How to become a sought-after designer without special education and talent



    Many people think that design is a talent. I will not deny that talent is a factor that positively affects the professionalism of a designer. But at the same time, I am sure that almost everyone can become a good designer. On my example, I will tell you how I managed to achieve good results in less than two years.



    Who am I

    Now I am 20. Two years ago, I realized that the institute would not give me everything that was needed and began to develop independently. The results came quickly. Six months later, I already made up a website for a startup, working two days a week. At first, I constantly had to correct incorrect indents and sizes, since I knew practically nothing about the design and did not consider it important. But less than a year later, I began to engage in system design, worth several hundred thousand rubles.

    Why am I writing this?

    Peers began to notice my results, and during the year they often asked the same question: “How to become a designer?”. At first I did not know how to answer it and thought that the main thing was a sense of taste (Ha ha. I remembered my old works). It all started really like that, but to go to the next level, something else was needed. More than six months have passed since then, and now I understand what things have helped me develop faster.

    How to become a designer

    I note right away that I'm not a cool designer. I have room to grow, but even today's results allow me to write this article. At 19, I could already afford to fly to Barcelona for a couple of weeks, earning the necessary amount for this for a month of part-time work. I agree that in every success there is a share of luck, but in fact it is lucky for someone who is lucky :). So, I turn to the point.

    Looking back on my experience, I highlighted three things that helped me to develop in the field of design.

    Copy

    Austin Cleon wrote an excellent book, Steal Like an Artist, which many designers love. Her main advice - do not be shy to copy the work of other designers. Someone might think that in this case their style is lost. But this is not so. Hundreds of works viewed will only become the foundation for your imagination. Having studied them, you will understand the basic principles of building an interface. Then it all depends on your imagination.

    Here are the sites I browse almost daily:

    awwwards.com
    dribbble.com
    pinterest.com
    land-book.com

    Even for a short career in the field of design, I often have to deal with similar tasks. In order to narrow my search, I (and almost all) use the Pinterest service, which allows you to collect collections of works organized by thematic boards. This will help when you need to view works on a single topic, for example, “profile page” or “news sites”.

    Practice

    Practice is more important than theory. I think you yourself will want to copy your favorite site and application concept. Do not be shy about it. Only with experience will you be able to create something worthwhile.

    For practice, you need a tool. I, like many designers, work on a Mac. Ever since I switched to Apple technology, my efficiency has increased. If this is not possible - do not despair. Most designers started with Windows.

    Popular Design Apps:

    Sketch. I like it, and since I switched to Mac, I work only in it.
    Photoshop
    Illustrator
    ...

    It is important to immediately collect the best work in the portfolio. Most clients find me working on Behance, despite the fact that I'm too lazy to keep it up to date.

    Taste

    Taste is really important. It's hard for him to teach. It seemed to me that this is innate, but over the past month I have changed my point of view.

    I believe that taste can be "trained." To do this, it is important to be inspired by good examples from the sites I cited above. And not only in the field of IT. While reading magazines, observe the layout of the text. Walking, look around. If you like something, think about why. Get inspired. It is important.

    What else

    Good design is expensive. But do not focus on money or beautiful design studio offices. Design can be boring if it's none of your business. But if you, like me, can sit for minutes and look at a well-composed text, then only discipline separates you from the result.

    Good luck!

    Design will save the world!

    a photo

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