What It's Like To Be a Designer in Quarantine

I feel like I have to acknowledge my privilege before I go on with this entry. Under different circumstances, I probably wouldn’t even have the luxury of writing about my quarantine experience. However, I do live under my parents’ roof, which allows me to pursue projects and continue to work from the safety of my home.

Now that that’s out the way, let’s talk about what it’s like to be a designer during quarantine. I mainly work as a graphic designer and visual artist. I create visual identities, packaging designs, and marketing campaigns for brands. As a designer, my goal is to put out work that can add value to people’s lives. I fell in love with this field of design because of all the research it involved– all carefully thought of to create something meaningful for people. 

In my spare time, I illustrate architecture and food to explore how cultures affect these. Illustrating architecture is a way for me to reminisce about my initial career path as an architect. As a big foodie, I’m a big believer in experiencing foreign culture through its food, which I wanted to show in my works.

It’s been relatively good for the most part– our work as graphic designers is suited for the work-at-home-arrangement. I feel incredibly blessed to have a healthy stream of projects coming in, which keeps me busy during this uncertain time.

Moreso, it allowed me to focus on creating more content for my social media. As people become more active online, I made sure I post more frequently to get more visibility for the work that I’m doing.

This helps with a number of things– most importantly connects me to more clients. My initial clients were friends who saw my work online and referred me to others in the future. The more consistent and accessible you are to a wide customer base, the chances are you attract clients that are in line with your design preferences.

Aside from working freelance, I focused my time on pursuing some passion projects I didn’t have enough time for in the past like painting. For me, painting wasn’t something I thought about pursuing professionally until I took a course abroad that showed me it had so much to offer. Painting was something for me to pour my emotions in and release any stress– to have the creative freedom to express myself without thinking of any design rules. I started painting in quarantine because I missed the outdoors– the beach, the mountains, which I used as inspiration to fuel my work. Getting lost in my paintings reminded me I can still experience nature through art.

Despite having an abundance of time, I still needed to have some sort of routine to keep a work-life balance while in quarantine. By having a clear schedule of when I have to work, I got to think more clearly and become more focused. It allows me to become more productive during my designated work hours and enjoy my leisure time working on my own projects.

I am very fortunate enough to have colleagues who appreciate my art and offer me commissions. But with such a physical medium, I constantly needed to source out materials. It did take quite a bit of adjustment since I had to transition to online shopping for materials. It was hard for me not to visualize the materials I needed because this lockdown has affected many stores. It pushed me to reach out to small business owners and form meaningful bonds with them through genuine conversation.

Talking to people showed me how important it is to listen and communicate with others. This simple gesture can offer the support the person needs, and we all need a little bit of comfort these days.

Now, given all that, here are three things I’d like to part with:

1. Slow Down: take this opportunity to take a break, reevaluate your goals, and set some steps on how to achieve it. You don’t need to accomplish anything now but it’s good to have a sense of direction as to where you’re headed after all this is over.

2. Remain Consistent: it doesn’t matter how many likes or followers you have on social media. The right people will find you and appreciate your work, be patient and be persistent.

3. Support Local: now more than ever, our fellow Filipinos need us to support their businesses and uplift them from this hardship. It’s not a big ask, given we have plenty of high-quality local goods that are yet to be discovered.

I’m not going to discount the fact that these past few months have been hard with everything so uncertain. I don’t think you need me to pressure you into becoming someone accomplished while on lockdown. Instead, take this time to hone your craft and skills and enjoy the process. Use this opportunity to explore what you like and what resonates with you. Remember, slow progress is still progress.

Written by: Christine Dy