Tales of a Designer

Perfecting Your Craft

Well, there’s no such thing as a perfect design, or designer, but that does not mean you can’t travel on that road. Being apart of the design industry, there is constant pressure in coming up with new creative and innovative ideas. It’s apart of the job description. It is very important to keep up with the times, and always be working on improving your craft. If you aren’t constantly trying to better your skills then what is the point in being a designer, or any other job for that matter? If you are constantly trying, then how do you go about it? Well here are a few things that I like to do in trying to keep my skills sharp, and continue learning.

Pick up a book. When I first started design, I didn’t read a ton of books. I did all of my reading on the web, however, as of lately, I’ve come across some good books. The latest being, The Business Side of Creativity. Now granted, this book isn’t teaching me how to design, but it does help me learn how to run a design business, and gives me different perspectives of how I want to approach projects and such. The book is aimed at people who want to go full-time freelance. I have not yet finished the book, but I want to do a review of it when I do finish. Otherwise, there are tons of books out there to keep you learning, and I will post links when I get more good ones.

Look at other genres. Obviously the web isn’t the only place to find design, and most of my inspiration comes from other areas of design, like product, print, and architecture design. I recently subscribed to How Design magazine, and I just can’t get enough of it. Since I didn’t have that formal design training, I feel like I have to try that much harder to pay attention to design in genres outside of the web. I also like looking at different types of print ads, to see how designers communicate various types of messages.

Try a new style. I’ve always been a fan of simple design. I would consider my own style to be very simplistic as well. A good challenge would be to try using another design style that you aren’t used to doing. Of course this depends on the project. A style that I’ve always appreciated, but have yet to try, is the ever-so-famous Wicked Worn look. Sometimes you can become most creative when are trying new things outside of your typical comfort zone.

Ask questions. One thing that I’ve always done, if I was curious about something, is ask tons of questions. I’ve even emailed some big name designers (Cameron Moll, Andy Rutledge, Khoi Vinh) with questions, and have responded with things that have been extremely helpful. What amazed me was that these big names, though with busy lives I’m sure, had time to respond to a fan. Not only is it inspiring, but you’re getting a direct answer from a long time professional and industry role model. Who better to get advice from than someone who has “been there, done that.”

Always be learning. This basically reiterates the previous ones, and almost seems obvious, but keep learning. You can’t be the best designer you can be without continuous learning. I sometimes think that when I hit a creative block, part of the reason may be because I haven’t forced myself to learn something. Again, I could be stating the obvious, but you would be amazed at the new ideas that arise when you learn a new development or photoshop technique.

So there you have it. Those are some ways that I think always help to perfect your craft. Often, when I keep doing these things, they help to avoid the unfriendly creative block. What way do you think help better yourself as a designer/developer?