Frank Chimero defines "success" as a designer as creating something that persuades, informs, and delights.  His advice is to be skillful, vulnerable, thoughtful, and human.  He says we are gift-givers, and that our work is best when we are designing a message we believe to people we care about.  He encourages us to embrace paradox, discovering the difference between absolute truth and profound truth.  He asks, "is it nourishing?" and can we combine surprise and clarity to create delight.  We must stay human and not sacrifice being real for being slick.  Humans are paradoxical, illogical, emotional.  What we create should reflect that.  The more homogenous a message or idea is, says Chimero, the less real, meaningful, sincere, or delightful it becomes.

and what does "success in design" look like for you?
I have created some things I delighted in when I didn't worry about the grade I was going to get or if I followed all the rules, but I expressed myself, believed the message was important and was something I wanted to do well with.
I'm interested in learning, academically speaking, more about the dimensions of design and how each object or piece of content relates best to the others and to the overall design.