The Power of Being a Generalist Designer in 2024

Oluwatobiloba Animasaun at UXDX Community: Driving Success with UX, Generalist Design skills, and an Engineering Culture. Video: https://youtu.be/nmMibHxlQJY

Readable transcript: edited from the recording's captions for readability (fillers and false starts removed, punctuation and section headings added). Wording is the speaker's own. Timestamps are positions in the video. Names marked [?] could not be verified against the audio.

Introduction

[00:00:00] Tobi: Good evening, everyone. It's evening here in Nigeria, where I'm speaking from, and my name is Animasaun [?], but you can call me Tobi for short. It's a very easy way of calling my first name. And I'd like to thank Rory and K [?] for giving me the opportunity to speak at UXDX. This is my first time here, and I would also like to come back, if I'm permitted to.

[00:00:28] Okay, a little bit about myself. I've been given a platform, but why am I given this platform? Why am I here in the first place? As I've said before, my name is goodness [?], and I'm a multidisciplinary designer with three years of experience spanning different creative fields. I've worked in UI/UX, I've worked with branding, illustration, I've worked as a creative director. And also I'm a graduate. I have a BSc in computer science, when arult VOR [?]. Previously, my last employment was at CVHub4Africa, where I worked as a product designer and design tutor for a year, and currently I'm engaged as a product designer and brand designer.

[00:01:13] Having said all this, having gone through these different stages of design, different fields of design, UI/UX design, branding, illustration, creative direction and so many other parts, what does this actually enable me to talk about? What does it give me a platform to talk about? I would really like it if I had a real-time audience, but I'll make do with what I have.

Who this talk is for

[00:01:42] My talk title is unleashing your potential as a generalist designer, and your power as a generalist designer, in 2024. What does that topic mean, and who is my target audience for this talk? I have four different audiences for this talk. I have the specialist designers, the generalist designers, and I also have non-designers, which is different from what the other two speakers have been talking about. I have non-designers in my plan for this talk. And then the fourth category is actually Nigerian designers. I'll give a brief reason why I said that.

[00:02:21] The reason I said Nigerian designers, and my reason for this talk, is because I'm standing as a poacher [?]. I'm standing as a poacher for you: if you want to do design, generalist design is the best way to go. Then also, for Nigerian designers, there's this neglect of African designers generally when you don't have a wide array of skills on a global market. So this has pushed so many Nigerian designers into generalist design. Most Nigerian designers are mostly generalist designers, which is not an issue for me, because it is something I love doing as a generalist designer. But not everyone wants to become a generalist. Some specialize. Some want to do their UI/UX and rest, some want to do their graphic design and rest, some want to do motion design and rest. And I actually don't have any problem with that.

[00:03:22] So what am I talking about today? Unlocking your design potential: the power of generalist designers. Explore the freedom that comes with being a generalist in design. With a wide range of skills, you can easily switch between sectors, industries and work modes. Say you want to work on contract, you want to work full time, you want to work as a freelancer: this gives you the opportunity to be able to work, and you hold the playing cards.

[00:03:51] So what am I trying to talk about today? I said previously in my slide that you need to have a wide range of skills. So what are the skills you need to have? Do you need to have all these skills? Is it really that important to have all the skills for you to become a generalist designer? What industries will these skills enable you to work in? How would these skills help in your job search? And who are some generalist designers? And then I'll show you my own work, so you can see I'm not leading you somewhere I haven't done any work of my own. Let's dive in.

Which skills do you need?

[00:04:27] What skills do you need to have? There's the frenzy that is going on everywhere: UI/UX design, product design. Everyone wants to get into this space, UI/UX, UX/UI, anyone. Brand identity design is another skill. Illustration is another skill. Typography is another skill. Motion design is another skill you need to have. 3D design is another skill you need to have. Graphic design, merch design, photo manipulation, and there are so many other skills. We are going to run through all of this today, and we'll see: do I actually need all these skills to become a generalist designer, or do I need just a little bit of them to become a generalist designer?

[00:05:09] So do you really need to learn all these skills? My answer is definitely no, in the sense that not everyone actually has the mental capability to take on so many skills. Not everyone has the interest in other skills. So it's not like I'm forcing you to be a generalist designer. No. This was going to be an interactive session, interactive session with not [?], but it's actually going to be fun. So let's move forward.

Curiosity as the main ingredient

[00:05:40] You can see on my slides a bunch of newspapers: The Nation, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph and The New York Times. Why am I showing you this? As a generalist designer, one of the main ingredients to have is curiosity. Let me give you a little story about myself so I can dive into this slide.

[00:06:07] I started as a graphic designer, and then I got curious. Curiosity actually brought me into this field. I saw some 3D designs: "Oh wow, I should do something like that. How was that done?" It made me curious, and I started to learn Blender. I saw motion design: "Wow, static designs can actually move. So how is that done?" It brought me into motion design.

[00:06:35] And I'm showing this newspaper page because I actually asked myself the question: why are all newspapers like this? Who was the first person to create a newspaper and make it this way? So curiosity is actually one of the best ways you can become a generalist designer. The Guardian is a UK newspaper, The Nation is a Nigerian newspaper, the Wall Street Journal is in the US, The Telegraph is in India, and The New York Times is also US. But they have almost the same design. So curiosity made me ask: who is the first person that designed this? Why is it like this? Why couldn't it be more colorful? Why could it not be like an H or something like that? So curiosity is actually one of your greatest strengths, and dedication.

A practical example: Tobi with three skills

[00:07:32] So, after all the skills you need to have, UI/UX design, brand design, illustration, typography, motion design, 3D design, graphic design, merch design, photo manipulation, I've answered the question of whether you need to learn all the skills, and I've given the answer of no. So let's make this practical. Tobi is a guy that has three skills: illustration, motion design and graphic design. And he's asking, what industries can I work in? By the time we are close to the end of these slides, you'll be able to answer the question marks on my slides. Firstly, he can work in tech. He can work in tech because he has illustration. But we'll answer these questions at the end.

Tech and fashion

[00:08:32] So what industries can you work in as a generalist designer, and what skills do you need to have in each industry? Tech is the main one in the market right now. Some of the skills you need to have as a tech designer, or probably an in-house generalist designer for a tech company: branding. Companies need logos these days. They need consistent branding of maybe their previous logo. So you definitely have to be proficient in branding for you to work with a tech company as a generalist designer. You have to know how to design a user interface. You have to know how to present your branding, because motion actually enhances branding. It's one of the things that enhances branding. It enhances your logo: logo animation.

[00:09:23] Then illustrations. One of the tech sectors that actually uses illustration more is fintech. They use illustrations of coins, different payments, different types of illustrations, just to depict their payments. So illustration is actually a skill you need to have, and graphic design. If I actually had a live audience, when we're done I would have asked: after me going through all this, which industries do you think Tobi, with only these skills, can actually work in? Well, let's move forward. You can use Illustrator for your illustration, Figma for UI design, After Effects for your motion design. Other software includes Adobe XD, Procreate, ProtoPie and Adobe Premiere Pro.

[00:10:13] Let's move forward. As a generalist designer you can work in fashion, and you have these skills needed. These are necessary skills, not necessarily the only skills needed. We have motion design, illustration or sketching, and 3D design. CLO 3D is a 3D design tool only for fashion designers, for the fashion space. Blender can be used, but Blender is not the main 3D software for the fashion space. So CLO 3D is actually a 3D design software that helps in the cutting and other parts of fashion design. The motion design is After Effects. Procreate for illustration or sketching. Procreate is an Apple iPad app that only works on the Apple iPad at the moment. So for fashion you need motion design, illustration, sketching, and then 3D designs.

Entertainment, packaging, education, press and government

[00:11:12] Let's move forward. As a generalist designer you can work in entertainment or sports. Then you need motion design, illustration, photo manipulation. I'd like us to take note of these skills with regard to Tobi, the guy that has just illustration, motion design and graphic design as his only skills, and the industries and sectors he can actually work in. So in entertainment or sports you need motion design, for which you can use Adobe After Effects. For illustrations you can use Procreate. For photo manipulation we can use Adobe Photoshop. Then other software includes Lightroom, then Adobe Illustrator for your illustration.

[00:11:56] Then a generalist designer can work in the manufacturing or packaging sector, for which you need 3D design to create your mockups from scratch, packaging design, photo manipulation to present mockups, motion design to present mockups in video format, and typography to have on the packaging. And this is the software that you need: Blender. Blender actually works well in this 3D aspect. Compared to fashion, where CLO 3D is the one that works well, Blender works well here for packaging design mockups. Adobe After Effects, then Photoshop.

[00:12:39] Another sector is the education sector. Giving an instance of a graphic designer, or a designer, in a university: he needs graphic design for the social media pages, to increase the visual aesthetics of the page. Merch design, to design maybe basketball jerseys, different jerseys for the school, maybe sweaters and that. Motion design, to present the designs he has made. So you need software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects. Other software includes Lightroom.

[00:13:15] Then press, another sector. Press and advertising: graphic design and motion design. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, and other software includes Illustrator. Then government. In most countries, because there's this frenzy about tech, everyone wants to work in tech, the government sector has actually been neglected. That's why we see sloppy [?] designs coming out from government announcements, coming out from government. But if we as generalist designers can know that we can actually work in so many industries, we would represent the designer community better. So to work in government: graphic design, motion design, and you can do this with After Effects, Illustrator and Photoshop.

[00:14:16] I could have asked this question if I was in real time, but from all those industries I've given, Tobi can work in so many industries, even though he has three design skills: illustration, motion design and graphic design. He can work in tech; illustration is needed. He can work in fashion; illustration and motion design are needed. He can work in entertainment; motion design and illustration are needed. He can work in the manufacturing and packaging sector; motion design is needed. And he can work in the education sector, with graphic design, and in press and government.

How it helps in a job search

[00:15:13] So how does this help in a job search? Companies ask for more. Now we are in 2024, companies ask for more. They demand more of their designers. Even though some companies are asking for so much, for real. They want a graphic designer, and all their requirements and job description state that they actually want a developer that is good in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and they want a UI designer, a motion designer, a 3D designer, just in one person, and a little pay. Even though companies are asking for too much, it's actually necessary these days for you to upskill as a generalist designer.

[00:15:59] So these are some job applications from LinkedIn that show why it's important to be a generalist designer. A senior graphic designer: that's the job title, and it's qu code [?], remote. First, they need the designer to create high-quality, creative, engaging concepts and ideas for the design and execution of visual and communication assets across digital platforms. They need a graphic designer, but they need advanced skills in Figma, Figma AI [?], Blender, After Effects, even though it's optional, and a focus on digital design. So this shows that being a generalist designer is actually what is going on right now, and it helps in job search. It increases the chance of getting a job.

[00:16:51] Another type is where they're asking for a user interface designer. They need interface design, wireframing, prototyping. Graphic design: you need to create icons, graphics and visual elements to enhance the interface and communicate information properly. Responsive design: designs that are responsive and adaptable to different screen sizes and devices. Collaboration: work closely with cross-functional teams, including designers, developers and product managers, to translate user requirements into design solutions.

[00:17:26] They are asking for a junior UI designer, Canonical, remote. It said: have the vital of s of [?], so you know the ins and outs of typography. As I said before, it's a skill you need to learn: typography, color and layout. And care deeply about usability, accessibility and web standards. You should have agency company or freelance design experience. Another example that shows generalist design is actually what's in vogue right now is a visual UI designer. They actually need you to have knowledge of InDesign, Illustrator, Figma and Photoshop.

[00:18:10] Let me give you the last one. Motion design: a motion graphic designer, abone lied [?], Lagos, Nigeria. Animation of design assets, creating animations for UI and web pages, using computer editing software programs, video switching devices, digital video. Bringing static images to life through motion graphics that create 2D and 3D animation. So if a motion designer says, "Okay, I'm just motion, let me just work with 2D," then when this job application is asking for 3D animation, they're actually below the pecking order already.

What being a generalist gives you

[00:19:03] So what does being a generalist designer help you do? It helps you to have better problem-solving skills. Generalist designers are natural problem solvers, because if you've had experience in so many fields of design, it becomes easy for you to become a team lead, and team leads are expected to be problem solvers, and you think outside of the box.

[00:19:29] Consistent branding. When you actually do both the branding and the illustration, or maybe the design of an app and the illustration, you actually know what you want. You illustrate what you want, and then you use it in the UI of the app, if you have the skill of the UI designer and the illustrator. Sometimes you want to work with other designers, and the collaboration is actually very, very good, but sometimes they're not really delivering what you actually want. Whereas if you have an idea in each field, you can communicate well with the illustrator, or you can just illustrate it yourself, to have a consistent visual language across all touch points.

[00:20:08] Then creative freedom. You're not limited by the point of view of a single discipline. As we talked about before, you can work in so many industries. You can experiment freely, blending different styles and techniques to create truly unique designs. This creative freedom leads to innovative solutions that stand out in a crowded job market. As we always say, it makes you stand out in a crowded job market. A better chance of getting a job, as we talked about.

Virgil Abloh as a generalist

[00:20:29] So who is a popular generalist designer? Virgil is one. When you think of Virgil, you think of the former Louis Vuitton creative director, but he's definitely more than that. In addition to his expertise in fashion, he has worked on visual designs in the entertainment industry and the furniture industry. To the extent that he didn't just work in the entertainment industry once. There's a Complex article, Complex is a music blog, that is a history of Virgil Abloh album covers. So he definitely didn't work only in fashion, and definitely didn't work in music just maybe as a side, or something he just did once. I'll share the link on my LinkedIn page after I'm done with the talk.

[00:21:23] He actually worked on different album covers. These are some of the album covers he worked on: Yeezus in 2013, wizard [?] in 2012, and Luv Is Rage [?] in 2017. Then he also worked in the furniture industry. He had a collaboration with IKEA called the Markerad collection. So this is an example of a generalist designer, rest in peace to him, who actually stood out in so many of the things he did, even though he did so many.

My own work

[00:22:00] Okay, so I've told you a lot about other people and how it helps you to stand out in the job market. So is the person speaking to you just speaking from theory, or has he actually done work in different creative fields of design? And the answer is yes. I have worked on illustrations, branding, UI design, merch design, book design, concept design, logo design. And my next slide starts with merch design.

[00:22:37] Bensin [?] is actually a Nigerian Afrobeats artist, and I worked on merch for him, for ver 97 [?], his EP. I worked on the merch design. These are the designs, and then these are them in the mockup, in real time. Then I also worked on a jersey design for the brand Tran wood [?].

[00:23:09] Then I've also worked on illustrations. When Burger King was coming to Nigeria, even though I wasn't commissioned, this was just a personal project, I decided to illustrate the three main tribes in Nigeria, just to show support for them coming to Nigeria. That was last year. So this is an illustration that I did. This is the Fulani tribe, the Hausa tribe, this is the Yoruba tribe, and this is the Igbo tribe.

[00:23:40] And I also worked on a Nigerian Independence Day illustration, which showcases some parts of Nigeria. It shows the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Theatre, Welcome to Abuja, Zuma Rock, the confluence of rivers, River Niger, brainway [?]. This was illustrated by me. This is an illustration for Edge coin. These are illustrations by me that I did for a company called Edge coin, some of the illustrations they needed: coins, Ethereum, safekeeping of their assets. And this is for another brand, a fintech brand that helps with international transfers. Illustrations of different monuments and landmarks of different countries were illustrated by me.

[00:24:35] Also, I've worked on UI design before. I worked on Archive, a cloud storage company, something like Dropbox or iCloud or Google Drive. I worked on the UI design of this. I'll drop the link to my portfolio when I'm done, to check all this and more about them.

[00:25:03] I worked on brand design. I worked on Archive's brand design. Archive is the company I talked about before, the cloud storage company. Then Grand is the one I talked about before, that enables international transfers of money: brand design. Then I worked on a little bit of motion design also, for the presentation of all these brands. What's playing right now is the stickers for the Grand brand, the presentation of those.

[00:26:08] This is a launch video, a little launch video for Archive.

[00:26:42] I also worked on concept design. This was actually a personal project also. I imagined if Netflix and Coca-Cola had a collaboration together: Netflix and Chill, which was just a playful concept design by me. It shows Netflix and Chill with the Coke background, and shows different ways you can take the Coke, and different devices you can watch on: TVs, tablets, mobile phones and laptops. That's a little bit of my concept design. And with this, I would say I've come to the end of my talk. Thank you very much for listening. Any questions will be attended to soon. Thank you very much.

[00:27:33] Host: Great, thank you very much, Tobi, for giving us a history of your experiences there. We are just about out of time, so unfortunately we don't have time for questions. But I just want to thank you once again for sharing your background, your history there. It was quite interesting. We always try to see what's happening in different markets as well, to get more of a global feel, so it gave us a bit more insight into the Nigerian market. So thank you very much for that.

[00:28:06] Tobi: Yeah, thank you very much.