A week in the life of...

So you want to be a designer? Think we just sit around and draw pretty
pictures on a computer all day? Think again. What follows is a typical
breakdown of an average week...

SUNDAY

3 hours doing client amends and image sourcing for a corporate brochure design.

MONDAY

10 minutes printing and reading a brief for a new job.
5 minutes finishing off minor amends to Sunday's job.
20 minutes working on a brand guidelines document.
30 minutes setting an urgent client advert.
15 minutes working on the same brand guidelines document.
15 minutes on a conference call being briefed by an account handler on a new job.
1 hour and 35 minutes back on the brand guidelines document.
45 minute lunch break - go for a walk - get away from the monitor.
30 minutes back on the brand guidelines document.
10 minutes setting up a client signed off print job.
15 minutes setting up and sending a signed off advert to publication.
45 minutes back on the brand guidelines document.
15 minutes setting up and sending another signed off advert to publication.
2 hours and 45 minutes back on the brand guidelines document.

Call it a day.

TUESDAY

15 minutes working out prices of royalty free images for quoting.
25 minutes administrational work - time sheets etc.
30 minutes finishing off the first proof of a client's brand guidelines document.
Sent to associate agency and colleagues for comments.
2 hours and 15 minutes concepting for an advertising campaign for a financial investment company.
1 hour break (I often take hour long hours as I find it necessary to get away from the working environment and switch off, particularly if concepting).
1 hour and 30 minutes back on the campaign. Manage to crack the all important 'idea' and then spend 40 minutes putting together some rough visuals for the account handler to pass on to the client.
15 minutes putting together a small press ad for another client.
2 hours and 45 minutes working on changing the layout of a double sided A3 tourism map.

Call it a day.

WEDNESDAY

20 minute production meeting.
15 minutes work on the tourism map.
15 minutes work making minor amends for a client brochure. Resend proof.
30 minutes back on the tourism map.
15 minutes doing photoshop work for an image for a client newsletter.
15 minutes back on the tourism map.
1 hour starting work on the latest edition of a 16pp monthly publication I put together.
15 minutes reading notes on a new website I have to design.
1 hour putting down some initial scamps for the website.
3 hours on revamping the map layout after various discussions on the content.
PDF and send to account handler to check.

Call it a day.

THURSDAY

10 mins administration/paperwork etc.
1 hours work on the 16pp monthly publication.
25 minutes amending the tourism map.
15 minutes discussing impending office move with landlords.
15 minute briefing on a new exhibition pop-up stand.
45 minutes working on the 16pp monthly publication.
45 minutes working on the new exhibition pop-up stand.
1 hour working on the 16pp monthly publication.
3 hours 45 minutes designing a new website for an estate agent.

FRIDAY

30 minutes talking a client through a design (to mixed reaction).
45 minutes catching up with paperwork/ timesheets/briefs etc.
15 minutes with some software glitches - RESTART.
1 hour putting together a new urgent advert for a client.
30 minutes working on the brand guidelines document.
Break for lunch.
30 minutes putting together a new print job for a quick client proof.
15 minutes doing amends to that urgent client advert.
Another 15 minutes of mac problems.
1.5 hour back on the brand guidelines document.
1 hour of mac probs - lots of downtime with network problems today.
2 hours working on another urgent job - this time 2 charity jobs for a major client. As they're a major client it gets pushed up the list even though its a non-payer. And even though there's more urgent work in the pipeline.

So there you have it. A typical week. Fortunately, even though there's a lot of swapping between jobs and crisis that 'pop up' (down to poor planning usually) I do actually love my job. But designers definitely don't sit around all day thinking of 'crazy ideas' or just drawing pretty pictures. It is actually a proper job. You have been warned...