At times us designers feel frustrated, fragile or unmotivated, this is the life you signed up for as a designer. You will face all kinds of challenges ranging from poor leadership to a pissed off client who will take a dump on you(not a real one I hope) but again this is what you signed up for. Then on the other side of the spectrum you have the joys of design, ah yes... those times when you’re the rock star who created something awesome that everyone just talks about, and just can’t seem to get enough of. I wish that was all the time, but I guess we would not appreciate those moments if it was an everyday thang..

Maybe we can learn to become better designers so we feel this more often then not? I know I could use some improvement, but let me share what I do know.

“Be committed to the craft, if you say you’re a designer commit all the way”(WTF does that mean?) exactly… but it sounds cool right? this is the typical shit I find in blogs when asking google “how to become a better designer”.

1. Know your shit! if you’re a designer don’t just wear the clothes, the big dorky glasses, and skinny jeans and you always have illustrator up on your monitor when I walk by. Learn the product silly, sit with the business people and ask lots of questions because you can’t design a product you’re fuzzy on. (the whole biz not just your area)
2. Step away from the monitor and Illustrator, go talk or have a coffee with other designers and try to find out what makes then tick, where do they find inspiration go talk with the developers too this is super important. This will also earn you some human points and show others its ok to not be introverted.
3. Try taking frequent breaks at work, the work will be there when you get back, you will feel 3X times more refreshed and get it done faster with minimal effort or frustration. A clear mind is a happy mind, don’t sweat it!
4. Stay current! find some cool sites that you can go to get the creative juices flowing but also find blogs, podcasts…etc that talk about design and what’s coming soon..etc this should get you started and here
5. Search job boards! not to change jobs but to see what skills are becoming more in-demand for your title, you need to know if more employers are looking for designers for example who can prototype, or animate..etc so know you can go learn this lacking skill set.
6. Don’t be afraid to fail or look stupid, I do this everyday and I still have a good job, and I still get recruited all the time by some of the top tech companies..lol. Laughing at yourself is the behavior of a humble and confident person that welcomes every challenge.
7. Have a sense of humor, the best designers I have ever met are some of the funnest SOB I know. Nothing makes your job more enjoyable then spending time with people who can laugh, leave your weird introverted personality at the door and embrace the culture of funny.

This is all I got for now, other then obvious stuff like brush up on your design skills, flock to sites like Dribbble and Behance but please don’t take those sites literally, 80% of the stuff on there would not be user friendly or really work.

Have fun!

Follow me for design tips @koridhandy