Why Work as an In-House Designer?

Why Work as an In-House Designer?
There are many advantages to working as an in-house designer:

• The in-house designer is usually provided with increased opportunities and benefits as an employee of a larger organization.
• The values of the organization can be inspirational, offering the designer a real sense of community and fulfillment.
• Working for a larger organization provides a sense of prestige and pride, especially if the designer plays a real part in creating the public face of the group
• As an employee (as opposed to owning your own company), the in-house designer is likely to enjoy more structure, a regular paycheck, and a more predictable schedule. (Many in-house designers report that this is less and less true today however, as companies downsize and try to squeeze more and more work out of fewer and fewer employees.)
• The in-house designer is able to develop a more focused specialization/subject expertise.
  An in-house designer, if utilized properly, is often more cost-effective for the employer.
• The constant attention provided by an in-house creative or team benefits the larger organization by building and maintaining a consistent message.
• The designer has a vested interest in the long-term success of the organization.
• There is no need to constantly be out beating the bushes for more work, as independent design firms must do to stay afloat.
• The in-house designer is likely to have more long-term friendships and beneficial business relationships as the result of his or her extended contact with the organization

Likely, you may think of other advantages that are specific to your situation. But there is no debating that there are many benefits to working as an in-house designer, to you and the organization. Of course, there are cons as well:

• Even though the organization hired you, it may not perceive that it needs help, change, or even design at all. It may confuse simple production issues with actual design.
• The organization’s structure often causes the wheels of change to move very slowly.
  The organization’s efficiencies often work against creativity—as in, “Just change the date/color/ headline and run it again.”
• The in-house designer can outgrow the challenges of the organization and become frustrated or burnt out.
• In-house creatives are often pulled in many different directions simultaneously.
  While you wouldn’t dream of storming into the accounting department to suggest a new payroll plan or telling the shipping department about how you think they should package goods, it’s likely that everyone in your organization has an opinion about design and is happy to share it with you.
• The organization’s product, service, or overall philosophy may be dry, conservative, or otherwise challenging creatively.
• While the in-house designer doesn’t have to constantly be out in search of new business, he or she does almost constantly have to “sell” ideas to co-workers. And sometimes, of course, the sale is not made