Being a generalist designer works best at a start-up company. Being a specialist works best at a bigger company. Is there more nuance here though?
It is easy to get the two confused. For example, a designer applies to a start-up company hoping to build their portfolio when in reality they are pixel pushing for the small team under the direction of the CEO, doing a wide variety of tasks.
Once the company gets larger then the CEO can step back and do more of their job, and so does the designer; The designer, as they get more experienced, starts being given increasing levels of autonomy. They can also specialise into UX, Research, or Content Design.
Now there is another mode of thinking here which is you can choose to be both a generalist or a specialist, depending on the situation.
I like saying “how can I help you?” (see one of my previous posts). In a start-up you don’t need to say it, it’s your role! You design your way through very diverse problems.
In a larger company you spend as much time communicating what you do as much as you make yourself available and network internally to get things done. Then, when you’re working on something specific, you can dive in.
Make sure to build your generalist and specialist capabilities equally, you will need them both as a designer, and along the way save the highlights – that’s where your best portfolio pieces originate.
Be a generalist and a specialist, depending on the company size and circumstances.