Things I Learnt While Studying At One of the Best Design Schools in the World.

There is creativity in all of us. But it takes someone or something to guide us and nurture that creativity. My professors at Parsons School of Design gave me some tips and tricks on how I could be a better designer and navigate the world with my creativity. Sharing some of those tips and tricks with you. Hope they are helpful.

Keep It Simple

Good design doesn’t need multiple elements or fonts in order for it to be considered something good. A mere line in black with a white background could also work. Simplicity is key. The more simple something is the better and clearer it would be. 

To break the rules, one must first know the rules.

There is no set thing or method to approach a problem. One can deviate from the norm and do something completely different. However, in order to do that one must know the rules, master them and then break them if need be from time to time.  

Sketch. Sketch. Sketch.  

Before you go on the software or the computer, take a pen and paper and layout all your ideas and solutions to a design problem. This will enable you to think better and clearer.

Type is important. 

When one hears type, it doesn’t necessarily mean the font. It refers to how the type is laid out on a piece of paper or the web, what the spacing between the lines are, and how it looks overall. All these considerations are called typesetting. Also, what kind of font one uses is important for instance using Helvetica for print instead of the web. 

Hierarchy in design is important. This makes the design clear and understandable.

Hierarchy means the order in which the information on a page is organized. It is a system to prioritize elements so that they can be easily understood. For instance, the heading on a page should be bigger than the body text and so on. Without hierarchy, users could be overwhelmed and fail to take anything in with regard to the design. The more clearer the communication, the better the result. 

Black and White first, then Color 

Design things first in black and white then add color to it as color is subjective and one color means different things to different people. 

Read everything and anything. 

Reading about all subject matters helps one see things from a different perspective and makes us better people but also better designers. 

Design for Good

When you have made your name and a couple of bucks then there is no harm in helping out others or communities. You should always give back.

If I am missing something, then please comment below.