2. Keep Your Mouth Shut

Never say anything bad about a previous employer, however tempting it may be. Go one step further and don't say anything. It will come back to haunt you. At the least, it causes others to be suspicious of how you handle sensitive information.

Designers leave for many reasons, the least of which could be simply that it was time to move on. Even if you are prodded by others to share the ’Äúdirt,’Äù you'll be making bad Karma points if you talk.

Conversely, if a firm you have worked for is asked about you, legal counsel recommends they should only reply that you held ’Äúsuch and such’Äù position from this date to that. Any comments made beyond these expose them to liability.

3. Commandment #7: Thou Shalt Not Steal

It's naive to think that clients can be ’Äústolen.’Äù They are grown-ups and do whatever they think best for their companies. Selling your services to clients of your previous employer is inappropriate. You should ask the design firm what they would like you to say to clients with whom you have had ongoing contact with. Respect their wishes. Patience pays off. If the client sees a drop in the quality of the firm's work or in the service they receive, they will figure out a way to find you.

4. To Agree or Not to Agree

All confidentiality agreements signed during your employment must be honored after you leave. Ask for an exit interview in order to understand the fine print of agreements you have signed or those that the firm agreed to during your employment. There are tight restrictions concerning the development of comps, prototypes and ongoing documentation. You don't know what you don't know, so ask.

5. Strength in Week-ness

Giving at least two weeks notice is a must. If you are a key team member on a project, consider it good Karma to offer to see things through. The important point is that you are giving 100% during those last two weeks. It's common for an exiting employee to check out, mentally and emotionally, once they drop the bomb. From an employer's perspective it adds insult to injury. If you've agreed to stay for a given time, really be there!

Regarding two-weeks notice, Robert Louey from Santa Monica-based Louey/Rubino Design Group states: ’ÄúI think it is more important to get the current projects you are working on to a point that they may be easily taken over by another team member. If the work exceeds a two-week period and it is in mutual agreement to both parties, you can continue working on a project for a freelance fee. I have often done this with former employees.’Äù

6. Clean Up Your Act

All files and ’Äúdesktops’Äù (hard copy and digital) should be cleaned up and organized so all pertinent information can be easily found and understood.

’ÄúEven if there is a good feeling in the air when someone walks out the door, it can quickly dissipate if the employer or fellow employees find things have been left in any kind of disarray,’Äù advises Kim Baer, principal of KBDA in Los Angeles. ’ÄúThings should be organized in such a way that they are easily picked up by those left to finish the work. If this is done correctly, the goodwill pays off in the long run.’Äú

Former employers can often be a good source for future work. Kim continues, ’ÄúI'm still referring and giving work to employees from over a decade ago.’Äù All the more incentive to leave on a good note.

7. Sins of the Fathers

If your previous employer was a knucklehead when it came to running a business, then know that you may need outside help to set up and run your own gig. Otherwise you are destined to be Knucklehead, Jr.

Many times designers go into business for themselves thinking, ’Äúif they can do it, I can do it.’Äù Be grateful that you have an opportunity to learn from someone else's mistakes. From your position you have a chance to see how-to and how not-to run a business without assuming any risk.

8. Plan Your Escape

OK, it sounds crazy, but once you have successfully landed your new job, plan what your future next step will be. Think of jobs as steps in your career. There's never a better time to map out your goals than when you're feeling this good about yourself.

Stuff happens; companies fail; clients leave; strange circumstances cause kingdoms to crumble. The middle of a crisis is the worst place to figure out where your career is going next. Take time to jot down your thoughts, and keep them in a place where you can easily refer to them on a regular basis. You will need that kind of clarity when your time at this job comes to an end.

And always remember: practice safe design’Äîuse a concept.

Graphic designer, educator and author, Petrula Vrontikis is Principal and Creative Director of Vrontikis Design Office (35k.com) ’Äî one of the top graphic design firms on the West Coast.

Her work has won numerous awards, appeared in over seventy books on graphic design and is part of the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. She is also an editorial contributor graphic design publications including Communication Arts, Graphis, Print, HOW, STEP, Novum and CMYK.

She has taught the advanced senior graphic design studies course at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena since 1989 and served as a national advisory board member of the AIGA.

Her most recent book, inspiration=ideas, a creativity sourcebook for graphic designers. It is a 224-page exploration of the inspiration sources of top international designers.

Petrula lectures at universities, to professional organizations and at conferences worldwide about her work and about graphic design education and inspiration.