20 Methods for upping your Current web design Skills
All great
designers are constantly improving their skills. There has never been a successfuldesigner, or anyone of another profession for that matter, that has stopped
at a certain point and said, "Good enough". Fortunately, there are
plenty of ways to always be learning new things, and to always be improving.
In this
post we're looking into 20 different ways a web designer can improve their
skills at any time. They involve everything from learning new abilities, to
changing focus, and to revamping one's mindset when it comes to design. Check
out these 20 methods for improving as a web designer, and feel free to add your
own techniques in the comments section!
20
Great Improvement Methods
1. Study UI Design Patterns
Check out
websites like UI-Patterns.com to explore the best user interface patterns for
the web. They come in nearly every category, and can provide great new ideas to
get you out of your own interface rut. Do you tend to give your clients the
same layout over and over? Do you use the same navigation look, or use the same
format with forms? Check out the user interfaces of other websites with
collections like these to gain inspiration and learn new habits.
User Interface Pattern Websites:
- UI-Patterns.com
- Quince
- Pattern Tap
- CSS Bake
- 10 UI Design Patterns You Should Be Paying Attention To
- Yahoo! Design Pattern Library
- Welie
- Patternry
2. Pay Attention to Detail
Look at the detail in everyday
objects, and actively look at detail in other web designs. Practice adding more
of this detail into your own designs. A great designer looks at texture,
shadows, indents, shapes, cutouts, and much more. Don't get lazy! Look at and
add every little detail into a web design from your source of inspiration.
3. SEO Techniques
Many clients love a designer that
offers SEO services. Whether you'd like to do this or not, though, learn more
about how to create and code websites that are SEO friendly. By adding it to
your resume, you're helping your client's websites more, and therefore helping
yourself more. The more successful your client's website, the more referrals
you'll be able to get!
Trends are never something a web
designer should solely rely on, but learning new trends is a great way to keep
up with technology, and to keep you as a designer out of a rut. Of course, on
another note, you'll never know when a client will see a technique they like on
another website and want a similar look.
Do yourself a favor by keeping your
designs modern, and by keeping your skills sharp by studying trending
techniques.
5. Know Typography Well
Keep in mind that what will be
viewed most on any website you design will be the text. Know how to design this
text well. Having a good understanding of typography involves math, a good
vocabulary of fonts, and more advanced technologies such as SIFR and Cufon.
Learn about these things and learn how to use them.
Learn about baseline rhythm,
readability issues for different fonts, text sizes and their effects, and more.
There are plenty of useful tools/articles, such as the Baseline Rhythm
Calculator, Better CSS Font Stacks, Type chart, and Typesetter.
6. Practice with Color
Have you ever grabbed a palette off
of Color Lovers, looked at it for awhile, and then realized you had no idea
what to do with it? If so, you may have some trouble understanding how one
should use color. Learn about color theory and the psychology behind color to know
what to do with a palette, and to learn how to create your own palettes better.
7. Know JavaScript
Many web designers make the choice
of whether to learn additional web development languages or not, but JavaScript
is quickly becoming one of those languages that belongs more with the web
designer than the developer. It is grouping itself with HTML and CSS in terms
of when it should be used. As a web designer, know the basics of JavaScript,
and learn about at least one JavaScript library to work with.
For a great start, check out The Bits of JavaScript that Every Designer Needs to Know, right here on extra pixel.
8. Become a Better Communicator
It doesn't just take the ability to
make great websites in order to be a great web designer. Being a web designer
involves knowing how to solve client problems as well. Client problems can be
solved faster, more efficiently, and better with overall better communication
skills. No communication is fine for personal projects because you already know
what you need and want out of the project. With clients, it's different.
Being able to call a client with
confidence and win over projects is a must for a web design business to
survive. It is also important throughout the design process for getting the
project done right the first time. Better communication means better final
projects, and better final projects means more repeat business, happier
clients, and more referrals!
9. Do Some Tutorials
I used to not be a big fan of
tutorials, as I felt they took a long time, and I just felt as though I was
copying someone else's work, step for step. However, I soon realized that by
doing a few, I began picking up techniques and best practices, and I also began
using tools in some of my favorite software with more confidence.
There are a lot of tutorials out
there, from coding to design, and some are for small effects or an entire
project. Whatever sort of tutorial it is, it can be a great way to learn
something new. Sometimes going through something with someone else can help one
to pick things up better than reading a book on design theory or programming
syntax.
Making mistakes and learning from
them is the absolute best way to learn. Think about your past web design years
— were they perfect? Of course not. Take some time to reflect on some moments
where you made mistakes, and then know and recognize the lessons learned.
Literally take out a piece of paper and start writing them down.
Some lessons may be client related.
Maybe you were not good about calling clients back or too nervous about client
phone calls and meetings in the beginning. Where are you now? What were the
negative consequences in terms of the project? How can you improve in that area
today? Other mistakes may be skill-related. Perhaps you made a design, thought
it was fantastic, but then got some negative feedback on it. How do you take
the criticism? What were others saying was the biggest problem?
In a very skill oriented field like
web design, mistakes are going to be made. The biggest mistake of all is not to
learn from the previous ones.
11. Get Technical
Design is a lot of math. Learn more
about the technical sides of design, rather than being in the habit of placing
things wherever you please. If you've ever had the feeling that something was
just 'not right' in your design, it was likely your subconscious telling you
something was off-kilter.
Great things to look into are hierarchy, the Golden Ratio/Divine Proportion, Sine Wave Design, etc. Take a look at Smashing Magazine's excellent post on applying geometry and other forms of math in website design: Applying Mathematics to Web Design.
Great things to look into are hierarchy, the Golden Ratio/Divine Proportion, Sine Wave Design, etc. Take a look at Smashing Magazine's excellent post on applying geometry and other forms of math in website design: Applying Mathematics to Web Design.
12. Use a Sketchbook
Get in the habit of brainstorming
your ideas on paper first. A good sketchbook is a decent investment for any web
designer. Illustrate backgrounds, wireframes, or write down and organize ideas
in writing. However you use it, use it for developing your skills and
brainstorming effectively for the best final results.
13. Go Outside and Get Some Air
In other words, gets your brain
going again. Sometimes the best web designs are formed from true, clean,
inspiration. Get off of your computer and take a break. Don't go to the TV, or
even to a book. Always take some time out every day to let your mind wander
aimlessly to keep stress low and improve your natural design ability.
14. Collaborate with Others
Discuss your projects, designs,
clients, and best practices with other web designers. Discuss them with graphic
designers and web programmers as well. Discuss them even with family and
friends. Get opinions, see what others think of your work, and be motivated
through that socialization.
Not only will you likely learn specific
techniques from those in the same or similar professions, but you'll also be
able to reflect on the reactions from those that aren't experienced in design.
These people would be similar in thought to your own clients, so take their
advice and examine their opinions well.
15. Whitespace: Take More Out
This is not a movement to get every
web designer into a minimalistic look. Rather, it is a movement to get every
designer to see the fundamentals of great design. Do you over clutter your
designs? Try to take everything out of your designs that is unessential. What
is left?
By focusing on what is needed, we
can prioritize the elements that make up our web designs, and organize them
better overall.
16. Re-learn the Basics
Do you think you know the basics of
everything that involves web design? Look them up again, and you may be
surprised what your seemingly experienced mind has missed. Google things like:
- "Essential CSS techniques"
- "Basics of web usability"
- "Design principles"
- "Color theory basics"
- "Design theory"
17. Know the Grid
Know what a web design grid is, how
to use one, and get experience working with a popular grid framework, such as
the 960.gs System. There are plenty of
articles on how to use a grid, including Grid-Based Layout, 5 Simple Steps to Designing Grid Systems, Grid-Based Design 101, and Grid-Based Design: Six Creative Column Techniques.
18. Buy a New Book
Buy a new book or resource
concerning something you don't have much experience in. Always be learning as a
web designer, and always be expanding your knowledge. If you feel like you're
in a design rut, there's nothing like learning something completely new to find
inspiration. You'll immediately want to try out the new things you're
exploring, and then you can add those skills to your already vast set of
experiences.
Buy a new book that will teach you a
new language, teach you how to do something specifically (like creating an
iPad app), or a book that focuses very specifically on your own specialty.
Learn anything that tickles your fancy - as long as it's new and intriguing.
19. Attend Conferences and Events
Many web designers overlook the
importance of attending web design conferences and events. They are a great
place to network and to learn new things. Sometimes, the cost of the
conferences is what gets many designers: they all have registration fees, and
for many, the cost of traveling is an issue as well.
To combat these fallbacks,
understand that the registration fee is relatively cheap for what you'll be
getting out of it, and it is one of the most important investments a web
designer can make in their field. Also, always be checking for events that are
closer to your area to avoid traveling costs.
If you don't already, begin
converting many of your own designs from PSD to HTML and CSS. Many web
designers choose not to do this on their own because it's time consuming and
can be boring if it's just not something one likes to do. However, could you be
one of those designers that don’t do it because they don't know how? Do you
know the techniques necessary to convert your own designs in the first place?
Converting your own designs can
alter the way you design altogether. You may find some usability errors you've
been designing around, or you may begin designing with the developer in mind
more. By coding your own designs, you can see and fully understand how your
designs are functioning in the back-end - how easy it is for them to implement
SEO techniques, their load time, etc.