“Designers humor” joined Twitter in 2013 and now has more than 995k followers with its Instagram account combined! The page introduces itself as “the largest design meme account on the internet,” and we have no reason to doubt that. As the socials are run by a designer themselves, "Designers humor" has become a beloved source of humor and inspiration for designers and creatives around the world.
Even if you’re not from the design industry yourself, we believe these posts might resonate with you, as they often touch on universal themes and experiences that we all can relate to.
We believe that every worker has faced some challenges that made them think of their life choices. Looking at these memes, it’s clear that we all experience difficulties, regardless of our profession. The most important thing is that obstacles do not stop us from pursuing our goals and dreams. And in the face of hardships, it always helps to maintain a positive attitude. Additionally, laughing at your problems might also be a good way to let off some steam.
Bored Panda contacted Kristina Leonardi, a holistic career coach, personal growth expert, speaker, and author of Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower the Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul, to gain a deeper understanding about the challenges that people encounter in their workplace and discover effective strategies to overcome them. She shared that it can help to review all the choices that lead people to becoming a designer, for example, and then take some time to analyze the frustrations that they are encountering.
“For instance, is it just client management or the actual designing part, because perhaps there just needs to be some outsourcing of the things that you don’t like or are not good at, or you might be able to use your design skills in another way. As a holistic career coach, when I talk to my clients, I do a whole life/work history and can really connect the dots to see what sparks their passion and why they chose what they chose and if it still makes sense at this point in their life.”
As individuals navigate their careers, it is inevitable to encounter some obstacles along the way. It can be a difficult project or a challenging boss and can significantly affect one’s job satisfaction and general well-being. Some setbacks can be severe enough to prompt an individual to experience burnout or even to leave their job. Kristina Leonardi explained that everyone is on a path of growth and evolution and sometimes a job or career has served its purpose and it’s time to move on; “so pay attention to what life is showing you or how it might be signaling it’s time to do something else. Because by letting go of the old, you could find yourself in a whole other field or world and life that really lights you up. It takes a lot of courage to change and move into the unknown, so folks would rather suffer in the familiar.”
In today's fast-paced and demanding work environment, stress can be a common experience for many people in design and other industries. According to Kristina Leonardi, the use of memes can be a great stress relief most of the time. “It shows that people understand your pain and are going through similar things and there is a sense of relief and not feeling so alone in that.” If laughing off your problems doesn’t help, Leonardi shared that it is important to remember to breathe. “Taking time for a few deep breaths every hour can bring you back into your body, lower your stress and allow you to refocus from a more present space. Taking breaks and getting fresh air and short walks are also really helpful, especially for designers who are generally tied to a computer all day.”
Sometimes it is crucial to seek professional help to achieve personal growth. However, some people might hold misconceptions about getting professional assistance to help them navigate workplace challenges. Kristina Leonardi shared that a common misconception would be thinking that changing their job is going to make people happier. “Sometimes that is the case, sometimes it’s not, and sometimes if they leave their job, they are bringing themselves to the next place and the same challenges will be there because they are the common denominator (i.e. same boyfriend, different name), so the change is required within them or in their lifestyle or in other parts of their life, which could often mitigate some of the workplace challenges.”
