A Creative Life

The daily schedule that keeps me moving

Life Of An Adelaide Web Designer

Working as a web designer in Adelaide is both challenging and fulfilling. The constant need to stay up-to-date, combined with the satisfaction of creating something beautiful or providing an important tool for people to use, makes this job so interesting. 

If you are wondering whether our creative studio is a good fit for you, thinking about becoming a web designer or just curious about what it’s like working in this field, here is a day in the life of an Adelaide web designer.
 

Working in web design in Adelaide is not your typical 9-to-5 desk job. Every day is different and always exciting, challenging and inspiring. But not all designers lead the glamorous life that you may think from looking at Instagram. There are tough days, long hours and so much stress on details. But for me it’s something I love so much that I can’t imagine doing anything else right now. 

Explore the life

“… a great way to challenge myself and expand my skills and knowledge.”

6:00 AM – Wake up and go for a run
Working in a creative industry, it’s very important to keep your mind and body healthy. So I’ll start my day with a run. This helps me clear my mind and focus on the day ahead.

7:00 AM – Breakfast and coffee
When I’ve finished my run and I’m ready for the day, I’ll head to a cafe nearby for breakfast with my partner. We discuss what we’re doing for the day and what’s coming up in the week ahead. 

8:00 AM – Commute to work. We’re on the city fringe and parking is plentiful.
During the week the commute is about 15 minutes and we have great parking. Sometimes it feels like a walk in the park because I love listening to music and podcasts on my drive to work. When I arrive at the design studio, I check my to do list and then try to get some serious work done before too many people arrive and the phone starts ringing. Then I take off my headphones because it’s a great time to communicate with website development team members, answer emails and make coffee.

9:03 AM – Morning standup and know the plan for the team for the day
Once the team is together we have a standup meeting. This is when we let each other know what they are working on for the day and the team’s focus for the week. I usually get creative ideas for the projects I’m working on. Once my team is done, I know what the plan is for the day, which means I can focus on my own tasks.

9:20 AM – Create design concepts for a new website, then review a logo redesign
I love designing new websites and sometimes I contribute to graphic designs. This could be anything from designing the look and feel of a web page, coming up with a colour scheme or something more advanced like creating a micro-interaction. This is a great way to challenge myself and expand my skills and knowledge.

12:00 AM – Lunch break (most days)
Lunchtime! This is when I’ll grab a bite to eat with the team. We like to have a quick catch up over lunch and talk about other topics in our lives. This is a great way to de-stress and let go of work, while staying productive with work.

1:00 PM – Client meeting. Discuss strategy.
Now it’s time to meet a client. We like face-to-face but we also use Teams. It’s such a good way to have a virtual meeting and collaborate. After the meeting, I’ll change my thinking away from “business” and let the creative juices flow. This is a time when I get great work done!

3:00 PM – Quick manager catch up. Last coffee for the day. Approve artwork. Get stuff done!
This is a quick catch up with my boss and it happens spontaneously somewhere in the last hour or two of the day. We’ll look over what I’ve created so far, talk about any roadblocks I’m having, or it might just be a nice chat about a new restaurant if stress levels are high. Sometimes, if we have time, he’ll update me about other projects and the company’s strategy for the future. Then I’ll get back to work and approve web design artwork we’re working on. On this particular day, I cast forward to tomorrow and start thinking and sketching a new user interface design.

5 PM – Anything could happen. Work on to achieve an important deadline. Attend a networking event with other staff.
At 5pm, anything could happen. It could be that I’m working towards hitting an important deadline or closing out the day and wrapping up anything I’ve been working on. The time flies by! Some days I leave at 5pm but often I don’t because I don’t really like the 9-5 mentality and I also like the flexibility I have in this position, so I make sure I’m doing the right thing by the company. Sometimes we head out for a social drink as a team, or attend a function on behalf of the studio.

Conclusion
Working as a web designer can be a challenging profession. It can also be very rewarding and exciting, but you have to be prepared to put in the hours, work hard and remain focused on the job at hand. There are many things to consider when designing a website. Although designing is only one part of the process, it’s an important one. With the right design, your website can convert visitors into customers. With the wrong design, your website may not be relevant to your target audience and won’t achieve the results you’re after. Personally, I think that’s important.

“… a great way to challenge myself and expand my skills and knowledge.”