When they give you a meager salary but expect you to do an overwhelming amount of work, it's no wonder people want to escape the industry. Hello, I'm designer Woo Gang-sik. I've heard a lot about this topic as well. I've come across comments in design-related communities and on social media suggesting things like Do design as a hobby and work in another field or This industry is hopeless. 

First, the idea of wanting to escape the design industry essentially means wanting to quit design work. To simplify this a bit, let's separate design from work. People have various reasons for wanting to leave their jobs, but if we set aside personal reasons like health issues or harassment from a boss, the most fundamental reasons people quit are low salaries, high workloads, and the stress that comes from work. I believe these three are the main factors.

Design is ultimately a job, and there are people who want to quit design work. They often express this because they are experiencing three main issues: low salaries, high workloads, and significant stress from their jobs. I believe these factors are the reasons behind their complaints. Yes, salaries are low, the workload is heavy, and the stress from work is high. I think this is one of the chronic problems in the design industry. Many companies still have a low perception of the value of design. For example, in a broadcasting company, broadcasting is seen as the main focus, while design is considered a secondary aspect. In a computer company, the performance of the computer takes precedence, and design is viewed as an ancillary concern. In difficult economic situations, companies tend to cut costs first in areas like marketing and design.

You can see that the recognition of the value of design is low. However, even for me, a computer with good performance is more appealing than one with good design. I think the fact that there are many designers these days contributes to this situation. In our country alone, around 10,000 to 20,000 designers graduate each year. With so much supply compared to demand, there is inevitably price competition. As the number of freelancers and outsourced designers increases, it has become possible to get design work done at lower costs. Companies, unfortunately, have to engage in price competition, which puts them in a situation where they want to raise their employees' salaries but cannot. It's obvious, but when I was a newcomer, my salary was much lower than it is now. Currently, the average salary in the industry is in the late 20 million won range, while I started with just 18 million won.

When I was a newcomer, this job was so difficult that I even considered giving up and doing something else. However, once I got through that tough phase, I found the work of design to be incredibly enjoyable. As I continued to have fun with it, people around me also started to appreciate my work, and before I knew it, I had been doing this for nearly 15 years. Of course, now I earn significantly more than the average salary for someone my age, so I’m not in a situation where I continue working despite a low salary. 

If a designer thinks they can plan and finish their work exactly as they want, the workload is definitely not excessive. However, designers are ultimately working for money, and they must create designs that meet the preferences of the paying clients. You’ve probably heard the saying that design is subjective, right? It means that everyone has different tastes. The person paying often asks for things to be done according to their own preferences and requests new ideas.

If you start making revisions just because you don't like something, the workload will gradually become overwhelming. This is something I could answer very simply, but if the person paying wants something specific or if you do such a good job that they don't request any changes, then everything will be fine. For example, imagine a customer goes to a restaurant and orders meat. If they are served tender and delicious meat, they will enjoy it and leave satisfied. However, if the meat is tough or dry, they will demand it be cooked again, questioning whether this is really meat, and ask to speak to the manager, which creates a lot of additional work. I think it's similar to that. Delivering results that satisfy the client is the most certain way to reduce workload. However, even if you serve delicious meat, if you encounter a difficult customer, then it becomes a problem associated with workload. If you fail to accurately grasp what the client wants and start working on the project, then...

As the snowball rolls, it eventually becomes an overwhelming stress that is hard to manage. When the company president feels stressed by the client, that stress inevitably transfers to the employees. However, employees usually experience stress coming down from above. The company president faces stress from the client above and from employees trying to reduce their workload below. The solution is to ensure that the person paying is satisfied with the work being done. This way, everyone can avoid stress, and the project can be completed successfully. Over the past 15 years, I’ve discovered something interesting. I mentioned earlier about a customer coming in to order meat. If we take the same example, when a customer orders meat and we serve high-quality, delicious meat, the customer leaves satisfied. But if we serve tough and dry meat, the customer will wonder, Is this really meat?

Call the boss back and have them grill it again. 

As I mentioned, the work becomes complicated and overwhelming. However, the customer ordered meat, but today we received exceptionally fresh sashimi. So when I suggested to the customer that the sashimi would be delicious today, if they said they didn't want it, there was nothing I could do. But sometimes they say, Okay, let me try it. When they taste the sashimi, it’s truly delicious, and the customer leaves extremely satisfied. 

The reason I share this story is to highlight that if the quality is so good that it completely disregards the client's design preferences, the client will naturally be satisfied. And when the client is satisfied, it reduces the stress we experience. Being in this industry, it makes one think about escaping it, right? Ultimately, this means that we are talking about designers or those preparing to become designers.

I believe that, aside from those who are experiencing personal issues, many designers are stressed due to these three problems. For those struggling with personal issues, it seems that even a one-hour video might not be enough to provide adequate answers, so I will set that aside and focus on offering realistic solutions to the three fundamental issues I mentioned. 

Why do I call them realistic solutions? Because we cannot directly resolve these chronic problems, but I want to provide answers that can help us overcome them. 

First, regarding low salaries, if you work hard and achieve a performance level above a certain standard, you can earn more money than your peers around you. Next, the issue of high workloads.

If you work hard in this area and manage to produce quality that satisfies clients, your workload will definitely start to decrease. I experience a lot of stress due to work, but similarly, as the quality improves, the stress will naturally decrease. Ultimately, if you perform well, you might end up in the top 10%. I'm not sure about that, but if I were in that situation right now, it would be because of the efforts I have put in, as I mentioned earlier. When I first entered society, I was in the bottom 90%. When I moved to Seoul and someone asked about my school, I would have to mention my little-known provincial university at least twice. I started with an annual salary of 1,800 at a small company with only two employees. So, if I've moved from the bottom 90% to the top 10%, I think I have the right to say this.

When I first started this job, I thought I could never work in this industry, and it was so difficult that I even considered quitting and going back to my hometown to do something else. Now, I can clearly say that if you develop your skills as a designer and start to perform at a certain level, you can overcome the pervasive issues in this industry, much like the chronic problems I've mentioned. Of course, if you are considering leaving this job due to personal difficulties or circumstances, you should reflect on whether the reasons for wanting to quit come from within yourself or are caused by external factors. If you believe the reasons are internal, it might be worth seriously considering leaving the industry. If you think the reasons are external, then...

Changing jobs or trying to alter your work environment might be helpful. Today, we've discussed some rather heavy topics. If you subscribe to the channel, you will not miss out on more beneficial and helpful discussions. Well then, that's it for today!

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