problems without money.

Jason: I am surprised by the amount of work besides design work; billing, preparing estimates, scheduling meetings, developing self-promotions, networking and client contact take up a massive amount of time. In the beginning I felt it was pushy to establish rules about the design or payment process, but found that I was treated with more respect.

Pelin: Designers can make people 'think' or 'awe.' The negative affect is how fast design is consumed. We work hard, deal with deadlines, and then wonder what the hurry was for and if anything was gained. I prefer social and artistic themes instead of commercial ones. 'Timelessness' is important to me.

Kersten: After working at a design firm for a year and a half, I felt stifled by the mediocrity. I planned to be an innovator, instead found myself slapping corporate logos on backgrounds and rearranging designs done by others. The projects I enjoyed were rare. Budgets were constantly cut and work came in more slowly. I couldn't get over the firm's lack of marketing as I watched it go out of business.

LCB: Do you feel that school prepared you for the working world?

Henricus: Yes. My design school in Indonesia, ITB School of Design, applied the Bauhaus method which emphasized concept rather than final execution. At Pratt we did not learn complex philosophies but went directly to building our portfolios. The combination was wonderful. I also learned from New York City, itself a perfect training ground for designers.

Paula: Unlike many graduate students I already had 5 years of University and 6 years of work experience, so I was already prepared. For me the best education has been New York City, and as a student I took advantage of every cultural thing the city has to offer.

Jason: Yes and no. I am confident that I can tackle any kind of design job, but I think there should be mandatory classes in business practices. Eventually you have to deal with the client, and the first time I had to collect a payment I realized that I was not prepared for the battle.

Pelin: Yes I do. In Turkey, Mimar Sinan University prepared me for intellectual issues, Pratt Institute stressed technical issues. Design is a more 'hands on' profession than theoretical, you learn by experience. The working world is the school. Internships are crucial. School can only 'welcome you' to that world. The marketing course made me feel more self-confident an inspired me to plan for my own business.

Kersten: Design school was a great experience, after graduating was a 'real world' shock. I can't understand why designers are not respected and why people won't pay well for design services. School creates a utopian environment where you are both client and designer. The reality of working with clients was a big change. School gives you the tools, it's just what you choose to do with them.

LCB: What do you like most about your present job?

Henricus: I like working with a great client, coming up with a good idea at a crucial time, making it real and having my logo chosen by the client from all other designs, including one by my boss!

Paula: I enjoy the people I work with, not simply as 'designers', but as people. In this small office I have more responsibilities like directing photo shoots and following prototypes. I get a great deal of pleasure seeing my design on the streets, mass-produced.

Jason: I enjoy the freedom of owning my own business, no boss, and working from home. Control, if I screw up I'm responsible, but get all the credit for a good job. I can walk away from bad clients and pursue the ones I want. Success and failure depends on me, and I can keep 100% of the revenue (except for taxes and my wife).

Pelin: I like two things most: First, teaching is so much fun. It's pure play and get paid! The only thing to add is meaning and function. Second, I feel like a magician because I can attract the viewer's attention in the direction I have chosen.

Kersten: I teach design, freelance and work at a nonprofit as a consultant. I like the freedom. I like working with students who are still enthusiastic about design and art. It's a refreshing change from reality. Because I have solid work I can be flexible and rediscover design as an art and not a selling tool.

LCB: What have you found to be unexpected or disappointing?

Henricus: It was discouraging when a client decided to keep the old logo because he was afraid to change. It is not enough to be just a design firm, today a designer must provide more services including; naming, strategic branding and visual identity.

Paula: Sometimes the final product is not as nice as what we designed in the studio. The client chooses the photo or the package, he has the last word - reality is hard!

Jason: Disappointments? Every day! It took me a while to get used to my severe mood swings from landing a fantastic client to having a client going bankrupt and never getting paid for services.

Pelin: There are so many unexpected things, but surprises and disappointments are a part of our profession.

Kersten: I was amazed at the rapid speed my employers started to lose business, and how clients expected the same results for less money. I was disappointed that I couldn't find work for six months except for occasional production work.

LCB: What are your immediate plans and where would you like to be in 5 years?

Henricus: I have no specific plan. Someday I would like to be a teacher, but now I need more work experience to prepare for opening my own design consultancy in Indonesia. Landor has done many logos for our strategic industries, I have to stop them!

Paula: I would really like to work in Europe, maybe not in packaging. I don't want to work in a large corporate department, I prefer smaller offices.

Jason: I need a vacation but I am too busy, I'm fighting the urge to refuse jobs. I want to do creative work for high profile clients. In five years I plan on having two employees and moving into a larger space. I want to keep things small, to maintain close client contact and produce original work.

Pelin: My immediate plans are to continue teaching. I have not yet decided whether to stay here or return to Istanbul to be with my family and open my own office. I have been in this business for 11 years, and want to be my own boss. Only a possible last minute job offer would keep me in New York. In 5 years I want to be an internationally acclaimed designer, like Stefan Sagmeister.

Kersten: Teaching offers a creative, idealistic environment. My goal is to work for museums and public institutions. I love signage and corporate identity and would like to consult on large wayfinding and information systems projects.

Don Ariev
Chairman, Pratt Institute Graduate Communication/Packaging Design Department: Pratt's goal is to prepare students to succeed in a complex, very competitive marketplace. Our 2-year Masters Program, established in 1962, is the first and largest of its kind in the U.S. With an enrolment of 250 students representing 40 countries, it is a remarkable cultural exchange. Foreign students come not only to learn American design, but New York Design. Today's graduate must hit the ground running and fit into the workplace immediately. My vision for the school is that it be practical and current. This pragmatic view has always been at the core of Pratt's mission. To succeed in work is a matter of talent, ambition, discipline and humility. It also requires perseverance and luck. Not all design school graduates will continue in this profession. The best, and I don't mean the most gifted students, will thrive because they can adjust to the realities of business. Who can predict which graduates will make it?

Linda Cooper Bowen, copyright 2003. Reprinted here with the permission of the author.

About the Author Linda Cooper Bowen is a New York-based marketing consultant who writes about design business issues. A frequent guest speaker and workshop leader, she is the author of "The Graphic Designer's Guide to Creative Marketing: Finding and Keeping Your Best Clients" John Wiley and Sons, New York 1999. To learn about her consultant services, visit her at http://www.lindabiz.com