Some people enter the field with the assumption that they will get to do artsy things all day. Very few design projects provide that level of freedom. Instead, designers spend most of their effort solving problems within tight client constraints, needs, wants, budgets, time frames, etc. Very few clients and employers care about making aesthetically beautiful and innovative work. Instead, they care about selling widgets, bringing in customers, persuading people, while doing so within the framework of what they think will work.
Here are a few: curiosity, broad interests, dedication, perseverance, artistic talent, and the ability to think analytically, conceptually, and artistically. Of course, this is in addition to other qualities that are generally helpful in almost any professional field.
Carefully define the problem by listening to clients and asking them questions. Also important is the ability to look beyond what the client might have had in mind to determine what the client really needs. This involves analyzing target audiences, goals, competitors, clients’ brands, etc., to develop a strategy with goals and tactics to get from here to there.
However, a beginning designer won’t typically do all these things. For example, in an agency, a beginning designer might be assigned one piece of the project while working under the guidance of more experienced designers.
Once they complete a degree, the goal is typically to find the best available job to gain experience and prepare themselves for better jobs in the future. Much depends on what jobs are available and the type of job the job seeker wants. Starting out in this field is tough. The completion is very stiff, so a beginning job is typically less than what the job seeker might want.
I’m not quite sure I understand the question, but as I mentioned previously, developing a strategy to get from here to there is typically an important part of a design project.
I read through the information you provided and followed the links to read more. The article makes arguments based on the author’s preferred definitions of words, terms, and categories.
In addition, I disagree to varying degrees with much of what the articles state as supposed facts. For example, the following states a two-step process for logo creation that I’ve never encountered.
“A good example of this is the way that logos are created. A designer will sketch out the basic layout of a logo, and then a visual communicator will take that concept and turn it into an effective piece of communication.”