Have you fallen for a designer? Congratulations! However, while dating a designer is always fun (after all, these are some of the most creative and lovable people on the planet), trying to win their heart isn’t always easy. Here’s some top tips to remember if you’re planning to ask a designer on a date.
How NOT to Hit on a Designer — The Ultimate Guide
1. Don’t try to get free work from them.
Hey, dating a designer is pretty useful, right? After all, you can get your site, logo, app and brochure designed completely for free. Yeah, guess what? Forget about it! A designer wants to be appreciated for their unique personality, not for their ability to save your company money. If you want your design work done for you, ask someone else.
2. Ditch the design-gags.
I bet you know some great puns about designers, not to mention some witty chat-up lines. But before you saunter up to your love-interest and declare ‘I’m very font of you, you’re just my type’, pause for a moment. Review that sentence in your mind. Then make sure it never emerges from your mouth. Trust me on this. Two words. Passion. Killer.
3. Recognize their design obsession.
One thing you need to know about designers. They’re obsessed with what they do. Every street corner provides inspiration, every conversation generates new ideas and thoughts. If you want to date a designer, you’ll need to accept this. So let them earnestly pore over the color palette of the menu and instagram their smoothie. It’s what they do. Deal with it.
4. Avoid discussions.
Enter into a debate with a designer at your peril. This can be a very frustrating experience if you’re the type who values facts and figures over aesthetics and intuition. Learn to love their creative peculiarities and you’ll soon realize that this intuitive, occasionally insane personality is great fun to be around.
5. When in doubt, go minimalist.
Want to win their heart with a gift? Tread carefully with a designer. It’s all about aesthetic appeal, and if you get something sparkling, tacky or poorly designed, you’ll run the risk of their serious disapproval. A general rule to adhere to? Nothing with comic sans fonts, and certainly nothing with kittens on it. Unless it’s an artistic impression of a cool kitty covered in graffiti and NY urban gear. That might just work.
6. Never criticize the competition.
You might think that a good way to woo your designer is to compare their work favorably to others. However, devaluing the work of other designers is likely to cast you in a not so positive light. Keep your comments upbeat and complimentary.
7. Don’t ´geek it up’.
As with any other person, it’s important to be yourself when you date a designer. You might feel tempted to invest in sharp designer clothes and don an artistic quiff to attract their attention, but if this isn’t really you, it’s not the best idea. Feel free to reveal your naturally nerdy nature, but don’t pretend to be something you’re not; and certainly don’t claim to know all about design if you don’t… you’ll only get embarrassed in the end!
8. Don’t be a ´designer-hog’.
When you date a designer, prepare to get jealous, because you’ll be sharing them… a lot! Designers often have to pull long hours at the office to hit tight deadlines, and they’ll be up in the small hours of the night, trying to wrestle with the demands of demon clients. You’ll need to accept that this is very much part of being with them. Not sure what a burnt-out designer looks like? Check this out.
9. Know your hang-outs.
Designers love to hang out. You’ll often find them in the coolest cafes, the trendiest bars and the funkiest restaurants. To keep up, make sure you’re up on all the best places to go in town. You could even research some new venues, but make sure they serve decent coffee and have plenty of sockets.
10. Don’t try to flash the cash.
Designers like the finer things in life, but don’t flash your cash for the sake of it. Let’s face it, nothing you buy them is going to be cool or clever enough for a cutting-edge designer! However, you will be assessed on effort and thought, so make sure you take time when you buy them anything or take them out on a date.
Designing a Perfect Date
Remember, deep down, your designer is a pretty normal human being. Don’t feel you have to immerse yourself in the world of design to impress them. In fact, sometimes designers like to talk about other things too, you know! Have fun, be yourself and enjoy the chance to be with such an intriguing, creative individual.
Lana Lozovaya is the content strategist and social media manager at PSD2HTML®, the leading PSD to HTML and web development company.
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