Becoming a genius in Design

Intro

How to be a good designer? It’s hard to say. Probably one should be able to code, know Photoshop, be a good architect or manager + designer + unicorn, or smth. This is not an article about that.

Here I collected tips/perks I discovered on my journey into calling myself a designer.

Consider these to be summarized concepts rather than serious ass advice. Have fun.

Tip 1 — Work a lot

Practice makes perfect, so learn to have fun in the process. Instead of dreaming about the outcome, enjoy the small details of your daily routine and learn to be happy while you in these waters.

Tip 2 — Take a break

Learn to distract yourself from cluttered thoughts and calm your mind. 💭

Instead of staring at the screen, relaxing and conducting inner research will bring the best ideas when stuck.

Consider meditation as one of the tools you should apply to progress from time to time.

Tip 3 — Master your tool

Any tool. Just focus on one at a time and achieve results with it.

Once you master one, you will be able to do crazy shit, even if it Photoshop. And, the next tool will be much easier to get into.

At least because learning is — also an interface you recognize with time.

Tip 4 — Steal like an artist

It’s hard to come up with original ideas at the start.

So no need to shame. Find someone else’s design you really like, and copy it while constantly making it better.

Count that process being rethinking of a problem solution rather than stealing the idea.

Tip 5 — Learn to listen

Use listening as a tool to establish trust, learn others’ viewpoints, and collect valuable intel to make your design better.

Tip 6— Articulate your design

Know how to present your work and articulate your decisions. Put ego far away when reviewing and getting feedback also.

Bonus tip — Learn to get feedback like this girl:

Tip 7 — Learn to lose

Sometimes your design won’t work, and it’s okay.

Please don’t focus on the loss and consider it as a defeat. Use it as a valuable experience to get ready for the next battle.

Tip 8 — Optimize your process

Plan your way smartly — use best practices and guides to shorten the distance. Skip designing everything from scratch and pre-made assets to speed up the process.

Always strive to reuse and power up your toolkit.