Become better at design

Probably one of the most often-asked questions I receive is “how do I become better at designing?” This question speaks deeply to my own heart because during my early years in this profession I asked it repeatedly. I asked other website and blog owners — and even more importantly — I asked myself.

Now, many years later, the answer to that question has become crystal-clear. But, the answer is usually the one that most people don’t like to hear. If you really want to know what it takes to become better at design and website design then read on…

Surprising to most of my clients, I studied music and music composition in college. Design and layout had very little to do with degree. My normal day was spent locked away in a small, musty practice room pouring over the musical compositions of the great composers and then trying to duplicate them with using my own personal style.

My music composition professor often told our class the following:

“The first time you do a homework assignment you don’t internalize anything — you’re just going through the motions. Later, and not part of any homework assignment, you have to try to create the same thing again. It’s not until the third or fourth time that you do the assignment on your own that the lesson that was intended to be taught will become part of your creativity.”

This is the key to becoming better at design.

During a typical year at my freelance design job, I create about twice as many “practice websites” as the number of actual client websites that do make it online. These practice websites never see the light of day. I make them to experiment with new design concepts and creative ideas. I believe this to be a vital part of the learning process — to practice until you can internalize the new information.

Of course, reading books and visiting websites and blogs on design is an important part of the learning process. But true learning and mastery only occurs when you apply over and over again what you learn.

What you can do:

Here are some things that you can do starting today that will help you to improve your design abilities:

• Buy books on design and DO the exercises
• Read tutorials on blogs and websites and actually DO them.
• Find websites with designs you like and duplicate them as practice
• Ask others to critique your work

Becoming better at anything requires work. The good part is that the more you work at something the better you become and the easier it is to let your true creativity flow.