How Thinking Differently Can Make You A Better Web Designer

A person can easily become a web designer if he acquires the skills needed for this profession, but it takes special qualities to become a leader in web design. With so much creativity available in the web design market, how can you rise above other designers and become a great and efficient design leader? In this period of evolving web design trends and ready-made templates, the one who can still think outside of the box will always have the edge.

How a Web Design Leader Thinks Differently

All web designers aim to develop and perfect their own style. However, designers are divided when it comes to the concept of style. There are some who believe that developing a distinct, niche “look” is the right path. Others believe that having a consistent look is not important, especially when it comes to pleasing lots of clients who have different needs and preferences.

You should always be willing to try new things. Photo by Earmark Social Bridgette S.B via Pinterest

The designer who thinks outside the box does not deal with superficial attempts to define what’s right and wrong about creating web design. It’s not just how one may prefer a modern look or a retro feel, or being particular to a certain color palette. A web design leader focuses on establishing a foundation of solid design principles in his work.

Unique Style Principles for the Design Leader

The design should be appropriate

It should be simple enough but a lot of designers tend to overlook this fact. Before using a particular design, you should know for whom or what the design is intended for. Is it to be used for a client? Will it be used for the purpose of getting awards and recognition? Or is the design going to be used for personal purposes?

The needs of the client should be well understood

In cases in which a design is to be created for a client, you should first understand his needs to make sure the finished product is appropriate for his preferences. You should work on gathering information through research, studying brand guidelines, and browsing related or existing work.

Craftsmanship should be mastered

Execution is the deciding factor if you will continue getting clients or not. In the end, clients want their websites to be as “pretty” as possible. The end product will depend on the craftsmanship of the design, and this is when skill comes in. A great concept will just go down the drain if the execution is poor and sloppy. Presentation of the product is equally important. Before delivering files to the client, make sure they are organized and clean.

The designer should be passionate about his style

As you continue to add stuff to your portfolio, you will see your work transform gradually. Avoid stagnation by constantly striving to progress and adapt. You will only see your style grow and evolve if you are passionate enough to improve.

Always strive to be unique

As you go through your design career, you will find yourself looking up to other works for inspiration. You may end up imitating what other designers are doing during the learning process. But this is a phase you must grow out of eventually. You should be able to make your design your own. Branching out of your comfort zone and coming up with unique solutions are the best ways to achieve this.

Becoming a Design Leader

You need to stand out from the crowd. Photo from Jeffrey Zeldman via Flickr, Creative Commons

In order to become a design leader, you should be able to develop your out-of-the-box thinking and willingness to experiment. Here are some things you can do to achieve this.

Avoid recycling unused work

When pressed for time, the typical designer tends to use existing, unused work and recycle it to start a new one. While this may save time and increase productivity, it’s not the best way to come up with cool, ground-breaking designs. The solution is to start with a new canvas. Avoid automatically setting the background to white, like you what you usually do or starting to build from the top of the page. Go against your normal workflow to get your creative juices flowing.

Look somewhere else for inspiration

Designers often look up to existing work for inspiration. It’s very easy to browse online to get web design ideas for future work. While this is a hassle-free way to get inspiration, it is also daunting to start a project with someone else’s design in mind. This can be very challenging since clients often give existing web designs to let designers know what they want for their own websites. Still, the best way to come up with something fresh is to avoid the limitations of an existing design template.

Use your own images

Using stock photos is convenient, but are you really comfortable with the idea of another website or two using the same images that you have? Taking your own photos and using them instead is a great way to spruce up your designs.

Modify fonts

Just like stock images, fonts are available to everyone who wants to use them. There’s nothing wrong with finding a great font and using it to your heart’s delight, but why copy when you can customize a font to create your own? A nice, original font is a great plus to your design and a nice addition to your portfolio as well.

Make use of other design programs

While Photoshop and Illustrator are the standards in web design, there are other programs you can try to produce a different take on your designs. As popular as the Adobe programs are, they can’t do everything, especially when it comes to making complex, responsive web designs. Using other programs such as Cinema4D can help you achieve the look you’re going for.

Learn to break rules

Learn to make or break rules. Photo from StephenMitchell via Flickr, Creative Commons

Unless you have to adhere to strict templates that your client has provided you, you have to learn to bend rules in order to get unique web designs. Breaking the rules can produce surprising results. It doesn’t have to be a radical change that will redo the overall look of your design; a few tweaks here and there can mean a smooth transition from one style to another.

Web design is an extremely competitive world and you have to stand out in order to get noticed. Striving to become a design leader means that you always have to be one step ahead of others in producing unique designs that will impress and inspire others.