A lot of people think that being a successful creative web designer only means that you must have the talent and skill for it, but that’s hardly the case. Being a successful creative web designer has a lot to do with the way you work.
You can’t teach good design, that’s for sure, but it never hurts to learn a few new tricks, or to simply make the most of your talents. To help you with your creative success, here’s fifteen ways to be more successful as a designer.
Consider metaphors.
Great ideas can stem from using themes and metaphors. Basing a site design around the idea of a school, for example, can open up a whole avenue of ideas. A great design works because the theme houses and conveys the content seamlessly.
Don’t take all day to brainstorm.
It always helps to throw ideas around with a colleague or friend (as long as he knows what he’s doing). Try to have a couple of short sessions of brainstorming rather than a massive one as ideas can quickly go cold.
Get off that computer!
Sometimes it’s best to just have a break. Leaving the computer can seem like going on holiday in rush hour, but it usually helps if you just take a 10 minute break and get some fresh air. If you can’t do that, try listening to some music, or taking your jumper off.
Join a forum.
A lot of creative designers work from home, but that doesn’t mean they can’t talk to anyone. There are a lot of really helpful and talented people out there willing to have a chat about designs; you just need to find them. Scour the internet for communities where you can feed off each other’s input.
Think about your brand.
Try going to a few courses on branding, as brand thinking is vital to developing the way you think. Keep your ideas squeaky simple, and 9 times out of 10 they will work. Thinking in terms of branding means you can develop key words to stem your ideas from. Complexity just doesn’t work.
Use a sketchbook.
Always start with ideas that you’ve scribbled down in your sketchbook. Whenever you get an idea just make sure you get it down on paper. This always helps as whenever you’re stuck at a later date, you don’t have to go out and buy another book, just refer to your own! Don’t just keep it to ideas though, put URLs, book titles, words, and all the sketches down that you can. It will develop into your creative mind, on paper.
Get your specs straight.
Always ensure you know the media you’re going to be using at the start of working on a project. Knowing that there’s going to be photography involved means you may need to think about locating a shoot. 3D may mean getting some help to make it look that little bit better. Taking it to print in the last minute is also not advised: things never usually go as planned! So ensure you know the scale of production you’re going to be dealing with, and research the printing processes you’re going to use.
Draw a map.
It helps to visualize the brief. Highlight key words and phrases, and jot them down in your trusty sketchbook. Then see how these ideas could link up by drawing lines between them and branching out from those core ideas. Pretty soon you’ll have enough on the page to sketch out some decent ideas.
Rough it out.
Once you have “THE idea”, and it’s on paper, try putting it together at low resolution on the computer. This way you can see what you might need to rethink or improve to get the job done well. At this stage you don’t need to worry about perfect dimensions or colours, just see how it goes.
Take a shower.
No, not because your odor is putting your colleagues off, but because (apparently) running water increases brain productivity. Try not to bring the issues with you, but spend time in a place that you feel really comfortable in can greatly help those ideas flow.
Stay on top of the latest happenings.
Don’t let yourself fall behind the times of design and technology: they’re both fast moving industries. On the other hand, don’t go following the latest fads just because everyone else is. Keep yourself updated by visiting sites such as Smashing Magazine and DesignIsKinky. However, our personal favorite for up-to-date design is this absolutely mind-blowing awesome site called Liquidicity.
Keep to web standards.
It always looks like you mean business when your site is 100% standards compliant. However, some browsers still don’t always like to play ball. If it works and looks the same in all browsers then you have done your job, no matter how compliant you are. If there is one tool you’re going to get to dramatically improve your web design standards it would have to be the Web Developer Toolbar for Firefox.
Make a library.
In most programs, you end up reusing something that you once made a while ago. It always helps to keep a well organised library of all your reusable files. This especially applies when you’re working with Flash, where you can keep track of loops, buttons, timers, code snippets, and symbols. This centralized library can also help keep your work consistent.
Save. Save. Save. Save again.
Are you getting the message? No matter how decent your computer is, don’t leave yourself in a position where you could lose all of your days’ work in one flick of a switch. Then you end up having to reboot or your computer freezes and all your work is kaput. Don’t let a reboot ruin your day.
Collaborate.
We never let things go before we’re completely happy about the final version. Working together means you can share your ideas as mentioned before, but also give critique to one another before finalising the design. These friendly, supportive criticisms can save you from harsher comments later on from your boss or client. Working together is also a whole lot more fun.
