Tips on How to Become a Better DesignerListThumbs
Tips on How to Become a Better Designer
I've been working and, you could say, living as a designer for over 12 years now. Throughout these years a lot has happened, all of which caused me to grow as a designer and learn new things. In the beginning I had a vague idea of what was necessary to get better and succeed in the design industry, but it took me quite a few years to discover some basic concepts that really made me become a better designer. I will share some with you today.
Promote your work
"Put yourself out there, being awesome is long tail" - Allan Branch
In the beginning I was naive. I thought if you were good enough people would find you. I was never promoting my work until my office got robbed. Then I decided to create Abduzeedo and put my work out there. I made a Flickr account, DeviantArt, Behance... you name it. These services are much more important in promoting yourself than an own site can be. If you use the right tags and produce good work, these sites will make you more visible to the community.
Tips
- Start posting your work on sites like Flickr, DeviantArt, Behance, Carbonmade.
- Participate in groups on sites such as Flickr. It's an easy and simple way to get your work out there.
- Eventually create a separate portfolio site as well. It will give you more credibility.
Experiment
Your best work is your expression of yourself. Now you may not be the greatest at it, but when you do it, you’re the only expert - Frank Gehry
I think one of the main things that I really learned, is that personal projects are the best way to evolve when it comes to techniques and aesthetics. Being our own client and consumer, gives us the freedom and time to do what we want. Every time I see a nice effect in movies, posters, magazines, books, etc., I make a mental note to myself and then go home and try and recreate that effect. Doing that has really increased my arsenal of skills. It gives me more confidence when I have to start a new work for a client. Another great thing about experimenting is that it makes your portfolio bigger, better, and more versatile.
Tips
- Try to recreate effects you see and like just to learn the technique.
- Experiment with new trends that way you will be able to absorb those details that characterize the trend and apply them to future projects if necessary.
Personal project inspired by a scene from the Ironman movie
Encourage Feedback
Feedback is really important for designers. Sometimes you might get a lot of criticism, but that's okay, it's part of the game. The secret is to use the criticism as a motivator to evolve and not as a reason to get angry. You might even get some useful tips and advices. Sometimes we get so used to what we're doing that we become oblivious to some details in our work that is pretty clear to everybody else, it's important that we let other designers or really just anybody to take a look at our work. The small details are what will make your work better and unique.
Tips
- Ask questions when posting your work.
- Respond to the comments and post versions of the images with the suggested adjustments.
- Never argue or get extremely upset with the criticism, it not only won't help you but it might also ward off others from commenting.
Give Feedback
“It looks good” is the worst feedback you can get - Whitney Hess
When it comes to design, giving feedback is as important as receiving it. Participate in the community expressing your opinion when people ask. Try not to be rude or cocky. The idea is to help, get help, and evolve. The clash of ideas and point of views will really broaden your design skills.
- Comment on posts and sites where images are shared.
- Help others by giving valuable tips and ideas.
Share
The easiest way to promote yourself as a designer is by sharing your skills. Before Abduzeedo, I used to experiment in Photoshop, Illustrator, etc but I used to keep them to myself. Then my office was robbed and I lost everything. So I started Abduzeedo and with it, the tutorials. At first the tutorials were just a way for me to backup my files and have a quick overview of my techniques, but some became really popular which made me realize how important it is to share what we know.
I get a lot of emails with people asking me what the point is in making these tutorials and giving the source files away. Well, my answer is simple. I can show someone how to create a light effect or how to use Photoshop filters, but I can't show them how to come up with the idea themselves. The tutorials are about how I use the apps to make the ideas come true.
Tips
- Write quick tutorials showing some techniques you think might be useful to others.
- Write guest posts for other sites sharing your experiences and thoughts.
You can even make money by sharing your skills. Sites like PSDTUTS pay you to write for them
Pursue Simplicity
“Design is so simple, that’s why it’s so complicated” -Paul Rand
Less is more. That was one of the Bauhaus mottos almost 100 years ago and it's still new and true, even more now in the internet age where we live with an overflow of information. It's important to be simple and efficient. Everything that is good is simple, but not everything that is simple is good. Making something simple and good isn't easy. It requires a deep understanding of what we have to do and whom we're doing it for, so we can simplify things. I believe simplicity is all about being confident in the thought that less is more and making decisions to remove unnecessary features and elements.
"Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent". — Joe Sparano
Like I said, it took me more than 10 years to fully understand these things. I can call it experience because most of them I learned through my own mistakes. Now it's up to you to see if it'll be worthwhile for you. These aren't exactly rules, just thoughts and suggestions. I would love to hear your take on becoming better designers.
Magazine cover for Super Interessante based on a tutorial that the client saw and liked.
69 Comments
Hello! This is my first comment on an entry, but not my first entry.
I know abduzeedo since 1 year and I love this page and blah blah...
...simply, good job. I was needing something like this.
Thanks!Good pieces of advice !
http://piro-gfx.deviantart.com
Very nice and useful article Fabio.
I started good, but your post more help me to find out useful information that can help me be a better designer.
really cool thx
Sympa je vais suivre certaines de ces idées.
Thanx you very much !
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http://hybrid-creation.deviantart.com/
Great Article. Thank you for sharing. I like the statement: "Design is so simple, that’s why it’s so complicated”. Thats really true.
It's a great post, so inspirational.
Thanks to share it!
thank you very much.
these tips comes to the right time for me. thanks!
www.cromoart.de
great reading. thank you
Great advice, this website is a credit to you, the amount of posts and tutorials that you create each day. These tips are very useful and insightful, thanks.
ooo
cool stuff
Great post and very usefull tips. Thanks a lot! It was a good break reading this :)
Wow, those are some great tips. Just what I am looking for. Thanks for sharing.
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http://www.thepeachdesign.com
Really helpful! Thanks! Just made an account on Carbonmade..Just not sure how to promote it so that more people will view it!
Any tips?
http://chrishalderman.carbonmade.com/
http://www.flickr.com/halderman/
Jet another article to remember. I've just signed up for deviantart and going to fill it with designs. Even the designs from the past I would have already done different.
On November 23th I'll be going to Brazil for Holiday. I will bring a toast to your great website.
Very nice tips :D i´m a started like you said...start in last months publishing may work. lets see in few years the evolution :D
I feel better now haha
this is interesting for logos
http://www.logosupermarket.co.uk/Business
thx for the great post !
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http://lateant.deviantart.com/
great post!!! I TRY TO BECOME A BETTER DESIGNER!!!
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http://www.xvcreative.tk
http://zabala15.deviantart.com
http://twitter.com/carloszabalaxv
Nice post! Thanks!!
http://emeyers399.deviantart.com/
Drawing, drawing, drawing. Painting. Even study anatomy.
Too much people think that they can become good deisgners (or even illustrators! o_O) without any knowledge of traditional art, relying only on Photoshop's magic abilities ;-)
(photoshopdisasters proves my point big time)
Really great post :) thank you
Great list Fabio. Sometimes simple reminders like this can do a great deal for motivation.
Hello. I have a question. You say that it will be great if I:
* Ask questions when posting your work.
* Respond to the comments and post versions of the images with the suggested adjustments.
But on what community sites. I am on DA and flickr but not a lot of ppl are commenting my work. Do you have some forums to recommend or? Thanks! :)
great advice!
Great insite. The selfless sharing that goes on here is what brings me back everyday.
thanks again. you guys rock!
Whoa! Great piece and great examples! Thanks.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. I saw this before work and decided to flip through it at work while waiting on some processing of data.
Very good read-through. I really like that I found a good design forum with great input and have posted personal and commissioned works on the site for critique and give thoughtful critiques as well. Now I need to really post more on other sites (Behance, flickr, etc.) and my own site to really promote my design services.
Thanks again.
Nice article, i'll twitter it around :)
helpful tips and great examples of what you mean. There are a lot of these "how to be a better designer" posts online, but this one should be looked at first.
Great tips, thanks!=D
I liked your story about how you put yourself out there with Flickr and DA,etc.
And I like that you said simplicity is both new and old. Great thinking.
Don't measure yourself w/ others too harshly. What I mean is, three years ago we barely had any 'inspirational' websites out there to look at and gather from. Nowadays, its at every corner. Every inch we look, we are finding different ways to showcase our talents. Its hard not to get down on yourself and compare yourself with others. But don't. Everyone is different and creates differently, find your way and don't be afraid to share. Your only going to get better and w/ more experience you have the better it will be for you to help others. Its truly satisfying when you can actually look at an image and sort of figure out how it was pieced together. Remember its supposed to be fun, when it starts becoming stressful and mundane, step back and draw. Remember why you got into this industry in the first place.
very nice article! I learned a lot
Hi
first: I would like to be the woman at chocolatopia-I'm a chokoholic and love Spruengli from Swizerland :-) - chocolatopia makes my dreaming
second: The quote""Put yourself out there, being awesome is long tail" is wisely . Ne there where your audience is - have the heart to go out of your room ( I hope this is understandable) :-)
praise you get for free, envy has to be earned-- and if you realise somebody is enviuos - you know you have achieve the first step -
thanks a lot twitter, so I have found you
kindly regards
Monika
Very Nice tips....loving it
wow! very clear-cut and simply amazing. thank you so much! very helpful
Thank you. The truth is, I started doing graphic design because of abduzeedo. Seeing those amazing ads on magazines and billboards, it seemed impossible 4 me 2 make something like them. It always seemed so hard and far to reach for me although i liked graphic design and i knew i was creative.I don't remember how i got to check out this website but the moment i saw the first tutorial; that's when i started. This website has been a huge influence in my life. Sometimes i can't believe how much i've grown and i will continue growing. All thanks to abduzeedo.Don't stop what u're doing. You're such an inspiration, influence and encouragement!
Thank you for this!
love it great post!! and love the design phrases!
This was a great post because a lot of new designers don't fully understand the business side of things. Love the quote by Whitney Hess: "'It looks good' is the worst feedback you can get." Couldn't agree more with her!
Amazing tips! I will follow these :) *abducts*
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post "No teme" in your blog with the link to you?
Dude... Those words, and this post is just inspiring... Thanks a lot for sharing it, a lot of things that we will have to follow to become a great designer... Visit my site and give me feedback of my work...!!!
Thanks a lot these tips are really helpful :)
I agree with experimenting every body should do it
and also when comment on other people work try to give them helpful comments
A great read Fabio. I fully support the notion...."It looks good"...is never and will never be a great response. I am one of those designers who are still trying to find a comfortable spot in the design fraternity to rule, abuse and take advantage of. You keep these kind of articles cooking and I'll keep on reading and load my skills level and I guess in due course I'll be posting a few tips, motivation and tutorials. To Infinity and Beyond!!!!
Great post, really! Its like a wake up call for all those lazy designers (that includes me). Ill take these advices and live by it. I dont want to be invisible anymore.
Thank you! I love those listed articles so much! :)
Awesome post Fabio! Thanks for sharing this! I agree with most of those comments too!
I wanna become a better designer!
great post, love your mentality on tutorials maing
Exelente artigo! Achei curioso como você procurou se tornar um designer melhor, lendo o artigo, vi varias coisas que eu tambem procuro fazer para acrescentar meus conhecimentos...
Mas em fim,
Parabens pelo artigo que me motivou a continuar mostrando meu trabalho e, principalmente começar a compartilhar mais.
Obrigado!
Thank you for this article, there's some great advice here.
Thank you so much for this article. Great tips to start working on being a better designer, everyday.
I agree. Giving feedback to others is very important. Receiving feedback and think about it is most important !
Thanks for your tips.
Great article. Thank you for posting it along with all the other tutorials on your site.
Parabens fabio a cada dia que passa eu sinto mais e mais
vonta de continuar sendo um fã não somente do Abduzeedo e também seu fã.
Sucesso
Great article, I find this type of article more inspirational than your daily inspiration as it evokes thought on an emotional, rather than visual level...
Please keep this type of article coming, I love to hear what makes a designer tick, how the thought process evolves and how the end result is achieved.
I like that chocolate teaser picture...didi you created by yourself and if so how? by the way it is a good article ;-)
better then school (A)
thanks for such a great simple article
the best post for the designers
Interesting, some kind of obvious but sometimes we're so focused into doing then into thinking. =)
so nice fabio! thank you so much!
thanks alot fabio the inner self developent its via sharing and the best way to share knowlege its tru our own experience. it is obious that someone will not be agree with our work, and it is always good heard what they have to say and this article in particular its very important.
I tink your work its great, but I also think that it could get better
so keep progressing and sharing tuts man
i make some stuff, I like it ....I keep seeing and always found new things to get better.
anyway thanks man
Este artículo es uno de los mejores que he leído, producto de la certeza que te da la experiencia. Y que como diseñador novel, te ayuda a entender que somos producto de un proceso que lleva varios años.
Gracias Fabio!
Great thoughts and suggestions. Here's one I have to remind myself of nearly everyday. "Don't give up!" If you are like me, and many designers I suspect, it is very easy to doubt your own abilities and start the old "maybe I'm not good at this" thinking. This can happen half way into a logo design, illustration or just about anything else you are designing. At this point you have to push on and tell yourself not to give up! If you keep on going it will work, it always does. Just don't give up!
Simply: Thank You very much!!!
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