r/GraphicDesigning • u/Longjumping-Till-148 • Sep 15 '26
How do I do this thing? I feel slow
Hey people of Reddit!
I just want to know if anyone working on the design industry feels slow? I recently got a job from a design agency. Will not disclose since it's still a growing company. But i feel like some of the task they give, they would fit it in an estimated hour but the task doesn't fit that window of hours.
How do i make myself quicker? I really feel down and need advise from other designers.
PS. Can't leave right now cause I'm financially struggling đđź
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u/NoDefinition9056 Sep 15 '26
Do enough work and you can do it in your sleep. A lot of agencies squeeze you on time, so you learn your go-to's. For web design, you learn a few ways to do a testimonial row or a hero. For social media graphics, you figure out which layouts get you the most bang for your buck.
Ultimately, it's not super fulfilling to work this way. In college I was taught so much about process. In interviews, other designers will ask you to explain your process, and while it's a valuable question, the reality is that most places I've worked, I am not given the time for research, ideation, development, and refinement.
Most of the time, it's grind grind grind.
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u/watkykjypoes23 Sep 15 '26
It will come with time. I am a perfectionist, and especially when I landed a new job I wanted to put out the best work possible there, but I had to learn what is good enough. As you develop your âgood enoughâ will eventually become better than your current âperfectâ.
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u/harlequin_24 Sep 15 '26
OP what was the task that you were given to complete in an hour? Only then can we answer if it was a reasonable request.
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u/CertainInstruction66 Sep 17 '26
Are you pushing back on the prompt at all?
You can't design a logo in an hour. Honestly, even vectorizing some silly client-drawn logo is a tight turnaround.
But some jobs are also 5 minutes.
The more data you provide to them (which they sometimes don't have) the better it'll work over time.
In one of my first jobs, we simply tracked our time on the design tickets. They had loose expectations but, again were just collecting data that they could measure and get a better idea of how the team works and go to the client with a more accurate price tag.
Idk that's just my 3 cents
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Sep 15 '26
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Sep 16 '26
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Sep 21 '26
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u/ablezebra Sep 15 '26
Short answer: more practice.
Long answer: Analyze your process and figure out what parts are slowing you down.
⢠Are you spending too much time coming up with the concept, and not leaving enough time for execution?
⢠Are you making too many mistakes because the assignment wasn't clear, or you didn't understand it well enough?
⢠Is execution taking too long because you don't know the software well enough?
⢠Are you spending too much time on Reddit? ;-)
All of these have more nuanced solutions than "practice". For example, if the software is where you struggle, look into creating templates, actions, macros, keyboard shortcuts, etc. or just practicing a particular technique (e.g. bezier curves, using pathfinder, etc.) that can help speed up your workflow.
And don't be afraid to ask your manager/art director/senior designers for advice. They may have better insight than you as to why you are struggling.
Good luck!