r/Norwich • u/artadhdict • 1d ago
Question❓ Looking for work
Hi guys
I wanted to know if Norwich is good for creative roles? I’m a graphic designer trying to look for work. I really do not want to move to London, I absolutely hate London with a passion. I wouldn’t even commute there from Norwich as it only ends in burnout.
Do you guys know any other creative hubs in the uk that are flowing with design work?
16
u/Various_Artistss 1d ago
I'm a designer, Norwich is a fantastic and creative city but creative jobs weirdly enough don't come easy. I've been searching for awhile and I do freelance ontop of that.
If you need any like advice gimmie a messege
12
u/Velonthir 1d ago
Norwich is a great place to live and work, but like much of the country at the moment, creative roles are hard to come by.
Graphic design roles are certainly out there, but don't expect an easy search.
Norwich and the greater Norwich/Cambridge regions are hubs for creatives and tech (although a lot of it is out of public view, think agritech and healthtech, not consumer stuff).
In general, Norwich and the outskirts are brilliant. I wouldn't move unless I had to. It's especially great for young kids and a slower pace of life.
House prices are semi-reasomable, rent feels high but I've not rented for a while so don't take my word for it. I'd try to find a job before living arrangements, but that may be wishful logic.
Good luck in your search OP! Hope you find something fun
5
u/hola_pablo74 1d ago
To be honest if you really want to pursue a career in Graphic Design you should go wherever you can get a job.
The industry is extremely competitive and hundreds are applying for every role. You will be seriously narrowing your opportunities if you only look in Norwich.
Manchester is probably the second biggest market after London.
2
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago edited 1d ago
There are none, graphic design outside of London barely exists.
Edit: love the downvotes from people who can’t face the truth. I’d love a design job in Norwich.
7
u/Various_Artistss 1d ago
I'd agree and disagree. It defiantly exists that goes without saying, we just live in a country that sadly focuses it's opportunities in london which means many people who have creative roles have to move to the city.
On the flip side the pay for these roles is often pretty low in the grand scheme meaning the reality of that is not really worth the effort unless you already have access into the industry via connections / family.
Bit of a catch 22 in that sense, design jobs defiantly exist in Norwich as I've had them and worked here for years, but they are harder to find and I'd say not entry level friendly unless you get lucky.
8
u/LagerBoi 1d ago
Yeah unfortunately the places that might be hiring graphic designers are likely the ones that will appear in the "companies not to work for" threads.
3
3
u/Velonthir 1d ago edited 1d ago
Downvoter here!
I appreciate your sentiment, but it's unfair to say barely any jobs exist outside of London. I too am a designer, of many things, but old school graphic design jobs included. There's plenty of work depending on your specialism and industry, but as a freelancer and not salaried or contract roles.
There are contract and perm roles out there. I have one. But you need to know the right people, look in the right places, and spend the time searching like any other industry.
There are also a ton of graphic jobs in London, but like any major city, there's more competition, more questionable roles, and complex living arrangements. I would guess that pound for pound, there are more realistic opportunities in creative cities like Norwich compared to London, but not many people know how to look within niche industries or specialisms.
Like most creative cities, there is high density of creative roles, and therefore high saturation of prospective applicants. Entry level is particularly hard faught with the universities and arts schools in such high concentration compared to roles available.
As with any job search (and I certainly had my fair share), the key is to be open, apply frequently, be specific in each application, and ask around for more opportunities. It's how I run my freelance stuff on the side, and you'd be surprised at how much there is out there. Facebook groups, gumtree, notice boards, fairs, schools, and pubs have all been great spots to find work for me in the past 6 months.
Sometimes you just have to put in the work to find the work.
Edits: spelling (not the best copywriter apparently)
0
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago
Solid reply, but the idea there are more design roles in Norwich than there are in London is laughable. And scrappy remote freelance doesn’t count as “jobs in Norwich” really.
2
u/Velonthir 1d ago
Completely agree. Certainly not more available roles by quantity in London, freelance or permanent.
My point is that creative companies and ideas tend to be in those places which encourage such ideas, and Norwich/Cambridge are certainly those places.
So, while there are fewer roles by number, there are more opportunities for specialist, niche, creative people, compared to the oversaturated and often questionabley intentioned roles from a major city like London.
It just so happens that the inherent creativity of our fine city also attracts creative people, so the competition levels in Norwich are also as abundant as the aforementioned opportunities.
Swings and roundabouts I suppose, but I'd consider it a positive.
And to answer OP's question - Norwich is a great place to find graphic design jobs, but expect to work hard doing it.
2
u/fonzmc 1d ago
A question really, I went to an arts university - graphic design was one of the most heavily subscribed courses. I understand that that experience wasn't rare. It was 20yrs ago.
Is part of the issue just that there are a LOT of degree qualified graphic designers out there?
2
u/Velonthir 1d ago
No question it's a big part of the issue, just as I can imagine computer science and AI degrees are ramping up in popularity now.
Unfortunately, like many creative or accessible degrees, they aren't seen as being high value compared to those like other industry specific qualifications, so many who would have been excellent for roles get overlooked by those with similar qualifications and slightly more experience or a better portfolio.
Experience and provable speed and efficiency is a massive part of the industry now, so apprentices, hobbyists, and talented individuals who move into new roles within their existing company are often considered the better option than post-grads.
I'd certainly be looking at apprenticeships instead of degrees if I started again today.
2
u/fonzmc 1d ago
I remember a teacher at foundation level suggesting folks who are more artistic and creative aught to look at illustration rather than graphic design as they'd known companies who'd looked across disciplins for something different to the norm.
I've known people who've worked graphic design jobs for local car sales companies. I do wonder if AI has started to edge out those roles a bit too. Plus losing jobs in that area in general as printed media, particularly newspapers and magazines have taken hits to sales over recent years.
Freelancing seems to be the way of it now. London is dog eat dog and my experience was that there were so many people applying for jobs you needed a 1st class degree to just make it through the CV sifting stage.
Also, websites are everything for creative folks now. A place to show off your portfolio, styles, presentation etc.
2
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago
Not advice I'd agree with. Illustration is Niche and unless you hit it big I doubt you'll make a living out of it. Styles come and go too - I have seen the rise and fall of big illustration centric designers and agencies.
2
u/fonzmc 1d ago
For sure.
I think the reality is any job art or design based is going to be very competitive in terms of numbers of people applying.
London is generally the hotbed for the vast majority of jobs in that area simply because of company head offices, HQs and then consultancies and offices that feed off being bought in if they don't have in house.
Not only that, a lot is outsourced now or imported from global HQs in Europe/US now.
I think having more strings to your bow in that world now is quite important. I'd not go back to trying to make it work in London again. Hellish. One of the hardest, most miserable 18mths-2yrs of my life.
3
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago
Aye, I can't imagine how tough it is for juniors right now... I'd recommend motion as thats transferable across mediums (film, web, app, brand etc).
→ More replies (0)-1
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago
Just searches Indeed. Zero graphic design jobs in Norwich.
4
u/Velonthir 1d ago
That's fully expected. I wouldnt want to use indeed to hire a graphic designer for my team. I would rather go to an agency for local talent, a specialist recruiter who has the contacts, or advertise using my own website which our design team created.
Indeed is a great tool for many, but it's not a specialist option. It's also one of MANY recruitment options in Norwich.
R13 has been brilliant to me. Even Reed have had solid interview options. Select recruitment have also given me positive opportunities.
As mentioned in my earlier replies - you can't expect to find jobs easily, so I have no doubt that indeed would return few options.
You need to look locally, ask the companies who you want to work for directly, use LinkedIn, build connections, speak to agencies, look at the local businesses which clearly need help and approach them.
Good employers understand how to find good talent, but you need to show you're good talent. The best talent finds the best employers without the middleman.
1
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago
Solid reply again. And yeah fair point regarding indeed. Will keep an eye on the places you mention.
2
u/Velonthir 1d ago
Never stop looking, friend. Creativity needs a spark to kickstart the journey.
1
u/EyeAlternative1664 1d ago
I definitely want a design job in Norwich some day… I’ll keep my eyes very peeled.
2
u/WondrousDavid_ 21h ago
Jumping into this conversation to add that, last winter, three "creative" to "creative-adjacent" firms I know made redundancies in their creative departments. That means there's also a flood of experienced talent looking for work, which makes things a little more competitive. My friends in London are also waiting for redundnacy - so I know thsi is not just a norwich problem.
That said, while watching my friends go through the process has been slow many now have landed fulfilling, creative roles.
What is it that you're actually interested in? When you say graphic design, are you thinking agency work, an in-house role, or something else?
→ More replies (0)
1
22
u/Realistic_Humor_8727 1d ago
My son is a graphic designer. He's now a butchers as not that much round here.