Tips For Becoming A Better Designer?

I am currently studying computer science and I feel that I am very good when it comes to programming such as html, php and so on. However when it comes to my design skills I find them lacking and it is hard for me to create a good design. What are some good tips for becoming a better web designer?

Here are some things which I find complex:

Picking a good color theme
I know there are some color wheel sites out there that will tell you which colors go good together but I find it hard to simply pick my first color? usually I end up picking a neutral color with a white background which usually works, but I want to get better at this.

Why do my fonts suck??
This is probably the worst part, I hate picking a font, I don't know which fonts are good and therefore I usually disregard this and simply go with helvetica or something simple like that. Also what are some nice fonts for logos?

Grids? Standards?
I have used the 960 grid and similar things to give me some guidelines but is this the standard way to do it when designing? What are some good rules to follow?

Bootstrap and Boilerplates?
I am actually using twitter bootstrap for one of my new projects and I love it, I feel that the standard elements and components that come with bootstrap help me be more creative by going from that and modifying it. Are there any other good frameworks/bootstraps/boilerplates which you guys use to add nice looking elements and components to sites?

Anything else?
I would love to hear other tips as well. Maybe you have good tips for how to make unique backgrounds or some drawing tutorials that I would love to hear about (I have a drawing pad which never seems to get used). Just let me know!

Thanks guys and girls!

 

If you have Adobe Illustrator, there's a nice function there that can show you colors that match the one you selected. I forgot the name but it's in the swatches panel. As for fonts, you can look at font sites like 1001fonts.com and get a lot of good fonts to try out. Bootstrap is great and very popular right now, and there's themes for it at bootswatch.com

 

For color u can use this until you are familiar with what color goes together well.

www. colorblender .com
www. colorjack .com/sphere/

 

When it comes to creativity, you need to be born with it. All the software degrees in the world not gonna help you if you don't have the born creativity.

 

I totally agree with scurvy above, creativity is something you either have or dont have. If you are creative, as i guess you have to be being a coder (i cant code for shit lol). Then i would say just keep messing around with whichever app you are using, photoshop,illustrator etc, Photoshop being the easier of those 2 to learn with in my opinion, and you can still build vector images with it like you can in illustrator.

There are tons of great tutorials on Youtube, which is what i use, well between that and Google when i have something in my mind i want to do.

Another good idea is just visiting other sites, and google image for related designs to your project for inspiration.

edit: I also agree with you thread op on the fonts being the hardest thing to pick

edit again: Oh and learn that pen tool, it is very important and few new designers will use it

Sorry if it seems like i rambled on a bit lol



iMage

 

Apply what you learn to logos you see in real life and keep practicing.

As far as fonts goes, it would depend on the logo and how the logo is being used. Something I was told when I first started is that Serif fonts are more often used for companies going for a "classier" image, like and encyclopedia or a bank. Sans Serif is more often used for more relaxed or smooth logos. This is not a rule to logo design, and different I've seen Sans Serif for more luxury companies and vice versa, but I have seen plenty of logos that fit that description.

Look at new fonts and trends in fonts used in logos. Downloading free fonts is good too, add some weapons to your arsenal. Personally I really like slab fonts, but that's just me.

 

Here's a reply directly to your questions:

Picking a good color theme - Color themes are indeed hard to master. It just takes lots of practice. Of course there are many handy tools available that can help you out. I personally use colllor.com from time to time because it can give you a lot of good suggestions as to what you can use from your already chosen main color ( shades, mixes, similar colors etc. all very helpful ).

Now, picking your main color can be hard, this is where the practice comes in and it takes an experienced eye. But sometimes you'll also be ( what I call it ) creatively stuck, it happens to every single designer. When those times come I tend to use colourlovers.com (and of course occasionally for gathering ideas! ) there are some totally awesome color palettes there.

Why do my fonts suck?? - A good tip would be to look at what other designers are already using and trying those fonts yourself. Replicate the fonts, font-sizes they're using, the font colors, the letter spacing - everything until you get the point! Of course a little bit of reading on typography will never hurt! I even recommend you watch the movie "Helvetica". There's a huge "science" behind typography, but it's not very hard to master once you get the point. As for "logo fonts" I can't give you much advice because it's a subjective topic, but you should pick them based on what the logo is about. Try reading some articles regarding logo fonts to get a better idea of which fonts might be a better choice than others.

Grids? Standards? - As for grids, it's a good idea to use one grid until you're completely comfortable with it ( 960 is a good starting point ) and then moving on to others, however there are no "real" standards regarding grids. Use what you think might be a good fit for your design. I've recently started designing on wider grids ( 1100 and more ) due to the responsive design fuss.

Bootstrap and Boilerplates? - The only thing I have used is the Bootstrap grid, no extra elements or graphics. If you want to be a good designer, learn how to design everything yourself!

Anything else? - Getting constructive criticism ( and learning to accept it ) is one major benefit that will help you a long way. Try joining some design forums as well. Designing is not easy at all, unlike what most of the people think, especially clients. The one and only good advice I can give you is to practice, practice and practice more!

Cheers

 

Well, you can follow the the tutorial site to expand your design knowledge.

 

If your having difficulties on choosing a good good color theme I believe kuler.adobe.com is very useful.

 

Good design is not obvious - 'Less is more' definitely applies. Use negative space to your advantage, find good font pairs, and only use a couple of fonts. White, bright pages read best.

 

I've got to echo what many have said above - creativity is not something you can learn. You will be much more successful in business (and life) if you recognize your strengths and work to make those stronger. Fighting and struggling with things you aren't good (which don't come natural to you) is not going to get you anywhere.

Ask me how I know. I've spent years trying to be a hard-core backend web guy, but I realized that I'm just not a coder. Graphics and design has always been my thing, and that's where I've had the most success.

 

All these tips are very useful and thank you very much. What is the best graphic software to create design, templates and layouts of the website?

 

Great tips, nice post.

One tip that was given to me, which always stuck with me was...

'Why are you making that choice. If you don't know, it's probably not a good one'

Basically - think about what you're doing. Don't just randomly experiment (good things can come of this, so it's not totally bad practice) ; it's better to have a concept in mind and then use colours and graphics as tools to fulfill that vision. If you decide you want a 'dark' website... don't just think of dark colours, EMBODY the feel of 'darkness' INTO the design: the writing, the header, the footer, the shapes, the structure... think about every element and if it fulfills or muddles/fails to fulfill the 'feel' and vision you have inside.

 

In the forum tips very helpful and thank you all of member posting and just confirm me best graphic software to create design.

 

Adobe Photoshop