Graphic design is a very large field of knowledge that is constantly evolving. Therefore, it is not advisable to go through the same path, making already known mistakes.
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A beginner is a novice designer. There are a lot of such people. They have a lot of problems and do not know where to start, what to do and how to do it. For them, any question is a headache. They do not know the theory of design, and there is no practice at all. That’s why there is a special checklist for a beginner designer for them.
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Self-taught designers are the second category of designers. They are very ambitious and think they know everything. They realized what graphic design is through their own experience and their “bloody” mistakes. They’ve learned from other people’s work, but it’s hard for them to move forward because they have a sense of what good design is, but don’t understand the underlying principles. They don’t understand design theory, but have mastered Adobe Photoshop or Figma.
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Advanced – professionals who want to understand the difference between good design and bad design. For this type of designer, the most important thing is learning and pursuing knowledge based on the success and failures of projects already done.
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4 tips for the aspiring designer
Copycat. Go to Behance, pick 2-3 examples of the most outstanding references and start making. Try to replicate the design of a web page and you’ll see how you start to get a feel for element sizes and spacing.
Steal. Not literally, of course. Don’t pass it off as your own. Take apart a technique or a designer’s trick into molecules. Understand what and how it works and make it better.
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Copy. Look around, study your competitors. Take the best from them. Stand over their shoulder and learn to copy. The only rule is never copy blindly. Analyze and understand how one designer is different from another.
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Don’t be original! Start absorbing like a sponge. Read books, blogs, forums. Get in contact with designers, write letters, find a connection, but don’t be annoying. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just study it.
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Tips for the self-taught designer
Only use professional fonts for the website. Don’t use fonts made on your lap. It’s hard for a designer with 2-3 years of experience to understand fonts, so trust reliable sources like Fonts.google.
Color Emotion. Remember a simple rule – restrained color palette at corporate sites, bright colors at sites for end consumers.
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Content Magic. Take images and photos only on professional photostocks. Never use in the design of photos without additional processing.
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The power of words. Write text for your website, blog or client yourself. This way you will understand the topic better. If the words don’t add up and get stuck in your mouth, hire a copywriter.
Visual hierarchy. The most difficult part of the checklist. Put the subject first, then the predicate. There should be order in design, too.
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Grid. Line everything up on a ruler. Align horizontally and vertically. Learn to find connections between objects. Try grouping. This will help make the design cleaner.
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Tips for the advanced
Treat all objects as elements. For example, web design is a discipline of graphic design. The design of any page is created from simple building blocks: lines, points, and planes. When designing a web page, learn to think in simple shapes.
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Adhere to the principles of graphic design. All page elements are subject to principles: contrast, alignment, grouping, and the like. These principles are described in Gestalt theory and explain how humans perceive design.
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Observe the three parameters in the paragraph: line height, font size, and line length. These are independent parameters that make the website design balanced and clean.
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The 60/30/10 rule. When using color in web design, stick to these proportions. The ratio of 60% + 30% + 10% is meant to balance the ratio to get a harmonious combination. You need to choose 60% of one color that will dominate. Another 30% is another color that will contrast with the main color. The remaining 10% is a third color that complements the details and creates balance.