Young designers get 10% made. An experienced designer gets 30% if you are lucky.

If you're starting off in design and working at a company, you should expect that on a good day, maybe 10% of your work will see the light of day. It sounds a bit foolish, but it's a reality I've observed in myself and other designers. On a good day, if everything works out perfectly, maybe 30% of a senior designer's work will see the light of day, and that's the best-case scenario.

People don't realize how much work is left on the cutting room floor. A lot of it doesn't make it for good reasons, and I totally get that. But our public institutions of learning and platforms like Instagram don't show the full picture. Sure, the guy making art by hand in front of a beautiful window in Park Slope is showing you a manicured, idealized version of the process. In reality, it's entirely different. There are countless things you don't see, and that's okay.

I apply this logic everywhere. When I hire someone, especially if they're just starting out, I don't count on them at all initially. If I don't have a history with you, if I don't know your working style or how you execute, how can I count on you to deliver value to our customers? It's dumb to assume otherwise. So, I treat it as it should be: more freeform. I want you to show me how you work, constantly execute, and try different things. I want to see what you're capable of, and the only way to do that is to give you the freedom to explore, away from the pressure of delivering value to customers right off the bat.

If push came to shove, I'd say 50% of my work on a good day sees the light of day. I want to encourage people to produce. You have to keep at it and be bold with your creations.

In this industry, much effort and creativity never reaches the public eye. It's not a failure; it's part of the process. Understanding this is liberating.

Steve Berry
Principal, Thought Merchants