6 Things a designer should focus more on
From time to time, I find myself asking how do designers manage to stay relevant in a sea where each day, new names start making waves.
For nearly 6 years now, I’ve managed to cultivate and grow, and by doing so I began noticing some patterns both in me, and the people that I look up to, patterns which I continue to explore up to the present day.
It goes without saying that most of us out there have a deep desire for growing, and I’m not talking financially, I’m talking about creating something good, something of quality that when viewed, immediately links our name, or more precisely our brand to the artwork itself.
Since I’m a strong believer of sharing both knowledge and experiences, I thought I could elaborate on six things that a designer should focus more on to achieve just that.
1 –Develop a Personal Style
No matter how technical you are, without that special “something”, your style will blend in the sea of “ordinary”, which in the end will swallow you up whole.
Make it your mission to evolve your style into something different, something that stands out from the crowd.
Whether it’s a unique color scheme, or an interesting repeating element, start identifying, developing and applying those marks that set you on a different path from everybody else.
Yes, you might get lost, you might start thinking that you’re wasting precious time and energy, but believe me, when you finally find that precious thing, you’ll be glad that you set foot into the dark and finally found light.
It probably won’t happen overnight, but that’s where the second point of focus comes into play.
2 – Explore. Never Settle
Trends come and go, but that doesn’t mean you have to chain yourself to the present state of design. Explore, try out new things, and push yourself into creating something both functional and interesting from a creative point of view.
Put yourself into the right mood by drinking your favorite coffee while listening to your favorite song, and then start layering those pixels in ways you wouldn’t have dared to before.
If you get “stuck”, take a short break, go on a walk, or eat something sweet, and then get back to it, making sure to maintain a positive state of mind.
If you feel you’re getting nowhere, start fresh but don’t you dare throw that idea away, keep it since you never know when it will come to use.
Remember, exploring doesn’t have to be chained to the screen itself, you can always switch to more traditional mediums such as pen and paper, oil paint, markers, etc. It doesn’t matter what you end up using, what really matters is that you manage to develop new concepts, new ways of resolving the same old problems that designers have dealt with since the beginning of time.
Not only will the process help you stay fresh, but it will also help you evolve your skills and artistic eye, which in the end will lead to developing a stronger visual sense which for a good designer is a must.
3 – Quality over Quantity
If you want to become better at what you do, be it icon design or something else, then stop creating with speed in mind, and start focusing on the quality that you put into your artwork.
There’s nothing more painful for a client than seeing bad designs, which were created without any attention to the quality of the final product. Not only will this leave a bad impression, but it could also lead to losing clients, since usually word flies fast in this line of work.
You might spend some extra hours, but all that work will end up being reflected in the final result, which will tell the viewer what kind of a designer you are, and that’s one that put´s price on creating something well built.
Depending on the medium you’re creating for, learn how to better control the tools available in the software that you’re using, whether it’s Illustrator, Sketch or something else. This will help you better control the quality level of your artwork, which is something that all designers should aspire to.
If you’re creating visual assets for the digital screen, learn to take advantage of the Pixel Grid and always use it during the design process, so that everything you create ends up being pixel perfect.
There’s a huge difference between pixel perfect and non-pixel perfect artwork, especially in UI design and believe me, in our time, creating crisp looking assets is more than a must, it’s a direct reflection of your skills, since there are few designers that have mastered this discipline.
If you’re creating for print, then make sure to learn as much as you can about the printing process, so that in the end you have full control over the project, from the screen that you’re going to be designing it on, to the actual piece of paper that it will be printed on.
Since you’ll be dealing with colors, mainly CMYK, learn all you can about them and the color separation process, so that once printed, your artwork will be as accurate as possible.
Believe me, you wouldn’t want to deal with that embarrassing situation when you showed your client a design that uses a specific color scheme that once it got printed looked completely different.
That being said, regardless the medium you’re designing for, be it digital or print, always strive to create high quality work, since it will always make you stand out.
4 – Paper over Digital
No matter how good you are at creating inside a digital medium, you should always find time to step away from your mouse and keyboard and draw.
Not only will you flex your brain muscles, but you will be able to prototype faster and come up with not one, but multiple solutions, which as a designer is your main responsibility.
Usually the best ideas come from pen and paper, since they allow you to follow different paths, without the constant fear of creating something irrelevant.
If you’re scared that you can’t draw like an artist can, well stop worrying. You don’t even have to, as a designer you usually draw basic concepts which you will then refine over and over again.
Create your own little routine and try drawing each day, by establishing a list of subjects that you feel you would like to try and sketch. Then depending on your mood, select one and put that pencil to work. If you get stuck, or you feel the anxiety kicking in, don’t panic, just open up a browser tab and try and find reference images of the subject. This is really helpful since it will let you analyze the composing elements and their relation to one another, which will help you better understand the composition.
If traditional drawing is something that you want to take more serious, you should try and find a drawing class near your current location and give it a go. I do recommend you attend a course that’s at a physical location instead of signing up for an online one, since the act of being there when the information is being taught in priceless. This way you’ll be more involved in the creative process, since you’ll want to prove to both your teacher and yourself that there is potential in you, potential waiting to be unleashed. By doing so, not only will you actually put your hand and imagination to work on a regular basis which is a must if you’re a lazy person, but you’ll also be able to develop new skills and meet other interesting people along the way.
No matter the circumstances, once you start doing it on a regular basis, you’ll become more confident in yourself and most importantly you’ll improve your drawing skills which should put an end to any unneeded frustration.
5 – Be more Outgoing
In our line of work, being social is common sense, since we’re all part of this great community that needs us to be more outgoing in order for connections to be made.
And no, I’m not telling you to go on Facebook and start making “friends” that could ultimately lead you to closing a business opportunity. Don’t be that person.
What I’m talking about is establishing true friendships be they virtual or face-to-face, with people that you find interesting and you would like to share ideas and feedback with.
In my opinion this is really important since these people have the same goal as you, and can help you grow both as a designer and a human being, since most of the time you’ll find some incredible people, which could leave a mark on you.
Yes you might be reluctant, maybe even afraid, but at the end of the day he or she is a person just as you and me, and I’m more than sure they wouldn’t mind sharing a few friendly words.
There are tons of networks out there, from Dribbble to Behance and a lot more others that allow you to create connections that might come at hand some times.
But being outgoing isn’t only about making friends, it’s also about sharing and giving back to the community that has given us so much. Whether it’s a personal experience on a specific situation, or a set of technical skills and techniques, you should give it a go and put that information out there, since it could help people in ways that you wouldn’t even imagine.
I mean look at me, I’ve been sharing my “dark little secrets” for almost a year now, and I have to be honest, it feels really incredible. Who would have ever thought that a little written article could help so many people develop and grow.
At first you might find it difficult, since you’ve probably worked hard to acquire that particular information, I know I did, but once you put it out there, you’ll see things completely different since you’ll be able to establish real connections with creative people from all over the world.
There are tons of sites out there that are always looking for fresh “voices” to help spread the knowledge, sites like:
You could also give Twitter’s “Medium” blogging platform a try, since there are thousands of people sharing unique experiences every day, helping each other out in the process.
6 – Read more
No matter if it’s a design blog or a paperback book, you should always find the time to relax and catch up on the latest trends and “happs” since you have to be constantly aware of what’s taking place in the world of design.
This way, you can learn new skills and techniques, which will help you elevate your game, further developing your personal brand.
There are a couple of books that I personally recommend, since they offer raw, detailed information, which you should definitely read:
- “Design is a Job” by Mike Monteiro
- “You’re My Favorite Client” by Mike Monteiro
- “Designing for Emotion” by Aarron Walter
- “Design Elements: Form & Space” by Dennis M. Puhalla
- “Universal Principles of Design” by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden & Jill Butler
- “The Icon Handbook” by Jon Hicks
- “The Shape of Design” by Frank Chimero
- ‘Just Enough Research” by Erika Hall
This is just a short selection, but there are so many good books out there, you only have to find them, and how to better do that by being outgoing and asking the community.
So if you want to become a better designer, which I know you do, try and apply some of the tips from above and I’m sure you’ll be happy to find out that they aren’t that demanding, and that’s probably the reason why they actually work.
That being said, I would like to thank you for your time and if you have any questions leave them in the comments section and I’ll be more than happy to answer them.
