How to Become a Designer | Portfolio Tips and Skills You Need
Published:
Last Updated:
Category: Job Change by Occupation, Career Change for Beginners
Authors: Shusaku Yosa
Published:
Last Updated:
Category: Job Change by Occupation, Career Change for Beginners
Authors: Shusaku Yosa
"I'd love to become a designer, but can I really break in with no experience?" "What exactly should I put in a portfolio?" If you've been asking yourself these questions, you're in good company. Demand for designers keeps rising across web services, apps, advertising, and product development, and more people than ever are making the switch from other careers.
This article covers everything you need to transition into a design career: the types of designers and what they do, required skills, how to build a portfolio, tips for passing interviews, salary expectations, and career paths ahead.
"Designer" is a broad label—the skills and workflows differ dramatically depending on the field. Clarifying which area interests you is the first step in setting a direction for your career change.
Web designers create the visual design of websites and landing pages. Beyond aesthetics, they need to consider usability and conversion-oriented layout. Basic HTML/CSS knowledge broadens what you can do and smooths communication with developers. This is the most accessible entry point for career changers.
UI/UX designers handle screen design (UI) and the overall experience users have with a product (UX). The role demands user research, persona creation, information architecture, and prototyping—requiring strong analytical thinking. These positions are increasingly valued for their direct impact on business growth, and salaries tend to be higher than other design roles.
Graphic designers create posters, brochures, packaging, logos, and other visual communication materials. Typography, color theory, and layout knowledge are key, and there's a clear career path toward art director. Opportunities are expanding into digital as well, and designers who can work across both print and digital are in high demand.
There are also motion designers (video and animation), product designers (physical products), DTP designers (print layout), and more. Thinking about "what do I want to design" and "who do I want to design for" will help you identify the right direction.
Understanding what skills employers look for will help you plan your learning and job search strategically. Designer skills fall into two categories: hard skills and soft skills.
Tool proficiency is non-negotiable. Figma is the current industry standard, used for everything from UI/UX to web design. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator remain widely requested as well. Start with Figma and add Adobe tools as needed—that's the most efficient learning path.
For aspiring web designers, HTML/CSS knowledge is a strong differentiator. Being able to code expands the range of projects you can take on and raises your market value. UI/UX aspirants should also learn prototyping tools and user research methodologies.
Design isn't just about making things look good. You need to accurately understand client or product-manager requirements and translate user problems into visual solutions. Listening and presentation skills are therefore critical.
The ability to articulate design rationale is also highly valued. Designers who can explain "why this color" or "why this layout" earn trust within their teams faster and advance more quickly. Previous experience creating proposals or negotiating with clients translates well.
Alongside tool skills, study core design theory: color theory, typography, layout principles (proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast), and the use of white space. These fundamentals dramatically affect output quality. Books and online courses are a great way to learn them systematically.
In design hiring, the portfolio is the most important document—arguably more decisive than your resume. Even without professional experience, a high-quality portfolio can open doors.
Without professional work, fill your portfolio with self-initiated projects. But don't just showcase tool exercises. Frame each piece as a project for a fictional client: define a specific challenge and show how your design solves it. For example, "Website redesign for a local restaurant" or "UI design for a new mobile app."
Aim for 5–8 pieces. Quality beats quantity. Also, tailor the selection to the role you're targeting—web designs for web designer roles, app UI for UI/UX roles.
Hiring managers care most about your design process, not just the final visual. For each piece, explain the brief, target user, design concept, process, and final output. This narrative—"why I made these design decisions"—is the most powerful way to demonstrate your thinking.
The portfolio itself is also a design piece under evaluation. Layout, spacing, typography, and color all reflect your design sense. Whether you use Notion, Figma, or a website, prioritize clarity and readability above all.
There are several ways to create portfolio-worthy work without professional experience. Redesigns of existing sites or apps let you demonstrate both analytical and design skills. Design competitions give you real-world briefs—and winning is a major credential. Volunteering to design for friends or local businesses provides real client interaction that pure self-projects can't match.
With your portfolio ready, it's time to prepare for the selection process. Design interviews have unique characteristics worth understanding in advance.
To explain "why design" convincingly, connect it to your previous career. "While analyzing user behavior at my last job, I became fascinated by the power of visual problem-solving" is far more compelling than "I like design" or "I want to make beautiful things." Also clearly articulate why you chose this specific company—research the firm's products and design philosophy, and show where your vision aligns.
"Which portfolio piece are you most proud of, and why?" comes up frequently. Go beyond "I like it" and prepare a logical explanation covering the brief, your intended solution, what you crafted, and what you learned.
"How do you handle feedback?" is another staple. Design is subjective, so showing that you can take input from clients and teammates and iterate flexibly is key. A concrete episode from your previous job—incorporating others' input to improve an outcome—makes a strong answer.
Some companies include a design challenge as part of the process. Typically you'll create a design based on a prompt within a set time limit. Evaluators look at not only polish but also how you prioritize under pressure and how well you explain your concept. Practicing daily design exercises like Daily UI builds the speed and confidence you need.
Salary expectations and career outlook are critical to any career decision. Design rewards skill with steady income growth, and long-term paths are diverse.
First-year salaries for career changers entering design are typically 3–3.5 million yen. With experience and skill growth, salaries commonly reach 4–5 million yen by the third year. Specialized positions like UI/UX designer or lead designer can command 6–8 million yen or more. In-house designers at product companies—especially in IT and startups—tend to earn on the higher end.
Designer careers branch in three main directions. The specialist track deepens design expertise—senior or lead designers drive quality across an organization. The management track leads to roles like design manager or head of design, focused on team building and design strategy.
The third path is pivoting into adjacent fields: product manager, UX researcher, creative director, or front-end engineer. Design experience is valued across many disciplines, making it one of the best springboards for a versatile career.
A planned learning approach is essential to making the career switch. Here's a step-by-step guide to building your skills efficiently.
Start with books and online courses covering color theory, typography, layout principles, and basic UI patterns. At this stage, developing your eye for good design matters more than hands-on output. Study well-designed websites and apps—analyze why they feel intuitive and why they look polished.
In parallel with theory, pick up design tools. Figma runs in the browser and has a free tier, so you can start immediately. Learn basics via YouTube and official tutorials, then trace (copy) existing websites repeatedly. Tracing helps you internalize professional design structure and accelerates tool fluency.
Once tracing builds your foundation, move to original projects. Set up fictional clients and frame each piece as a problem-solving project—these double as portfolio pieces. Daily UI exercises done in parallel will expand your range and speed. Aim to assemble 5–8 polished pieces into a portfolio by this stage.
Practical experience—beyond self-study—dramatically boosts your chances. Options include freelance projects on crowdsourcing platforms, doing design work for friends' businesses, entering design competitions, and using services like Otameshi Tenshoku to try actual design work in a real team environment. Hands-on experience in a workplace is especially valuable for confirming your aptitude. When both skills and real-world experience show up in your portfolio, your candidacy becomes far more persuasive.
Keep these common pitfalls in mind to make your transition smoother.
First, don't over-invest in learning before you start applying. Perfectionism keeps many people from ever beginning their job search. Apply once your fundamentals and portfolio are ready, then improve based on real feedback—you'll land a role faster that way.
Second, understand the difference between agency and in-house design roles. Agency designers work on diverse client projects but often face tight deadlines. In-house designers at product companies go deep on a single product and iterate over time. Decide which environment suits you before applying.
Third, try the work before you commit. Design may look glamorous from the outside, but much of the day-to-day involves painstaking adjustments and stakeholder alignment. The best way to prevent an "it wasn't what I expected" mismatch is to experience design work in a real workplace.
A career change into design is entirely achievable with structured learning and a strong portfolio—even without prior experience. Build your skills step by step through Figma, design fundamentals, and problem-solving portfolio projects.
In interviews, clearly convey "why design" and "how you can contribute." From a salary and career perspective, design is a profession where skill drives steady growth and future options are abundant.
If a design career interests you, start by experiencing real design work. Otameshi Tenshoku lists "Designer" positions where you can join an actual design team and try the role firsthand. It's the perfect opportunity to find out whether design is right for you—take a look.
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