Always sharpening my design sense & skills

There are plenty of tools, concepts, design systems, trends and more that are related to design which we all know we want to master. I bet you’ve went on Dribbble or Behance, got inspired by some of the crazy-looking things that people craft and feel bad about not being able to do the same.

The truth is, the more you know about the tools and what’s capable of making with them, not only you will be faster at bringing your ideas to life but also, become more creative at expressing your ideas. Personally, I spend some time everyday just to learn a new tricks, shortcuts or functionalities that I don’t know about.

New tools come out very frequently and the design field in general evolves very quickly. Keeping an eye out for them everyday is very important but trying them out is even more important.

Writing blogs about my own experiences

Nowadays, a lot of designers write blogs to express their thoughts and ideas. When I first got into design, some of the best resources were from reading blogs that were either written by students like me or by well-known designers/publications. Once I started to get some experience in this field, I suddenly wanted to write about my story. I think blogs are a great way to gather inspiration, share thoughts, and practice thinking and communicating more clearly.

Just like how good design can solve many problems, good writing can also solve problems that people face or question. Plus, it provides useful information for people who are eager to learn more about certain topic and even inspire others to push on harder. Most importantly though, writing is actually a huge part of the design process. When I did my internship at Facebook, I spent a lot of time writing/documenting my design process, justifications and to share my thoughts with the cross-functional team members.

“Writing IS Designing.”

Taking a stab at coding

Although many people argue that designers don’t know how to code, I think it’s worthwhile to at least learn the basics of coding so that you can properly understand the needs of the developers you work with. It’s also beneficial for students who are trying to create their own creative portfolio websites or take on more responsibilities during class projects too. Personally, I’ve contributed to the other team with code during my internship which amazed people.

Since design is such a creative field and we, as designers can come up with some crazy stuff, it’s a good idea to know whether or not things are feasible or take a long time to build (for the engineers). When you have a better sense of what’s technically realistic before you start designing, you’ll be less likely to waste your time and more likely to focus your energy focusing on the parts and even build a better relationship with other team members.

Doing side projects outside of school/work

Sometimes, your actual work could feel stressful and even not that much of fun. One way to blow off your imagination is to do some side projects during free time. And it could even help you sharpen your skills in the areas that you might not even get a chance to. Some of the smaller, side projects are a great way to test out some of the ideas and techniques you want to experiment with in a more informal environment.

A personal project can be anything that you do on your own, rather than for a client. It could be anything from building an e-commerce site, developing a new community site, or coming up with cool design concepts/prototypes. Personal projects are great because they provide you with an opportunity to experiment in whatever way you want in a real world situation. You are the one making the decisions, so you can take it in any direction that you want, allowing you to gain valuable experience.

Personal projects can be done at a lot of different levels. You also have the potential to make money on your free time. Whether it is through selling products, selling ad space, affiliate promotions, or some other type of income, personal projects have turned into significant sources of income for many designers.

Reading something related to design and tech

To help keep your creative juices flowing and to stay inspired, motivated and updated, reading blogs/articles/news are great ways to spend your time. On your way to work, while you sit inside the toilet or even when you sit down to get your food, try to foster that part of your brain outside of work as well. Don’t let yourself fall behind the times of design and technology: they’re both fast moving industries.

As a designer, it is important to know what the most popular design styles or patterns are currently and which designs are becoming a trend. As an example, when new iPhone X came out, some designers were already creating design concepts and even assets to stay updated with the trend and involve in active discussions. Some quick ways to stay in the loop is by visiting places like Medium, TechCrunch or Designer News.

Actively engaging in design communities

Designers have the instinct to share their designs, involve in design crits, follow designers they admire and stay connected. There are so many Facebook groups, Slack channels, LinkedIn groups, forums and online/offline communities out there that you can join and be an active member of.

Examining the work of other designers

One way to learn is to study the work of talented and experienced designers. Observing their work and the design decisions that they have made on their projects are great ways to stay inspired and learn. There are so many things to learn such as their ability to take in research outcomes into their designs, how they layout certain structures, white space usage, color schemes, typography, and even fine pixel-precise details of the design. You could potentially pick some of their skills to serve as inspiration for your own work.

You can learn a lot in a shorter period of time from many design veterans out there in the world. Although comparing your work from very talented people could sometimes be stressful work but it’s a way to exploring how to improve yourself. Search for top designers in your field and go through their blogs, portfolio websites and their projects.

Seeking feedback from others

Asking for help and feedback regularly is a must for a designer that is willing to solve the problems. Whether it’s at work with other designers, other cross functional team members, or even the clients(users), there are a lot of people out there willing to have a chat about your design.

While looking critically at your own work is important, but sometimes, you need a fresh eye — you’ll gain a lot from getting feedback from others. Although taking feedback and constructive criticism isn’t always fun, if your trying to look ways to improve your skills and develop yourself a better designer, this comes as naturally and is a must.

Enhancing soft skills

Even if you’ve crafted the world’s most brilliant design solution, nobody will get to see it if you can’t present it with panache. When I was at Facebook over the Summer, I went into weekly design crits, explaining my thoughts and my design/prototypes to other designers and the rest of the team. There, I’ve learned the importance of improving my presentation skills to not only make people inside the room feel involved and time-worthy but also to excite and interest them.

I think designers should know how to communicate ideas both by writing and engaging in a conversation. There are ways to train to become more comfortable with sharing your thoughts and presenting your point of view in front of others, whether or not you know them beforehand or not. Taking public speaking classes are helpful too but it’s also helpful to watch other designers give a talk (or any presentation) to learn how they articulate their ideas both passionately and comprehensibly.

Practice getting organized

Keeping track of your files/assets can be a challenge, but it’s important to organize things well in order to be more productive and quick. As designers, you work on projects with the help of a lot of different applications/softwares and it’s extremely important to prioritize the steps and to know which ones to use. Also, it’s important to keep track of the different versions of your designs as well as saving your work frequently.

Lastly, in a lot of applications/softwares, you could end up doing the same tasks over and over again. Therefore, it’s helpful to know how to save time so that you have time to work on other things.