With summer in full swing, it is normal for us to take some time to relax and enjoy the inviting climate. A situation that we can complement with other activities. How to improve our skills as designers. And that is precisely what we want to talk about in this article. As we say, it is a necessary good to take time to rest and recharge. But learning as designers must be continuous to keep us active and our skills are fresh.
And is that learning is essential for our professional career as designers to stay in shape. It will revitalize our interests and expand our skills. Sometimes, the space dedicated to work means that we put aside that curiosity to learn new things, whether due to tiredness or lack of time. Fortunately, if we take certain habits as our own, we can combine work with continuous learning. Here we show you some actions that we can carry out to continue learning and improving.
Practice, Practice, and Practice
When you practice, you must be very clear that these designs are not something to teach publicly. It does not matter how many times you have to repeat it. It does not matter that you have to start from the beginning. Every minute you spend practicing, it is a time of experience that you are accumulating. And that's something very valuable that you're getting as a designer. The goal is to learn progressively and not get overwhelmed with problems at the beginning. It can be quite overwhelming to practice a design on your own. If you can, look for a mentor, someone with a good eye for design, who gives us feedback with his vision. We do not always have to wait for the comments to be positive. But let us serve to grow as designers.
Learn the Basic Principles of Design
Although it may seem obvious, we are many (among which I include myself) that many times we put aside the theory of design when we started a project. What may seem trivial at first may sooner or later become a problem. That can lead us to have to rethink a whole project from scratch.
We have a couple of articles talking about the basic principles of design: about the rule of thirds for composition, both in graphic, web and logo design UAE. And on the golden ratio, more difficult to apply, but that can give us good results. And it's something we do not want to forget. The theory of design is something that will always be there to help us, and that can be converted into a lifeboat according to what works.
Read, Watch and Listen to other Designers
Picasso once said: Great artists copy, geniuses steal. We may not have to take your words literally. But if we have to take influence from someone, better that it's from great artists and designers. What at first may be the desire to literally copy the design of someone we know makes good designs, little by little it will end up adopting their style. And if we have several references, in the end, the mixture in our head of all of them will become an amalgam of our own. That if we are able to give it shape, it will become a style of its own.
Just as we do not assume that there are great film directors who have not learned from others. Or great painters who have their own influences. We, as designers, must soak up the work of others. You have to see and observe their designs and know how they got to them. Read books, like some we have recommended, to know how they thought. You never know where the inspiration will come from, but if we have previous feedback, it is more likely that it will arrive sooner.
Create an account in Dribble and Behance
In case you do not know them, Dribble and Behance are probably the biggest websites to teach your projects and share them with the rest of the community. Being on these websites is not only good for you because you can share your projects. In addition, you can have feedback from other designers, as well as inspire you with all the jobs and profiles you can find.
And it is that many times if we work alone, we do not realize possible errors that we can commit. Or we simply begin to repeat, without even realizing, certain patterns in our designs. Having all of them look the same. The constructive comments of other colleagues can give us ideas on how to cover certain designs. In addition to rethinking how to approach the projects.
Teach your Knowledge and Skills to other People
This is a very important step that you can take. Many designers have a web-only as a portfolio to show their designs and projects. Maybe you think you're not someone who can teach other people because I'm still learning. However, sharing your knowledge is an excellent way to learn as well.
Writing design articles help you organize your thoughts and review the knowledge you have already acquired. In addition, it usually requires some previous research, which may even lead to knowing the topic you are dealing with in greater depth. Creating a blog is definitely a good idea. And it is highly recommended to do if we feel sufficiently prepared to take the step. If you dare to set up your own blog, here are some of the best blog templates you can find for WordPress.
Experience
We live in a world in which we increasingly seek a place of comfort to stay in it. And if we want to evolve, or even reinvent ourselves, we cannot stand in the same position. We must not be afraid to make mistakes. From all experience, even if it is failed, we can always get some reflection or knowledge that helps us take a step forward. Surely these experiments will be mostly a disaster. But sooner or later, you will get your reward.
Try new fonts. You play with impossible colors. Use new software tools. Leaving your comfort zone will make you try harder. Leaving aside conformism and monotony. As you can see, these councils can be applied in your daily work, or in your free time. And is that if you are a designer, surely every new experience and experience you see from a different perspective, with which you can continue to improve.
And for you, what are the techniques you use to try to be better designers every day?