Designers make tons of mistakes and too often, they underestimate what it’s going to cost them. It could cost you everything if you stay stuck on the same mistakes. Passion is hardly enough. You have to stop letting the feelings lead and take charge of your creative process.
- Don’t be Orginal. Be creative.
Take incremental steps towards exploring your creative side. Don’t overthink your designs. You must learn to let it flow. In fact, play pretends with your work – find multiple ways to achieve your designs, the only limit you should have is your ultimate satisfaction.
Set up a space where you can be creative and try to work out of there very often. Consider ideas from others, especially children. Children give an uninhibited view which tends to be refreshing. Interpreted correctly, it could be the most important element of your design. Never hoard ideas because you are worried someone else would copy them. They might have the idea but the execution makes all the difference.
There are also chances that someone else had thought about the same thing before you. Sincerely, nothing is truly original. So, stay fresh in your ideas and be determined to be creative.
2. Separating patterns and color along the lines of gender i.e. masculine & feminine.
This seems trivial but it is an error committed over and over again. You’re trying to build a website, you decide on the ‘masculine pattern’, something bold to depict strength – when your work is done, the finished product will be the same as a zillion other sites that refused to fuse the best themes up because it wasn’t masculine enough for them. You are a designer; you most definitely want to stand out. Create your designs with tones that appeal to you and your brand. Leave your gender out of it. Explore the options. You would be surprised at how much you could be missing out on.
3. Pay attention to details.
As a designer, research is a major part of your work life. It’s among the first things you should get used to. Be thorough and accurate about your design. You have to find your style for each one and stick with it. Are you working with the industrial, contemporary, or minimalistic style?
The first thing to do is figure out what works with your chosen style. Throwing in an industrial feature on a contemporary design could upset the whole process. To avoid jumbling up what you’ve done, make a list to keep track. This would literally save you. Be open and aware. Less is more. One item can be spun multiple ways. You don’t need all the resources you have to pull off a perfect design.
The beauty of every design is the details.
4. Falling Victim to New Trends.
This is a trap.
DON’T.
To stay focused, always ask yourself why you design. Whatever your answer may be, that should be your light, guiding you. Trends come and go, this is why your designs should be able to stand the test of time. If you keep adapting to trends as they come, you would eventually forget why you design them in the first place.
Master your art.
Find great people to work with.
Dabble in some genius level of expression so that your designs reflect your vision.
Develop your skills and think both within and outside the box.
If you feel confident enough, you could allow the trend to influence your designs just a little. But avoid joining the bandwagon by all means. It is a great idea to have mentors who aren’t phased by trends so that you’d have examples of why falling victim to trends isn’t the best thing for you.
5. Allowing self-doubt affects innovation.
As a designer, research is a major part of your work life. It’s among the first things you should get used to. A healthy dose of self-doubt is allowed and even normal. The problem is when it eats deep and restrains your creativity. You could find yourself not wanting to put your eggs in one basket; so you try out multiple designs instead of focusing on the particular one and giving it your all. This mistake happens to the best of us.
Narrow your focus. The best thing you can do as a designer is to specialize. Decide on what you want to achieve and limit the styles. Those few limited pieces should have your wildest ideas. Infuse your personality into them.
The ultimate goal is to create signature designs, designs that would introduce you even when you are not present. Think of what Versace does with gold trimmings and black velvet every fashion week. Think of the Apple logo. Forego that vision of competing with huge brands and do your own thing.
Also, you must understand that every good design takes time. Do not fall under the impression that it gets easier with more practice. Design is dynamic. The more you learn, the more you realize that you still have a lot to learn.
