Successful designers never stop learning, they keep growing and evolving their skills, they ensure their work stays relevant and ahead of the game. With a wealth of new technologies and tools to help us learn and discover new skills, here are my top 5 quick things you can start doing today in order to keep yourself ahead:
Sketch
Put pencil to paper. And by this I mean drawing and wire-framing. This is all about going back to basics. Ideas start in our heads and often the best way to communicate them is to simply draw on paper — this is where your concepts will initially come to life. By learning to sketch better you’ll be able to convey your ideas quicker and smarter.
Read — educate yourself
Build a reading list of books, design news or blogs, and make time in your schedule every week to read some of these. It’s the ideal way to discover new trends, new tools or to inspire your own ideas. It’s also a great resource for learning and building your knowledge.
Some of my go-to blogs at the moment are:
Write
By writing about design, it gets you thinking more about design. If you can write in a clear manner, it will help you communicate your ideas easier. It often helps me to learn more about a subject by writing and focusing on the topic in depth. Even if you write just a few sentences a week, this could help expand your understanding of particular aspects of design.
Related article: How to write for the web
Talk with other designers
Talking about your ideas and sharing your designs with fellow designers is a good way to gain insight and share knowledge. If you’re not surrounded by other designers, there are various networks for connecting online, such as Twitter and Dribbble. Try searching for local design conferences and meetups, these can be valuable places to meet and talk with other creatives.
Take time out
In order to stop yourself getting overwhelmed with work, it’s important to step away from your laptop or office every now and again. Some of my best design ideas have materialized when I’ve closed the laptop and removed myself from the usual work environment. Use your downtime to do something different and reinvigorate your creativity and imagination.
Related article: How to become a great UX designer
Final word
These tips above are just some of the small things you can start doing today to help you progress and keep learning about design. Within a fast moving industry, it is easy to fall behind and miss out on new trends and progressions. If you continue to learn and develop yourself as a designer you will help yourself stay ahead.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas, do you have any good tips? Feel free to leave a comment.
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Davina lives on the Mediterranean island of Malta where she works as a UX designer. Originally from the UK she has also lived in Barcelona. See some of her work here: www.davinaspriggs.com
Keep in touch
Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, see my work on Dribbble or my Portfolio.
More posts from Davina
How to become a great UX designer
How to design awesome log-in forms on mobile
Discovering the surrealist world of Spanish artist Salvador Dali
