Increasing your value as a graphic designer.

A good friend and I were discussing the topic "what makes a designer better than another designer?" the other day. In my observations, the talent gap gets very narrow once a designer reaches a certain level of technical competency. Think about it. If you understand contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, are fairly knowledgable with typography, proper imaging and color usage, and have the skills to execute ideas, what makes you better or worse than the next person? What can you do to separate you from the pack? The answer is obvious; it's the extras. Fill in the blanks: I specialize in________, and I also can do_________. Maybe you have multiple extras. I specialize in publication, and I also do web design, photography, and am very good with Photoshop. I am good in Illustrator, but my friend Melissa is really good. She is also a good photographer. Those are her extras. I have a designer friend who is a print guru, another who does wedding materials. Yet another who has great communication skills. Starting to get the picture? The famous designers that have inspired me are known for things such as logo creation, typography, and branding. You probably are already aware of your extra skill(s), so why not take advantage of them? Make sure that your portfolio mainly contains examples of whatever field you are trying to get in, and then have the extras prepared. For example, a publication oriented person could have advertisements, brochures, multi-page layouts samples etc., and then a booklet showcasing photography skills. The photography booklet shows that the person is familiar with image processing and can communicate ideas with the photography staff with confidence. It also highlights creative skills that can transcend across the board. Think about your extra skills and how to use them to increase your worth to a potential employer.