Domestika: The Graphic Design in Spain

A couple of weeks ago I was starting to wonder how benefitial might actually be to move to Barcelona once I finish uni. I had many doubts about the work conditions and salary, since those aspects are normally much better in the UK and the rest of Europe. In order to find out about this, I needed to speak to professionals in the sector. After doing research into Spanish graphic design platforms, I found out one that is very relevant, which is Domestika.

In Domestika, there's a forum for graphic designers which seemed quite active. I decided to write a thread asking questions about salary, work conditions, etc. The title of the post was "From Leeds College of Art to Barcelona". No one replied. After giving it some thought, I changed the title of the post to: "I left Spain and I don't know if I can come back". Two days ago the thread was hot topic and is, by far, the one with more views and interactions. On the picture right below, it is the one with the red heart.



This allowed to get many views from many different people. These are the conclusions I got from this.

Spanish designers normally encourage me to stay in UK, since the salary and work conditions are better. Plus, it is much easier to progress in your career. They say that there are good companies that pay and treat workers well, but they are unicorns. The advice I've got from creatives working in the UK are very different: they encourage me to go wherever I want to go. That if I get too comfortable here, I might never leave.

Eventually, a designer texted me privately. He has worked in places like London, New York and he is now working in Spain. He said that the smartest thing to do is to get clients in countries like UK and then go to Spain. That allows a designer to have a high salary and live wherever they want. Plus, you are a more desirable candidate to work in a studio in Barcelona if you have experience in the UK.

I think this is the best advice I've got and it's very similar to what Chloe was talking about in Berlin. At some point she said that it doesn't matter where you want to leave if you have your clients. This whole process also helped me in identifying who I wanted to interview and how relevant it was for me. Having a conversation with this designer (his name is Oliver Sanz) has given me many answers that have actually unconsciously made part of the interview for Studio Brief 2.