Graphic Designers Don’t Need to Specialize OR Generalize. Do Both With Hybridity.
Vol. 033
Should You Specialize OR Generalize As A Graphic Designer? Do Both With Hybridity.
The power of combining your personal and professional strengths, creating work from those intersections, and owning your hybrid professionalism.
A quick bite:
The binary choice of “generalize” or “specialize” is not only polarizing, but overwhelming. Not to mention, I’ve always felt overwhelmed by the idea of selecting just one thing to focus on when my interests and skill sets are so diverse. Thankfully, the concept of hybrid professionalism has revolutionized my perception of what’s possible with my creative career.
Continue reading below…
To niche or not to niche, that is the question.
I had an impromptu chat the other day about the binary choice of specializing or generalizing in your creative career with Creative Side Hustle Coach and good bud Scotty Russell of Perspective Collective.
Our conversation addressed the two different routes you can take your graphic design career:
Do a little bit of everything: web design, production design, illustration, lettering, branding, animation, layout, book and cover design, advertising, marketing, digital design, apparel design — the list goes on.
Or, you could position yourself as a graphic designer who specializes in just one of these skills. Position yourself as “an expert” in just one spot.
I have always felt overwhelmed by the idea of choosing the path of “do it all” or “do just one”. There are positives and negatives to both paths, and I wanted to highlight not only that but also a third path that many are unaware of: the path of hybrid professionalism.
To niche: In recent years, Scotty has found immense success, clarity and direction in his creative career through niching down and dedicating all of his time, energy and focus on being a creative side hustle coach. I.e., teaching creatives how to leverage their day job to grow their passion from a side hustle to a full-time gig.
Not to niche: In recent years I’ve had numerous opportunities that were rooted in my diverse skill set and interests. Instead of focusing on just one thing, I’ve spanned the gamut of creating hand lettering for So Delicious packaging, doing the graphic design and illustration for magazine covers, modeling for magazine covers, rebranding the largest cannabis dispensary in Colorado, creating stop motion videos, teaching a painting class on reality tv to the Real Housewives of Dallas, painting live murals for the SyFy Network and I’m currently an ambassador for Lululemon… clearly, niching was not my path.
There are benefits to both routes. And, in reality, both Scotty and I have each done a bit of both. Each of us have embraced our diverse skill sets in a way that has allowed us to niche down. In this way, Scotty and I are both hybrid professionals. Pretty meta, right? Let me explain a bit more...
Hybrid Professionals have multiple professional identities (ex: illustrator, lettering artist, muralist) AND works at the intersection of those identities — this is your unique value.
I never have favored the limiting title of graphic designer. The term paints a picture in the minds of others, and I have always felt that my diversified experiences, interests and perspectives brought far more value to the table than the simple title “graphic designer” captures.
I became privy to the concept of hybrid professionalism through Sarabeth Berk, PhD. Sarabeth is a Ted talk speaker, researcher, entrepreneur, and author of the book, More Than My Title, a book focused on the concept of hybridity.
The idea of hybridity was an absolute game changer for my graphic design and branding studio as it helped demystify the formerly binary concept of being either an expert OR a generalist. Hybridity essentially allows you to do both.
So, what the hell is a hybrid professional? Simply, you start with self reflection and introspection, and you focus on breaking down what it is that you do best, both professionally and personally. From there, you make a venn diagram with your leading qualities and interests. You then look at where those qualities and interests could overlap...when you create work from those intersecting points, you are embracing your hybridity in its truest form. When you’re working as a hybrid professional you’re integrating multiple identities together and working between and across job requirements, titles and expectations and you’re bringing profound value to the table.
The concept of hybridity made me realize that you can essentially be a jack of all trades AND niche down at the same time.
As I noted above, I’ve dabbled and experimented with a lot of different things. These diversified experiences have enabled me to make a broad network of connections and opportunities, and that has enabled me to build a totally unique career path for myself.
Why should you embrace your hybridity as a graphic designer, lettering artist, or creative entrepreneur?
As you get better at learning to embrace, convey and articulate your hybridity, you’ll find that you actually have a competitive advantage over your peers. Because you’re able to work outside of the confines of traditional job titles and structure, your ability to problem solve, think outside the box or pursue adjacent paths that lead to a better solution will help you rise above the nose.
In a sense, to embrace your hybridity is to have a growth mindset, whereas sticking with a single career path or title is to have a fixed mindset.
I’ve come to realize that so many creatives are hybrid professionals, but they are simply unaware of this concept.
One of my favorite authors, British writer and philosopher Alain De Botton noted: “our identities are entirely bound up with our work. You can’t really understand someone without understanding what their job is.”
Think about it: when someone asks you “what do you do?” You innately say a job tile or describe your professional identity. You don’t start with “I’m a father, adventurer, runner, etc.” And, at this point, very few people articulate their hybridity — the intersection points of all of these interests, skill sets and passions.
De Botton goes on to say “in other words, there is real danger of a disconnect between what's on your business card and who you are deep inside, and it’s not a disconnect that the world is ready to be patient with.”
Consider if “your business card title” and your articulated passions and sense of purpose are aligned. Think of how much better you would feel about your work, your process and your creative confidence if this were the case.
When presenting your full value with your hybrid professionalism, you’re presenting a more confident and more full version of yourself.
There is no “one size fits all” solution to anything. (Aside from dipping your fries in a Frosty — that shit’s good for everyone.) Niche, jack of all trades, hybridity — there’s something for everyone.
However, I highly recommend exploring the waters of hybrid professionalism; you might find that you’ve been a hybrid creative this whole time.
If you want to learn more about the concept of hybrid professionals, check out Sarah Beth’s book, More Than My Title.
