New to the design world? Maybe you’re an established designer who can’t get a date. These tips are for you.
It’s Valentine’s Day, the time when love is in the air and restaurant prices go up by at least 25%. If you’re single, it can be a difficult day to get through, but perhaps you’ve had a plan all along. Maybe you’ve had your eye on a designer and you’ve been trying to work out the best way to grab their attention or maybe you think they’ll make the best kind of partner.
Well, if you were looking for help in nabbing a designer on the most romantic day of the year, then you’ve come to the right place. It can be tricky to grab the attention of designers – they’re usually obsessing over the best fonts to use or the latest InDesign tutorials – so we’ve come up with a few foolproof ways to catch their eye.
Below, with a wink and a nudge, we present a few ways you can get a designer to date you, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
01. Hang out at coffee shops
Want to find a designer? Head to a coffee shop
It’s a known fact that designers live off coffee. But let’s get one thing straight here, they don’t drink just any coffee. No, no! They have to drink the best kind of coffee, so you can expect to find them at some of the hippest coffee joints around town. Your best bet is to get there mid-morning and order straight-up black coffee; designers don’t like anything too adventurous when it comes to their caffeine hit.
02. Never ask them to work for free
Okay, this is a big one. Need help making a poster for a jumble sale you’re holding? Want to make some cute birthday party invitations? Don’t ask the designer you’re after to help you out for free. Y’see, they get asked to do this all the time for 'exposure' so even if you’re super nice about it, chances are they implode on the spot. Who will you take out for Valentine’s Day dinner then?!
03. Swot up on designer lingo
Now you don’t need to become an expert in designer jargon to get their attention but if you’re really keen on impressing your designer beau, knowing a few terms here and there could really impress them. Starting with some key terms like ‘vector’ and ‘CMYK’ will mean that you won’t be stuck for conversation once they bring up some work-orientated chat.
04. Offer a shoulder to cry on when their favourite program crashes again
Avoid phrases like "You did save it though, right?"
Designers use a lot of different apps, programming and creative suites and they tend to use them every day. While these programmes are mostly wonderful and reliable, they can sometimes crash right in the middle of an important session. This is infuriating for just about anyone but designers have a very specific way of ranting – mainly shouting into the void on Twitter. Be sure to be there with a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.
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05. Agree with all their design outbursts
Continuing on with mood swings, designers can be a little tetchy when it comes to design in the world around them. You could be walking down the street with not a care in the world and your designer crush could spot some bad kerning on a shop front. This could likely lead to a 20 minute rant, so be prepared to nod along enthusiastically.
06. Follow some well-known designers on Instagram/Twitter
Many couples have met through a shared love of Jessica Walsh
If you’re on social media – and already friends or followed by your designer crush – a good tactic is to follow some graphic designers on Instagram or design gurus on Twitter. Your crush will see your likes and RTs and chances are they’ll be impressed with your interest in their field; it could even come in handy when you need a topic of conversation to get you started during your date.
07. Eat or drink things based purely on branding
Maybe you work with your designer crush and sometimes find yourselves eating at your desks during your lunch breaks. Toss away your usual foil-covered homemade sandwich and branch out with some beautifully branded food and drink. You may end up eating some particularly strange things but the packaging design may catch their eye and next time you could be eating lunch together.
08. Get them something cool for their desk
You can never have too many desk toys – just ask Tim Easley
If you’re looking for a gift to impress the designer you’ve got your eye on, you can always give them a design toy for their desk. It’s a known fact that designers spend a lot of time at their desk, so by gifting them something small, it not only shows you care but they’ll think of you every time they look at it. They’ll be falling in love with you in no time.
09. Become a night owl
Designers are almost always working against a deadline, which means long working hours that often lead well into the night. Be prepared to switch up your sleeping patterns if you want to bag a date – be warned though, it may end up being a 2am trip to the local takeaway!
10. Take a date to them
You will always come a distant second to work if you date a designer…
You may have already bagged a date with your designer but it can be hard to lock down an actual day. Perhaps they’ve received a last minute commission or their programme keeps crashing, so they keep having to work overtime. Take the stress of leaving their desk away and bring the date to them. Beers and burritos are a sure win – just make sure they have some nice packaging.
Sammy Maine was a founding member of the Creative Bloq team way back in the early 2010s, working as a Commissioning Editor. Her interests cover graphic design in music and film, illustration and animation. Since departing, Sammy has written for The Guardian, VICE, The Independent & Metro, and currently co-edits the quarterly music journal Gold Flake Paint.
