Designing isn’t really a trait you’re born with. Anyone can become one, and sure, others are more gifted than some, but every designer had to learn.
Here are 5 simple traits that you can develop to improve yourself as a designer or artist.
1. Dedication
You can’t really expect to increase in your design talent if you get onto Photoshop once a month. In fact, I’m pretty convinced that if anyone got onto their favorite program every single day, and mastered something new every single week, they could begin teaching classes within their first year.
Designing takes practice, and practice only happens through dedicated time that’s set aside for one purpose: learning.
2. Humility
This may seem like an odd strategy for increasing in your awesome abilities as a designer, but let me tell you that humility is what will cause you to learn from the best.
Following people like Sickdesigner, Jared Erickson, and digital magazines like DesignMag or Smashing Magazine is what’s going to help you grow in your ability to take note of their skills, and apply it to your own work.
Plus, people generally like a humble person over a stuck-up one.
3. Learn
Much like #1 in this list, learning your trade is the foundation on which you will grow. Just like being dedicated is going to help you grow faster, so is learning, and both of these go hand in hand.
This is pretty self-explanatory, but just to give you an idea, it might look like this:
- Get onto Photoshop once a day (dedication).
- Get onto a tutorial site once a day, and learn something new (learning).
- Get back onto Photoshop once a day, and execute on your new-found skill (execution; which happens to be the next strategy).
4. Execution
There is a lot of stuff out there that you can learn, but for the most part, what you do learn is either forgotten or never used. Unfortunately, I am more guilty of this than others, but the truth remains that learning is useless unless you have executable strategies to develop it.
What do I mean by that?
I mean simply that when you learn something new, make sure it’s useful, and then get into the habit of incorporating it into your design style. You’ll be better for it, and it will only help increase your knowledge base when dealing with diverse projects.
5. Create a Portfolio With a Promise
There’s nothing like having a deadline, and even if it’s a self-imposed deadline, it’s better than no deadline at all.
I find that having a portfolio is great, but am surprised to know that many designers don’t have a section within their portfolio that has active content–sort of like a blog.
In a space like this, not only can you engage with a community of other designers, but you can commit to putting up one design a day as a self-exercise. Doing this can’t hurt you one bit, and in most cases, it will help make your portfolio less static and also serve as a platform for you to hone your skills.
Your Turn
These are only 5, strategies to help you improve as a designer, but there are countless others that I haven’t said, nor could I fit them into a single post. Thus, the comment section is our new best friend (or, maybe it always has been).
What are some ways that you help yourself grow as an artist/designer?
Chris Ames says
Good stuff dude.
Calvin Koepke says
Thanks man.
Marcus Williamson says
6. Humility. Wait did we cover that π
Calvin Koepke says
Haha π
Travis Paulding says
You use THAT stank graphic on a post about good design?
OK, TOTALLY kidding. But it seemed appropriate for a design related blog. I think that is #7 on the list behind a second does of humility…
#7 Make sure you publicly flame other designers’ work so we all know that, by default, you must be a better designer. Point out the intricacies, make sure to find an error where no one else thinks to look.
#sarcasm
Calvin Koepke says
Haha, I gotta say, I totally was not expecting that!
I, for one, like that design! Sort of… π
Marcus Williamson says
8. Never use Comic Sans. Never π
Brian Alexander says
I use that font on all of my designs. Love it! It’s my go-to font! π
Calvin Koepke says
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not…
Brian Alexander says
What is sarcasm?
I love Helvetica when it comes to design. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vAWq-J90xI&feature=related
Brian Alexander says
opps. wrong link.
Calvin Koepke says
I LOVE Helvetica. Have you seen the documentary on it? Pretty fascinating.
Brian Alexander says
Indeed it is. Saw it earlier this year.
Calvin Koepke says
Nice.
Calvin Koepke says
AGREED.
Dave Shrein says
Great post! I agree with everything that’s been said so far. My input: Don’t get too caught up perfecting the things that you don’t know, but focus on mastering the things you do know. When the time is right, take on trying to master a new technique and then repeat.
Thanks for the post!
Calvin Koepke says
Great advice Dave! It’s definitely a handicap for us designers when we are perfectionists π
Eric E. Kidwell says
6. Join a Community – There are two communities that I belong to that I post my stuff to and get feedback on it: Creation Swap and Church Marketing Lab.
When I am designing, it is always in the back of my mind that I will be posting this to these sites for feedback, so it pushes me to do well. Second, the feedback on those sites is invaluable to helping you grow. Thus, joining a community helps foster point number two, humility but also execution.
Calvin Koepke says
Awesome advice Eric. Seriously, that’s a critical point that I can’t believe I didn’t throw in there! Thanks!
Checkin’ out both those sites right now…
Eric E. Kidwell says
You’re welcome!
One other one I was going to post and just remembered is:
7. See How The Pros Do It – I’ve been designing for about 2 months, and being able to “stand on the shoulders of giants” by seeing their psd files has enabled me to grow very quickly. Just seeing something 2D doesn’t tell you exactly how a designer was able to pull the design off. It brings the design to life when you are able to look at the .psd source file. It’s like it goes from 2D to 3D because I can see the layers and the blending options they chose.
Seeing as this is how I learned a ton, I provide all of my psd file designs for free for anyone that wants them.
Here’s where I’ve gotten tons of free .psd files to get ideas from:
– Creation Swap
– Open.Lifechurch
– Elevation Church
– Stuff I Can Use
Calvin Koepke says
Nice. That’s a great idea too.
p.s. Nice graphics on your Flickr. I just added you π #winning