ArtVersion’s Principal and Creative Director, Goran Paun, was recently included in a Forbes Agency Council Expert Panel discussing career advice for new graduates entering the agency world in 2026.
The article brings together perspectives from agency leaders across creative, marketing, PR, digital, and performance disciplines, each sharing what they believe early-career professionals need to understand as they begin looking for agency roles. The timing is especially relevant. New graduates are entering the workforce at a moment when agency environments are changing quickly. AI is influencing production cycles, client expectations are becoming more sophisticated, and teams are being asked to move with both speed and precision.
ArtVersion’s contribution focused on something foundational for design students: the importance of gaining hands-on experience in production and project coordination.
The perspective was simple but important. General creativity alone is rarely enough now. For emerging designers, creative ability matters, but it becomes much more valuable when paired with an understanding of how real work actually moves through creative agency.
Production experience teaches young professionals how timelines are shaped, how feedback is gathered, how revisions are managed, how files and assets move between teams, and how ideas become finished work. Project coordination adds another layer. It helps new graduates understand priorities, communication, handoffs, client expectations, and the many small decisions that keep creative work moving forward.
That practical exposure can make a meaningful difference early in an agency career. It helps designers see beyond a single layout, concept, or visual direction. They begin to understand the larger system around the work. They learn how strategy connects to execution, how creative decisions affect development, how internal collaboration affects quality, and how client expectations need to be guided with care.
For agencies, this kind of awareness is incredibly valuable. Early-career professionals who understand how the work gets done can contribute sooner. They ask better questions. They anticipate what may be needed next. They respect process without becoming limited by it. Over time, that operational understanding often becomes the path toward more strategic roles.
At ArtVersion, this logic reflects how we think about creative growth. Strong design careers are not built only through inspiration or software fluency. They are built through observation, repetition, collaboration, accountability, and a willingness to understand the details behind the finished work.
A portfolio may show visual talent, but practical experience often reveals how someone thinks, adapts, communicates, and contributes inside a real creative environment.
Read full article at Forbes.com