As a designer, should you be versatile or stick to a particular style? That’s the age-old debate (well, it’s not that old, but a long-lasting one nonetheless). Being extremely versatile vs. sticking to one style: each has its pros and cons.

On the one hand, by being versatile, you can adapt to and attract more clients – but you’re not developing your unique style and design “voice” as much. On the other hand, by sticking to one style, you dig beyond the surface and become a unique expert in that niche – but you’re alienating otherwise-good clients who don’t want that specific style done for their work.

A surefire way to move your design career ahead is to learn from masters in their fields. And there’s no doubt that Pixar is one of the top animation studios in the world. By looking at how and why the studio is so successful, you can actually learn 5 design lessons.

It’s appropriate that design inspiration can be pulled from Pixar. After all, they’re visual and technological geniuses. Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E – all were breakthroughs in animation. Yet it’s how Pixar actually operates and creates that yields the most useful lessons. Ones that can take your design career to infinity and beyond!