“Always ask.”

It’s easy to get into the mindset that you understand everything in front of you, and that you can figure it all out. But more often than not, there are other parties involved that have the exact information you need, and they’re more than willing to provide it. And that’s a much easier conversation to have than the one about how you made the wrong assumption and have to re-do it. — Andrew Norcross, developer

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“One thing at a time.”

Stop worrying about other things. Do one thing. Maybe that one thing is figuring out what to do next. That’s fine. Get it done. Thanks to my man Big Jim.

“What’s the difference between me and you? You talk a good one, but you don’t do what you supposed to do.” — Dr. Dre

— Tim Brown, designer

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“Don’t be afraid to look stupid.”

When you go to meetings, there will be plenty of times that jargon and acronyms are thrown around, and it’s really tempting to smile and nod and pretend you know what people are talking about. Better to keep your mouth shut so people don’t know you’re ignorant, right?

Wrong.

I start all projects by telling people that I will be asking dumb questions — because I know that I don’t know everything! You’ll also often find a lot of other people in the room didn’t know what was being said either, and they’ll be glad someone else put their hand up. — Ross Floate, designer

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“God is in the details.”

When I was just out of school, Chris Dixon, then a freelance art director, taught me that it’s the little things that matter most. The attention to details makes the difference between making something good and making something excellent. I try to remember it every day … otherwise my work looks like shit.” — Aviva Michaelov, art director

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“Write.”

No matter how good your work is, if you don’t write about it — it may as well not exist. No matter how strong your opinions are, if you can’t write about them — no one knows you have them. And no matter how much you might disagree with someone else’s opinion, if you can’t write about it — they will control the conversation. — Mike Monteiro, designer

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“Find a way to stay a student.”

A professor of mine, Allan Comport, told this to my colleagues and I as we were finishing our theses, portfolios, websites, and generally gathering ourselves to go out into the world as young illustrators. What he meant was that we needed to find ways to continue our education, of course, but also to find a community the likes of which we already had amongst each other — Jen Mussari, lettering artist

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“Always log your hours.”

This is incredibly basic, but you need to know how long designs take. Time perception can become very fluid once you get absorbed by the work, so note the time you began, the breaks you took, and finally when you stop. Even on jobs that aren’t paying by the hour but by deliverable, you need to know how long it took you to work on it so that you know you are working efficiently. It will help you estimate future work and it’ll help you not to lose yourself in the work.

Also, never stretch a font.

— Sonia Harris, designer

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“Don’t panic. Make a list.”

No matter how unsurmountable a task may seem, it can be broken down into smaller pieces. I always work with a notebook next to my computer with my to-do list on it. Instead of something “finish the site” I write down small, actionable items: “collect all the content”, “upload the images”, “add links to the footer”, “test on a iPhone”, “test on a iPad landscape”, “test on a iPad portrait”. It may seem silly to be so granular but writing a list makes any project feel manageable, and helps me track my progress.

— Steph Monette, developer

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“Focus on the solution.”

Do you remember the first time you fell off your bike? You were probably around five-years-old. It probably stung. But you learned a few things. First, it didn’t hurt so bad. Second, why you fell and what you could do the next time to not. And third, that you could trust yourself to be ruthlessly determined and get it right.

Do you remember the first time a client didn’t like your work? You were probably around eighteen-years-old. It probably stung. But you learned a few things. It didn’t hurt so bad, right? You found out why the solve didn’t work, right? And you trusted yourself to be ruthlessly determined and produce a more effective solution, right?

Good work depends on your ability to focus on the solution. Not the hurt.

— Robyn Kanner, designer

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“It’s better to be kind than to be nice.”

I have no idea where I heard this, but I am just going to start crediting all good advice to my grandma as a default. I used to think that being nice was essential, but actually, being nice is lazy. Being kind takes empathy and energy and is essential when working with people. Being nice is for suckers. — Kate Bingaman-Burt, illustrator

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