11 Essential Tips Every Designer Should Be Aware Of
Daniels Mekšs
Here are some essential tips for designers and not only. Some of them are universal and can be ascribed with many other similarities in your own life even if it’’s not really with design. All tips are connected between so you should better read them all to get perfect understanding. Those tips are from my personal experience and knowledge which I found out helps me a lot daily, weekly, monthly and more! Almost every profession requires never ending learning and self educating, but especially it’s important in design field – new software, websites, tools come out every day, it’s your task to keep up, evolve your view and find the best ways to do specific tasks!
1. Never stop learning
Learning is never too much. You can never master everything, but at least you can try. Don’t limit yourself with just one direction. It’s always more advantageous to master for example Photoshop and Illustrator than just Photoshop. Nowadays there are tutorials and articles all over the internet. Try not just to look at the tutorial’s pictures, but try it as well. Make a new folder on your computer and try out some tutorials. You’ll be surprised that the things you saw as easy aren’t so easy at all. Accomplish yourself; you’ll be agreeably surprised about the results.
2. Read about design
It doesn’t matter if it’s a blog, a book or magazine. Stay up to date and read about things you’re interested in. You’ll find a lot of tutorials, articles and inspiration in blogs. Find time to really read something, not just run over the pictures.
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3. See something good? Bookmark it!
Probably every day you see something good on the internet. A Tutorial, article or some inspiration. Bookmark all of them. After couple of months you’ll have a great reading material for late nights. It doesn’t apply just on the internet.
Have a great idea? Write it down.
Little by little collect thing in your mind, because it will be with you everywhere. Enrich your inside world.
4. Stay organized
Organize your life and your work. Arrange your bookmarks in folders as well as your work. Create sub folders in your work folder, so you could quickly find everything you need. If you are using someone’s stock images bookmark them in separate folder. “Useful articles”, “Photoshop resources”, “Inspiration” – those are some of my bookmark folders. Follow example and create something similar. You’ll be able to find thing you need much faster. Maybe you’re interested in using Delicious.
Plan Your Daily Schedule: Useful Resources
5. Use social networks
You can find tons of useful information about your interesting direction. Use the opportunity, visit social networking sites often, so you would be able to keep up. But don’t be just a monotonous posting machine. If you use a social network, for example, twitter then really use it. Don’t just sit there and post from twitterfeed. It’s not so hard sometimes to tell what are you doing, how are you feeling or something like that. People will know you better and maybe you could even get some potential clients.
6. Don’t be afraid to differ
People always tend to follow the crowd. Maybe somewhere it’s working, but definitely not in design. You have to differ from the others, have something unique just to you.
Don’t be afraid to express yourself.
Don’t believe silly charts like this. Develop your own style and stay cool.
7. Show off yourself
If you want to be known you have to show the world who you are. Use sites like http://www.deviantart.com/ and http://www.behance.net/ to show off your work. Take part in discussions and forums. Maybe you even want to create yourself a portfolio or a personal blog. Promote your works using social networks. But, please, don’t post everything on internet. That’s a typical mistake lots of people make. Only reason they’re creating art is to put it on internet as fast as possible. Don’t hurry. Here’s a quick tip. Always try to imagine what your actions influence is in future and is it worth trying. For example you are almost done with awesome design, but you feel that something’s missing. Don’t give it up and end the work. Push it aside and do something else till you again have inspiration. Then do some final checks and only then show it off. You won’t remember hard work spent on the work, but you will feel comments and praises. The same applies on physical exercises.
You won’t remember your sweat during the training, but you will see the result.
So, sometimes it’s really worth to try harder.
8. Make some money
If you’re doing something with which you can earn, then why don’t?
This is pretty conflicting tip, because a lot of people are doing this because they just love it. I totally agree with that, I’m considering myself as this type of people too. But extra money is always good. For example you can work as a freelancer. If you don’t like it you can write tutorials, guest posts or something like that. You can easily do thing you like and earn at the same time. Great thing is so called passive earnings. That means that you create your work just once and it can be on sale for months. I suggest you check out Envato marketplaces like http://graphicriver.net/. It’s really worth trying.
9. Do some sports
Don’t spend so much time with computer. It may come in conflict, because you’re a designer – you spend pretty much time working, learning and possibly dealing with clients. But care about your health.
You don’t want to be blind, with crooked back and with “computer” tan in your nearest future. Find yourself a hobby, do some sports, spend time with friends or just do something at home.
Believe me, people won’t be as impressed if you can create a working website from scratch, as they would be if you could, for example, sing karaoke very well. Find something you’re interested in and do it. You’ll renew your working capacity, feel better and maybe make some new friends.
10. Work less
You’re a bit shocked after reading headline right?
But working less means working more productive.
If you just don’t feel like working then don’t do it. If you aren’t able to work good just don’t do it. Instead of sitting there, trying to do something, stressing, go outside and blow the cobwebs away.
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11. Live not just exist
Step away from your everyday routine and enjoy life.
There’s no worse thing in life than having no friends.
Go outside, have fun, spend time with your friends, travel.
You live just once and maybe the only things you’ll have in your old age will be your memories.
Probably you will not want to remember your spent hours with computer, but something unique. Your graduation, first kiss or something wild you’ve done. Life’s much more than design. I hope you got the message told in last three tips and maybe I motivated you to change something.
Hope you’ll enjoy my tips, maybe you can add something here – you’re more than welcome to do that in comments!
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Christian Mungle
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Rean John Uehara
Posted 270 days ago 51Hi, we’re using http://www.eleven2.com/
Flinn Megal
Posted 604 days ago 49Great Article. Thanks a lot for this
Mohanad
Posted 620 days ago 48Thank you for all the tips great article, i really need a vacation love my computer that’s why i will destroy it one day lol
Mahaveer Singh
Posted 696 days ago 47this has really inspired me :)
i am a totla beginner and this was the best one for a guy like me :)
.-= Mahaveer Singh´s last blog ..Rounded corner box using CSS.. =-.
Lisa
Posted 710 days ago 46Wonderful post and inspirational. Thanks for reminding me of the simple yet essential things.
Fer
Posted 710 days ago 45Lovely post. One of the best post I haver read on the last months.
Jeroen
Posted 713 days ago 44Never stop learning is not only a good advice, but also one of the reasons I like those %^^% computers and the internet.
Jenna Molby
Posted 717 days ago 43Great article! I agree with every point.
Ted Rex
Posted 717 days ago 42Your “never stop learning” mantra is well advised. The rapidly evolving nature of our business, the definition of communication and the tools we use to communicate all prove your point: if you stop learning, you stop being needed.
I made this one of today’s three links on my Design Thought for the Day blog:
http://designthoughtfortheday.blogspot.com/2010/02/02-26-keep-clients-hungry-for-more-tips.html
All the best, Ted
SajeerStarline
Posted 717 days ago 41Hai…
I never read an article like this ever before. So motivating and inspirational. The headings are quite energetic itself to supply power to the readers. Thank u so much..keep going on..
danny
Posted 717 days ago 40Good information and great pictures in the post as always.
Ravi Ahuja
Posted 719 days ago 39Great post very inspiring for all blogger
.-= Ravi Ahuja´s last blog ..10 Beautiful Linux Wallpaper =-.
SJL Web Design
Posted 720 days ago 38Great tips, interesting,inspirational and I found it very motivating! Definitely bookmarking!
Thanks.
.-= SJL Web Design´s last blog ..Our Top 10 Web Design Tools =-.
Gildo
Posted 720 days ago 37Thank you so much for your practical counsel. I’ve appreciated them so much in particular number 11, the picture also is amazing!
Sireesha Chowdary
Posted 720 days ago 36Really i like this post so much,, am impressed:)
thank u so much…
Peach
Posted 720 days ago 35Great read. Very inspiring and motivating.
This is one of the best blog post I read recently.
Thanks for sharing all these great tips.
Brian
Posted 720 days ago 34Number 11 “Live not just exist” are very important, don’t use your life in front of a screen ….do something different!
.-= Brian´s last blog ..Are You a Download Junkie? – Get Free Download Manager =-.
Suhela
Posted 720 days ago 33Great tips!!! I specially loved the 10th point “Work Less” and I totally agree with you. :)
Zine Creative
Posted 720 days ago 32I find this article very interesting! Thumbs up!
Puneet
Posted 720 days ago 31Thanks for sharing your thoughts, these are really very useful and very inspiring.
Keep sharing such things
Erken
Posted 720 days ago 30Totally agree with all the rules! Number 10 is used in sports as well. It’s always better to take your mind away from something if you don’t feel like it and come back to it later, rather than force yourself to spend time on it and achieve an average result!
Michal Kozak
Posted 720 days ago 29Nice post, it can be easily used as an “excuse” when you’re really swamped with work. Nicely done :).
.-= Michal Kozak´s last blog ..michalkozak: RT @amberweinberg: Multiple Class / ID and Class Selectors http://css-tricks.com/multiple-class-id-selectors/ =-.
henri
Posted 720 days ago 28Never stop learning .. very motivated.Thank you.It’s a worth reading.
.-= henri´s last blog ..15 Best Jquery Lightbox Plugins =-.
petenice
Posted 721 days ago 27Easy read. Healthy living. Very zen.