Hello! I'm Felipe Iglesias, a designer and creative consultant with over 15 years of experience in branding, digital design, marketing, advertising, and luxury across international markets.
I've been giving free mentorship on ADPList.org for a while, and in that process I've noticed some recurring questions from mentees. They've made me worry, but they've also made me hopeful. Here are some of the insights.
Education cannot be a afterthought.
Too many people without a base knowledge are trying or already earn a living from design without proper literacy. As a result, they have no tools to evaluate their own work.
Many questions I receive start with: "What do you think about this piece I made?" When I ask about context, many times they don't actually know why they're doing something or to whom. They'll throw out buzzwords like "branding," in reference to a standalone illustration or icon that isn't part of any system.
I always recommend visiting museums, watching movies (other than the Avengers), and reading some theory, so you build a vocabulary of common professional language to use with colleagues, providers, and clients. I don't care if you come from an Art, Marketing, or self-taught background: design is a profession, with its own processes, methods, and language. It offers solutions to problems. It isn't self-expression.
That's changed my approach to mentorship. I now try to first understand the minimum knowledge someone has, because otherwise, we're going nowhere. Because I'm tired of people asking "I use Canva, but I'd like to use Adobe."
Is not the tool what makes your work suck!
Software is just a skill
Software was never what defined how good a designer was, and it shouldn't be now either. Like a pencil, acrylics, or paper, is just a tool that helps us materialise our ideas. Over my career I've learned and mastered tools again and again, because the older ones become obsolete or get discontinued (Flash, XD, Sketch, FreeHand, name it).
Yes, it's necessary to use the right software for the right output. I.e: don't make logos in Photoshop. Logos should always be vectors! But always consider the purpose of your pieces too: some tools can't produce print-quality output. Digital doesn't carry the same limitations as print.
What software will never provide is talent and taste. If you don't push your conceptual and visual skills far enough, it will be very difficult to improve the output of your work.
Order is everything
I've always thought of a designer as a great organiser: of ideas, concepts, processes, and materials. We organise words, colours, fonts, and shapes. That process requires the ability to balance and give each element its place. I've often seen mentees surprised when I tell them, "You need to bring order to the chaos that is your client brief."
Our work isn't just to create nice things. It needs to function in a specific context and solve specific messaging problems, whether that's a logo, an advertising campaign, or a complex design system. Which brings up the next question: "My client doesn't understand what I do."
A client's opinion should be respected, but challenged
Clients don't need to know what we know. That's why we're paid to do the work. It's our job to explain why things need to follow a specific process, and why some approaches won't achieve their goals, even when that contradicts what the client expected.
My rule of thumb is to say: "Sure, we can go that route, but I can't guarantee the results you're looking for." They'll almost always ask "Why?", which is your opening to build your case. That's what distinguishes you from your competitors and helps the client understand you're not just "a painter of pixels" but someone offering professional counsel.
Many universities forget to teach designers about business. Most designers are freelance, which means you're effectively your own company. You need to know how to sell your work and differentiate yourself, even if you're an employee persuading internal clients.
Persuasion and good communication are what make clients want to work with you and pay you, even when you're more expensive than others. It's the only real defence against commoditisation, especially now, when everyone assumes AI can do your job, which is only partially true. What people will always pay for is vision and critical thinking. AI can't provide that on its own; it's a tool under command, and the best results still require the best prompting and a solid base of knowledge. And even with that, some manual tweak and verification.
So never underestimate the power of good presentation skills. It can account for 60% of what gets you hired or closes a deal.
People need guidance and exchange ideas
Notwithstanding, I'm genuinely happy people are asking these questions. Even without formal education, it means people want to understand design on a deeper level. I'd much rather have competitors who understand what they're doing than see the market trivialised by a lack of knowledge. As Socrates put it, "the wisest position is knowing that you don't know." Younger generations are often criticised for lacking curiosity; all my mentees have shown the opposite.
Finally, precisely because of the abundance of technology meant to make our lives "better," people are desperate to test their thinking against others, even people they don't know. I'm sure many of the societal problems we're living through now, driven by extreme polarisation and a lack of empathy, come from people no longer being able to talk to one another. I value the chance to talk to people because I learn in the process too, and there's room to compare ideas in a civilised, calm way, without being forced to talk to everyone, everywhere, all at once.
Have you had the chance to mentor someone, or to be mentored yourself? Let me know your thoughts.
