Qualities of Design(er)
I. Qualities of a great Graphic Designer
II. Traits of successful Graphic Designer
III. Great qualities of Design
I. Qualities of a great Graphic Designer
Graphic designers may be easy to come by but finding a great graphic designer can be more
of a challenge.
A strong sense of design and an artistic skill set are often seen as the key to becoming a great
designer. This is why many aspiring designers dedicate years to creative practice.
But there are other skills people can not learn through textbooks or workshops.
No matter which field you are in, graduating w/ a degree doesn’t mean a guaranteed future.
Just like any other career, graphic design requires honing some valuable traits.
In fact, it is oftentimes the personality traits of a designer that will make or break their career.
To succeed, there are some key qualities you need to look out for when to be hired for or to
be aspired to become the very best designer.
Following are some of the top tips that will distinguish a great graphic designer (Blast Digital).
Creativity
Consistency
Problem solving
Always learning
Able to take criticism
Patience
Creativity
A great graphic designer must be imaginative and they must be able to apply that
imagination into their work.
Creative people do not just follow the crowd and the latest trends, they find inspiration in
everyday objects and even themselves.
37% of marketers said visual marketing* was the most important form of content for their
business, second only to blogging (38%).
*Visual marketing is the process of marketing with photos, videos, and other visual elements
that attest to the value of your product or brand
Consistency
In graphic design, the word consistency often crops up (=surgir), whether you are working
with clients on a website design, creating posters or even flyers, it’s essential to keep your
designs consistent following a brand’s identity.
Using a brand’s color scheme, styles and fonts should be considered during all aspects of
creation.
A great designer will be able to incorporate a brand’s identity into all new inspiring design
ideas and if a brand identity is not clear, a designer will be able to create one for them.
Problem solving
To become a great graphic designer it’s important knowing how to problem solve.
A designer has to make things work, not only to create something brilliant but to know how
their designs can work, whether that is in a website’s development stage or knowing how to
work with a client’s challenging expectations.
A great graphic designer will not shy away from a challenge and will most likely discover new
ideas and ask questions that most of us will overlook.
Always learning
Something you designed last year will not be necessarily how you’d design it now, designing
is a lifelong process.
A great designer can often be described as humble and always embracing new ideas from
others.
As the graphic design industry evolves a great designer will be the one to keep up with all
new developments to get ahead of latest trends.
Able to take criticism
Not everyone will like everything you design, this is not because your design is bad, but
because the client may have had a different vision in mind, criticism is something that should
not be taken personally, it’s only another person’s opinion.
A great designer will take criticism positively, accept it is bound to happen, then learn what
works well and what does not work.
Patience
Designing great work can be time consuming, the best ideas often do not come quickly and it
can take numerous attempts for an idea to develop.
A great designer has the patience to continue working on an idea that corresponds with the
clients needs.
If the client keeps changing their mind, or coming up with different ideas after you have
spent a long time making those ideas come to life, a great designer will be patient and give
the client what they want (within a set timescale) because you know the end result will be
worth it.
NB: There are of course many more traits that a great designer should have but if you can find
a designer with all these qualities, you are already off to a good start.
II. Traits of successful Graphic Designer
A strong sense of design & an artistic skill set are seen as the key to becoming a great designer.
This is why many aspiring designers dedicate long hours – even years – to creative practice.
But honing one’s technical skills isn’t the only way to become a successful graphic designer.
There are other skills people can’t learn through textbooks or workshops.
No matter which field you are in, graduating with a degree doesn’t mean a guaranteed future.
Just like any other career, graphic design requires honing some valuable traits.
In fact, it is oftentimes the personality traits of a designer that will make or break their career.
Here are 10 essential traits every graphic designer needs to become successful (WP Pluginsify).
Good Observational Skills
Patience and Perseverance
Effective Communication Skills
Resourcefulness
Time Management
Reliability and Honesty
Ability to Handle Criticism
Motivation to Learn
Open-Mindedness
Cooperation
Good Observational Skills
A good eye for design is definitely a skill every designer needs to learn.
But before finding the right color palette or layout, there is one thing designers must do first,
and that is to focus on the project brief (short description of key elements=résumé).
It’s unfortunate that some designers tend to overlook this piece of document.
The project brief contains the client’s needs and requests and should be treated with utmost
importance.
With such valuable information, it should also act as a guide when conceptualizing designs
for the project.
It’s crucial for the designer to listen to their clients.
But oftentimes, clients may not even realize the needs of their own project.
Not everyone can tell the difference between the aesthetic and the functional.
Perhaps their ideal design won’t solve the problem at hand.
This is when the graphic designer may need to rely on their own observational skills to solve
the problem.
It’s not enough to present a beautiful design.
And so the designer must make sure that their work of art is practical and functional as well.
Patience & Perseverance
Becoming a graphic designer may be the ultimate dream for many.
After all, it seems to be such a fun career compared to an ordinary desk job – that is, if you’re
seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.
Being a graphic designer isn’t as glamorous as many people think it is.
Revisions are inescapable no matter how skilled a graphic designer may be.
And it may take forever before a client finally approves a single design.
There will be countless encounters with difficult clients who will show no mercy.
And there will be plenty of days when the temptation to give up will be greater than one’s
passion and drive.
As they say, only the strong survive in the graphic design industry.
And the only time a person becomes unsuccessful at anything is when they decide to give up.
When things aren’t going as planned, it is important that designers remain patient and
persevere.
Effective Communication Skills
Graphic designers may be very good visual communicators.
But even so, the ability to communicate verbally is equally important.
This doesn’t mean that one needs to be highly proficient with their words.
But the ability to communicate their thoughts and ideas should be a priority.
The main point is to get their thoughts across effectively, in a way that even non-
designers can understand them.
This is especially true when designers need to present more complex ideas to clients.
Not everyone can understand design lingo and technical jargon, and find a way to
explain the process can be quite a challenge.
But a successful graphic designer knows just the right words to use when
communicating with clients.
Resourcefulness
When there’s not enough material to work with, a good graphic designer does not demand
more resources.
They will find ways to figure things out. After all, creativity is a designer’s strongest trait.
Coming up with creative solutions to solve a problem shouldn’t be that hard of a task.
Not every client has an unlimited budget for a designer to work with.
Although a photo shoot (=séance photo ) may sound better than a stock photo (=photo
d'archives) , graphic designers need to understand the limitations of their clients as well.
It may pose a challenge for a designer, but resourcefulness (=ingéniosité) will allow them to
create beautiful work no matter what.
Time Management
Deadlines are another thing graphic designers face every single day.
Working on various projects for different clients can certainly get out of hand without
excellent organizational skills.
Besides being able to sort out their working spaces, graphic designers must also be able to
organize their own schedules.
Successful graphic designers know that time is a valuable commodity.
And more often than not, there is not enough of it to finish projects.
Designers must learn how to use their time wisely and be able to prioritize what needs to be
done first.
Reliability* & Honesty
A successful graphic designer is brutally honest about their own weaknesses.
They accept that there are certain things they aren’t capable of, as well as things they aren’t
very familiar with.
They are also very straightforward about what their needs are without coming off as too
unprofessional.
And above all, they keep their word no matter what.
Some people might think of this as being weak.
After all, no one wants to admit their own shortcomings – especially in an industry where
competition is tough.
But a successful graphic designer knows that gaining their client’s trust is much more
important than being ahead of the game.
By being open and honest, work relationships can be strengthened.
*Reliability = fiabilité
Ability to Handle Criticism
Designers are always vulnerable to the thoughts and opinions of others.
They put a bit of themselves into the work that they do and so it’s understandable when
criticism stings.
But at the end of the day, one must remember that criticism isn’t meant to inflict harm.
It should be treated as bits and pieces of advice that can help in developing one’s skills.
There are two ways in which designers usually handle negative feedback.
Some designers would take it to heart and refuse to move forward.
But successful designers would listen carefully to those negative remarks and use them to
bounce back.
They see criticism as a free source of advice and would take advantage of it.
Motivation to Learn
It’s never too late to learn.
In order to grow as a designer, it’s important to keep studying new skills as time goes by.
Design changes every day. It’s dynamic, flexible and current.
And if a designer wants to keep up, they need to constantly immerse themselves in different
sources of inspiration.
At the same time, they should remain curious about the world around them in order to gain
new ideas.
Whenever there’s a new challenge, a successful graphic designer is more than ready to jump
into it.
Designers should welcome challenges into their lives as these are opportunities for them to
learn.
Open-Mindedness
Graphic designers should also have the humility to learn from the people around them.
They must accept that their ideas aren’t always correct and that there are endless
possibilities around them.
All it takes is an open mind and the willingness to listen to the opinion of others.
Being open-minded can help a person realize certain things they may not be aware of.
By accepting other people’s advice with an open mind, designers are actually giving
themselves a chance to develop their own skills.
It just goes to show that being humble about one’s shortcomings can turn out to be a chance
for growth.
Cooperation
Many people often think that being a designer is a solo act.
But actually, designers are constantly working with many different people every day.
From clients to other individuals involved in the production of a project, and the list goes on.
This is why it is also essential for graphic designers to have some people skills.
Being able to cooperate with other people allows you to finish the project faster and easier.
And besides, it’s a lot more fun when other members are involved in a project.
Designers can get more sources of inspiration from the people they work with while forming
meaningful connections with them.
Conclusion
There are certainly tons of other traits out there that portray a successful graphic designer.
But these are a few that can definitely make you stand out from the rest.
And while it is impossible to possess every single one of these traits all at once, developing at
least some of them can already help someone in becoming a good graphic designer.
This list of traits is simply a guide on how to further develop one’s capabilities as a designer.
Remember that the learning process usually takes a lot of time.
It is a step-by-step journey with something new to learn each time.
In fact, just making the decision to become a better designer is already a step past the
starting line.
Keep going.
You are on your way to becoming the successful graphic designer you deserve to be.
III. Great qualities of Design
Creating beautiful design is about more than inspiration or a great idea, it’s about understanding
the fundamentals of the subject.
To start your project use good qualities of design.
Following are 10 qualities of good design that are hard to argue (Architecture Blog).
For Architects, this will make a great checklist as you move through the design process.
Sustainable
Accessible
Functional
Well Made
Emotionally Resonant
Enduring
Socially Beneficial
Beautiful
Ergonomic
Affordable
Sustainable
The problem with sustainable (=durable) design is that it is easier to talk about than to do
properly.
Unfortunately, Greenwashing* and Marketing SPIN* are often substitutes for real change.
Architects cannot hide anymore.
The word is out. The buildings we design and the energy they require generate more carbon
dioxide than cars.
Yes, the auto makers that we all complain about have less impact than architects and their
clients. It's time to do the right thing.
*Greenwashing is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the
environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice.
Greenwashing can make a company appear to be more environmentally friendly than it really is.
*SPIN = It is all about asking questions. And it is very tactical. It teaches you how to lead
conversations with customers. You transition through 4 different types of questions:
Situation, Problem, Implication, Need / Payoff.
Accessible
What is good design if it is only available to some.
For example, in the US, detailed codes dictate the architectural built environment be
accessible to those with disabilities.
Often times it is important to look beyond these minimum standards as well.
Functional
This should be the simplest attribute of good design, but it is often the hardest to achieve.
Apple makes products that look great, but at their core, they are successful by creating easy
to use hardware and software that surpasses the competition.
Well Made
Architects do not make anything.
Our say in how well a building is built is limited to a set of instructions we provide.
The end people that actually build it have little to no actual interaction with the architect.
This means our instructions better be good, and just as important, easy to understand.
Emotionally Resonant
People rarely forget the feeling of walking into the Pantheon in Rome.
Now compare that to the bland sameness (=similitude fade) found in the bulk of our
suburban developments.
Not every building can be the Pantheon, but every design should be an attempt to stir the
senses.
Enduring
Buildings need both structural and aesthetic longevity.
It's important to innovate, but you do not want a design that looks outdated before that last
coat of paint dries.
The time frame for enduring is uncertain:
- No question the Pantheon (A.D. 126) is enduring. (See photo)
- Is Gehry's Guggenheim (1997) in Bilbao? (See photo)
Socially Beneficial
Whether you like it or not, all architecture is public architecture.
Architects have a responsibility to look both within and beyond the walls of our buildings to
see what we can do to help.
Facade Of The Pantheon In Rome, Italy (A.D. 126)
Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, (1997)
Beautiful
Beauty is subjective, right?
Ergonomic
Buildings must relate to the scale of the people that inhabit them.
Often this idea is lost in the array of 3D computer modeling technologies that architects use.
Stop and take a step back, put a person in that model even if they're digital.
Affordable
This is one of the hardest for architects and the reason is simple.
Architects typically get clients by waiting for the phone to ring.
Someone with money, land and an idea that wants your services but this client type
represents a small portion of society, yet makes up almost all of an architect's clientele.
Creating affordable architecture is more difficult :
- it involves entrepreneurship on the part of the architect,
- an upfront investment to invent an affordable solution that the masses can afford.
NB: So now that we have covered good design, what about great design?
Great design is harder to quantify. There probably is not a list.