When I first started doing any type of graphics whatsoever, it was to get attention on Xanga. And as funny as that sounds, it's not so odd. I bet lots of people first started out for similar, but still technically different reasons.

Although I never really acquired any decent exposure on Xanga, when I discovered createblog, I started designing to improve myself (and possibly the reasoning behind that was to get attention).

Now, however-- and I've just come to realize this-- I design for two main reasons: because it's fun to design things that no one has ever seen before (and sometimes have requested) and because I want to maybe have a career in this. Pleasure and profession. I think those are very much good reasons to design, and my portfolio (on deviantart.com) has been increasing over the past couple of months, since I've found a new passion in it.


Okay, I'm done ranting... the real reason I made this topic was because I really wanted to know why you all design. What is it that makes you want to make things on the computer (or in other media) and also why do you post on createblog and other places?

Use brevity or depth in your answers. Either is fine.

So that I won't have to rely on others to make graphics that I like, and what I design will come out exactly the way I want it.

i do it because i live in NY... and the demand for designers are high... Photographers... but i want to do that on the side
its fun.....stressful when doing it as a project... but its all i do now... and seeing other people do it as well helps to improve you in many ways

That's a great reason, I hadn't even thought of that.



Really? I really need to move to NY then...

This is definitely one of my reasons. I absolutely HATE using someone elses work for my crap, idk why.. I just do.

The reason I started out was because I loved how others Xangas looked, and I wanted mine to look spiffy too. I do it now just for fun, It's definitely a hobby of mine. But yeah, I think thats about it.

I used to do it because it relaxes me, but not anymore. Designing is a source of stress. Clients, deadlines, pitches, presentations, legal and billing, getting into the mind of clients, ARE STRESSING.

So now I just do it because I can't quit. And I do love the money.
Last week I got hell from a client through a conference call (can't say who, but it's a prominent Australian company in the suring industry) because my 3 design pitches for their boards didn't quite show the concept. It pissed me off BUT at the end of the day I get $900 in my pocket just buy doing some crap on Illustrator.

I never ever designed anything for Xanga, MySpace, Livejournal, etc and I don't intend to start, ever. I don't know why, but I think it would be a waste of my time and resources.

I don't want this to be a profession. Hell no. So all in all, I design for the satisfaction and the money.

Because I find it interesting to work my ideas onto the computer. I also found myself disappointed with what other people make available for the public, and I didn't want to use those. I wanted to make my own and call it mine with my name on it, not someone else's. So I guess I learned, and I really find it interesting.

i was actually just talking to mark about this last night. I started designing because no one had good xanga skins that i liked to use so i taught my self. When myspace kinda blew up i started designing myspace stuff to see how many friends i could get after the first 50,000 friends or so i got bored with that. Now i design to see what people think, to push my creativity to the limit, and most of all to improve. Also it helps me vent if i have ad a hard day

As some other people said i really don't plan on persuing a career in designing i just do it in my spare time now and to get paid

i design things because it's my way to express myself and my emotion =)

Hmm, why do I design things? Well, I guess I started out doing it to impress my friends and all. But now I think I design to express myself, to provide some layouts for people, to use this precious talent (), and also to kill time when I'm bored. Not totally sure though, but I'm glad I know how to design.

tancie?! your alive on here haha



i agree that gets me so mad when i have to use other people's stuff as i said before thats the reason i started designing

I first did it because I wanted to make myself trippy xanga layouts - & didn't want to use others. I just wanted to make things for myself.. then I realized I had a passion for it [like the topic-starter] & started to design 24/7. I do it now because it frees my mind and I can do whatever I want to express myself. I also plan to major in graphic design, so yeahhhh :P

Same! Well, I'm not sure .. maybe I'll major in graphic design or like, physical art. o_o

i wonder by tancie do you mean TRANCIE?!? O_o



physical art? you mean Fine art? LOL! unless ur talkin about TKD.

my bad

I do most of my work for my band and for some friends. I don't spend alot of time making my own stuff (you'd understand if you've seen my layouts haha). I just love it, i'm good at it! As of this point im not spending alot of time doing anything because i don't have to. Next year i'm going to college for visual communications (graphic + webpage design) and will be doing a **** load of it. I know personally that my brother does a TON of it. He's going to the ohio state university design school and has a big job doing vc work for companies, but his passion is in other forms of design, so the main reason he does it is for work, and he's good at it too!

i used to never go no where and stuff now i do but then
i used to look up stuff and lsaw different styles and stuff
so i got into it and now i just do it
because on myspace people love me and beegg me to make em layouts but i say nahh but its fun too

I did because i saw how people could do cool layouts for myspace. So i taught myself to use photoshop.

In Xanga, I would see people with all these cool layouts, and I taught myself.
But I do it for a stress-reliever
I just love seeing the colors and designs of layouts because they come out so beautiful in every little way

I do it because it's fun and I always thought of majoring in graphic design.
I progressed from neopets guild layouts (lol) -> xanga -> website (stopped doing that now since i don't have a lot of time on my hands like that anymore) -> myspace.

It's also a good time waster too. I just like to be creative (=

Well it's always good to start somewhere!
even if it is... neopets LMAO

i do it because its fun. i've lately been venturing out of designing layouts and into more artistic digital art.