Pros
DI can be a good place to launch a creative career, and you get to work with a lot of incredibly talented and hard working people. It’s easy to make connections and friends, and I always felt like it was a team effort to get projects to the finish line. Leaving was bittersweet, but culture shifts and low compensation outweighed staying.
Cons
The creativity and fun you can have at DI can been very rewarding, but that can be a double edged sword for creatives. The pressure to create never-been-done-before experiences requires a lot of energy that might not leave room for any of your own personal creative practices. Creatives are also expected to do several different types of work to fit each unique project’s needs through the design process, so be prepared to be flexible and for a big process learning curve. Pleasing clients is also a top priority to help ensure fabrication scope is won, so that can mean routinely turning work around for tight deadlines without overtime compensation for salaried positions. After 8 years of employment and a substantial promotion my pay increase was minimal. I felt taken for granted, and got nowhere even after attempting to negotiate. That paired with a culture shift to be more focused on growth and profit signaled it was time to move on. I think DI can be a decent place to work, but depending on your compensation and work/life goals it may not be a long term career option.