The unspecific advice I would give to people is that your first job right out of school is extremely important, and it is not the time in your career to start compromising. Stick to your guns and do what you really want to do. There will be time later in your career to evaluate if you’re making enough money or being creatively challenged or what have you—but you’ll learn much more about what you want by going after your first choice. Rob Giampietro.

… although it’s more about growth and curiosity rather than advancement or progress. I need to grow as a designer, and in order to do that, I need to be multifaceted. There’s a tremendous fear that any artist or creative person feels. You have to make decisions in your life about what you can tolerate and what you can’t. I’ve found a good balance, and I’ve been happy to make changes in my career when I recognize the need for them. Rob Giampietro.

Each time I left studios I was deeply involved with, whether as a cofounder or partner, it was difficult and scary. It’s much easier to continue what you’re already doing rather than disrupt it and change. But something deep within me notices when I’m stagnating, and that voice lets me know when I need to find new challenges. Rob Giampietro.

… if you want to be successful and make a real contribution to the world, you have to be intrinsically motivated by the work you do, and you have to feel good about spending your days on it. Love might grow — and it’s a wonderful thing if it does — but you don’t need it up front. You can succeed just by wanting something to exist that doesn’t already. Jason Fried.

With Latin type, it all goes back to Roman lettering, Roman stone inscriptions, … This was an early form of global branding. You can’t keep an empire that size with military force alone. You have to have branding! Bruno Maag.

… on the market now you can really see fonts that are designed using many new tools; various inline, shadow and gradient fonts. This trend will stop at some point very soon, as it will become overused, but for now designers are keen to create these effects, because it is very easy to make nice, new things. Nikola Djurek.

A typeface has a different role to that of a logo, the combination of characters has to be harmonious and there needs to be enough versatility in order to allow dynamic use of the font. Rob Gonzales.

A typeface has a different role to that of a logo, the combination of characters has to be harmonious and there needs to be enough versatility in order to allow dynamic use of the font. Jonathan Quainton.

Deciding to become a full-time freelancer was definitely risky. Not only did I abandon a steady job and a comfortable salary, but I moved across the country to a city where I didn’t know anybody. I was living off a small savings and had very few clients, so it felt like a huge risk to start freelancing so abruptly. The first few months were rough, but I wanted to prove—not only to myself—but everyone back home that I could do it. I remember eating ramen while talking to my mom on the phone, like, «I’m doing great! I’m working on logos and stuff,» and I was actually working on my own logo. But if there’s one place to be when you’re a poor freelancer, it’s Portland. Mary Kate McDevitt.

You and your team are professionals who spend dozens of hours each week becoming experts on your clients’ industries, learning best practices and honing skills you’ve spent decades building. Your clients are paying you, your advice and expertise, and if they’re not accepting it, they’re wasting your time and their money. They won’t get the results they want and you’ll spend time on projects that are against your best practices. Why spend time doing work that is less than your best?

As a professional, you can only be helping out one client at any moment of the day, and since you never get to live the same day twice, you’re giving away something more valuable by persisting with a client who doesn’t take your advice.

Geoff Mcqueen.