Let us start off with a quote by Ideo CEO Tim Brown: “whenever we do something to improve the state of the world, we’re designing. Design is everywhere, inevitably everyone is a designer”.
Graphic Design is a unanimous concept that is evident in every sphere: be it business, sport, teaching etc; almost everyone in this world is familiar with the concept of designing. It’s a concept so novel, it has rendered communication easy! It’s open knowledge that everyone can use to his/her advantage. So how to develop a thinking pattern that allows you to visualize ideas like a designer? Well, read on! This blog has a few tips for you that would allow you to think and see things from a designer’s perspective.
How to think like a graphic designer?
1. Be a keen learner
A designer is always open to endless possibilities, quite like an avant-garde musician who makes last minute improvisations while playing live. People need to understand that they should always be willing to “take the plunge” with new and novel ideas! A good designer is always open minded and is always flexible to experimenting.
2. The art of practicing restraint
It takes sheer discipline and focus to practice restraint. Adding more and more to an already existing design is not complicated at all; what takes real skill is to know what to include and what to throw out! Sometimes what you omit is actually where the true genius lies!
3. Narrate a story/an experience
Mindless design is of zero use. It should be such that it actually talks to you. A great design is where compelling art meets creative storytelling; your design should be such that it replaces an active voice-over. Every design you create should effortlessly communicate your idea! That’s where the real genius of design lies.
4. Learn from surroundings
Anyone who is good at visualizing, holds the potential to be a good designer. Design is nothing but a process that derives its functioning from observatory power. If you’re creative, rational, analytic and observant; you qualify as a great designer!
5. Communication should be the goal
The goal of every design you conjure (whether for business or not) is to communicate what you’d otherwise be saying. Decoration shouldn’t override communication. For instance, you need to talk to your team about your budget spends; for that you’d need a clear-cut narrative that actually presents factual data in a simplified way (and not a cesspool of flashy looking designs). A design should not always be about “aesthetics”, it’s about solving and simplifying using the medium of artistic narration!
