Interpersonal Navigation
You don't have to like everyone. You do have to work with them.
The honest baseline
You will not like every person you work with. Some will be difficult, some will be poor communicators, some will seem indifferent to your presence. This is not unique to the design professions, and it's not a reason to leave. The baseline requirement is simple: be respectful and do your best work regardless. The goal isn't universal friendship. It's functional, professional relationships that let everyone do their job well.
That said — make sure you like some of the people. A firm where you genuinely enjoy a handful of your colleagues is a firm where you can grow. A firm where you like nobody is worth paying attention to.
When a colleague is difficult
When you're not succeeding in a working relationship — struggling to interpret redlines, getting feedback that contradicts itself, having trouble communicating with a specific person — don't internalize it and don't gossip about it. Instead, frame it as a personal learning challenge and ask someone you trust for guidance.
"I'm not being successful when I approach [person] with questions about my redlines. The communication doesn't seem to be landing the way I intend. How would you suggest I try something different?" This framing positions you as someone trying to improve, not someone with a complaint. Anyone who knows the situation will understand exactly what you're describing — and offer useful advice accordingly.
Building relationships
Lunch is the mechanism. You don't have to eat out — bring your own food — but when the office or a group of colleagues goes out or eats together, join them. Work hours are your opportunity to be part of a team, and informal time around a table does more to build genuine connection than any amount of professional output. A good firm will include you because they want you there. Show up for that.
Everyone has a life outside the office
At any given moment, the person next to you may be navigating something you know nothing about — a difficult family situation, a health concern, financial stress, a project that's gone badly. You will never know unless they choose to share it. Approach interactions with patience and good faith, especially when someone seems short or distracted. More often than not, it has nothing to do with you. The grace you extend to others tends to come back around.
The interpersonal dynamics of a full-time position deepen over time. The relationships you build early in a firm — or across multiple firms — become the professional network that shapes your career. Treat every working relationship as worth investing in, even the difficult ones. The design world is smaller than it appears.