Efficient design turns into good design

Just as a reflection...recently at work, I was given the project of redesigning a short catalog that would be distributed at a 2015 trade show. (I work for a packaging company now). I was quite excited about the project as it was really the first design assignment given to me outside of the college classroom. (I'm a rookie. College teaches many things...but it can never realistically prepare you to take your talents into the business world). But the problem was I had about a week to finish the entire thing, and since I don't work five days a week due to my school schedule, I pumped it out in about three six to seven hour shifts.

Anywho, not to ramble on, but I was very disappointed with the results and that's probably what caused me to reflect on this. Above I posted a design that I spent upwards of a month working and reworking until I finally had it exactly as I wanted it...but the problem is, I was given that time as a student and as an employee, at best that time has to be cut in half in order to prioritize efficiency. This is a learning curve for me. Do you sacrifice good design for time? Or in the real world, do you have to learn to change your idea of what good design is? Or does working under a time crunch become second nature to you? I tend to design by feel. I know that my work isn't right until it "feels" right to me. As a real-world designer, do you have to learn different methods in order to get the job done?