The Ways to Become a Better Designer

Bila berbicara tentang The Ways to Becomes a Better Designer , kebanyakkan para pelajar kurang peka, kurang pemahaman, kurang imaginasi, kurang kritis, takut dengan perubahan, mungkin kerana kurang sifat berfikir untuk menerobos kemampuan diri untuk mencapai daya kreatif yang tinggi. Di sini terdapat beberapa tips..

You’ve probably seen lists like this before, but here is my take on ways to develop your skills and become an overall better designer. I believe great designers not only have good design chops, but are also aware, fast, and intuitive. Although there are several ways to develop as a designer, below are ten things that I feel are important for every designer.

1. Know your tools
One of the most important ways to flex your design chops is by knowing your tools. If you know your tools, whether it be pen, pencil, marker, watercolour, software (photoshop and illustrator) you can maximize your productivity and create effective designs. There are several good online tutorial sites that can teach you new techniques.

2. Build an asset library (portfolio)
Building an asset library will speed up your projects and will help cut back on creating the same elements over and over from the ground up. Your portfolio is another great asset. Sometimes I find myself borrowing from my portfolio and building on what I’ve already created. This will help you develop as a designer and boost your design chops.

3. Know what you are designing and why
You have to know what your clients want and why they want it. You are providing solutions for them, so you better know their needs. I usually try and get as much information from the client before starting any design work - this is sometimes called the Discovery phase. The more information I receive from my clients the better I understand their vision. The more I understand their vision the greater the chances of me delivering a successful product or service.

4. Know who you are designing for
One of the biggest mistakes a junior designer makes is they design for themselves. That’s fine if it’s a personal project, but if you’re designing for a client, then design for the client’s audience. You should try and get as much data about your client’s audience. This can direct your creativity and your solutions. For example: If your client’s audience is male adults in their late 50’s, then you probably don’t want to use 10 pixel paragraph text. If you don’t have solid data on your client’s audience then you should propose research as a part of your service. Remember, what you like may not be what the client’s audience likes.

5. Be a happy designer
This is pretty self explanatory. You’ve chosen this field, so love what you do and be happy doing it. If you’re not a happy designer, then find new clients or a new job. A happy designer is a productive designer.

6. Don’t try to create a masterpiece
This is probably one of the biggest challenges I face as a designer. What you’re creating may not be a masterpiece for you, but it may be in your client’s eyes. Keep in mind that you’re providing solutions for your client and your goal is not to create a piece for your portfolio, rather a piece that solves your client’s needs.

7. Ask others for opinions
This is very important for a designer. Asking others for opinions will validate your creative decision making and streamline your design process. It is easy to fall in the “fly trap” by moving pixels back and forth and endlessly changing colors. Make decisions and stick with them. You don’t necessarily need to ask only designers, you can ask managers, executives, or even your dog Spot.

8. Use Creative Jumper Cables
Creative blocks happen to the best of us. When you find yourself struggling to come up with good ideas you should step away from your computer and divert your mind. Creative Jumper Cables are basically activities that stimulate your brain. I suggest playing games or watching television.

9. Look at what others are doing
Take a look at what other designers are doing. By being aware of what’s hot will help you provide cutting edge designs for your clients. There are several design gallery sites that showcase some fine work. Learn what these designers are doing and how they are doing it. Don’t copy, be inspired!

10. Challenge yourself
You’re not growing if you are not challenged.