8 Common Mistakes Made By Newbie Designers

The line between ‘good’ design and ‘bad’ design is one that’s often blurred. After all, taste is pretty subjective. However, it’s easy to differentiate the two once you begin to analyze design in terms of actual results; i.e. how well the visual delivers your message and how your audience responds to that message. A good design will clearly communicate your message, but if your design isn’t up to par then your message will become muddled and actually confuse the viewer instead.

When you start working in design, it can take a bit of trial and error to ‘get things right’ after just a few revisions (if you get things right in one go, you’re basically Picasso), so we’ve put together a few common mistakes made by newbie designers to help you out.

1. Playing It Safe With Symmetry

Balance is actually one of the fundamental principles of design, but balance doesn’t necessarily mean symmetry. Whilst perfect symmetry definitely has its place, it can also be a little boring. If you really want to catch the viewer’s attention, it’s worth trying out an asymmetric approach to your visuals.

2. Not Utilizing White Space

Using white space helps to create focus, guide the eye in a particular direction, and create a clear visual hierarchy. By utilizing white space, you’ll avoid the ‘cluttered’ look that can impede your efforts to communicate with your audience.

3. Poor Font Choice

Your choice of font can really make or break a design. This is something that shouldn’t be done in a few seconds; you need to take the time to choose the most appropriate font for what you’re trying to communicate.

Each font has its own personality and will provoke a different emotional response from the reader. Designer, Sarah Hyndman gave a talk at TEDxBedford called ‘Wake up and smell the fonts’. where she discussed this in detail;

“My passion was really kick-started when I taught Experimental Typography at LCC, which explored how expressive type and letterforms could be. This is where I learned that there was much more to typography than history and ‘rules’.”

4. Getting Too Abstract

Whilst it’s important for a logo to be unique and stand out from the crowd, the key to a successful design can also be found in its simplicity. The more recognizable a logo is, the more memorable it will be.

5. Relying On Visual Cliches

It’s okay to use a cliche now and then (speech bubbles, light bulbs, etc.) but there’s a point where it simply becomes overkill. After all, how will you ever have a unique design if you’re using the same concepts as everyone else? Sometimes, a ‘cliche’ can become a little more creative and unique with just a few adjustments.

6. Providing The Client With Too Many Concepts

If you send a client 10 design options that include the ‘worst’ option, then they’re going to choose the ‘worst’ option. It’s just how it goes! Take the time to choose your top three choices and send them to the client. When you do this, the client still gets to have some input (clients love input!) and you can rest easy knowing that your design won’t destroy their business.

7. When Clickable Items Don’t Look Clickable

If you want a site visitor to click on an element, you have to make it obvious that the element is actually clickable. If it’s a link, either change the color or add an underline, and if it’s a button — don’t forget to use a contrasting color to the webpage. In a menu, it’s common for items to become highlighted when a user hovers over them.

8. Forgetting That Not everyone Uses An iPhone Because You Use An iPhone

… or a 24 inch display monitor, for that matter! Designers often forget to take into account that not everyone will be using the same equipment, and that the design must work across a number of devices and displays.

Work In Progress

As a designer, you’ll always be a work-in-progress — much like your creations. But that’s a good thing! Once you’re open to continually evolving and learning new skills, your ‘mistakes’ will only motivate you to do even better in the future. So, take these tips on board for now, but go easy on yourself when you’re starting out too. Everyone has to start somewhere!

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