Our blog post this week is aimed at web and graphic designers.

Over the 10 years that I’ve worked as a web director, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside a wide variety of different designers.
Each designer has had their own strengths and working styles, but the ones who I was most impressed with tended to have a few points in common. Today I would like to introduce those 7 key points.
If you’re looking to improve your design skills, or learn some tips for becoming the sort of designer who web directors will ask to work with, I hope this article can be useful to you.

The 7 things that all good designers do

Accurately estimate work hours

When designers can accurately estimate the amount of time it will take them to finish a task, it makes it easier for directors to create a schedule. This gives the whole team a greater sense of security, and helps ensure that projects meet their deadlines.

Go above and beyond the original request

Working in the creative industry doesn’t mean simply making things exactly the way you’re told to. Directors are delighted when designers can make their own self-directed suggestions about how to improve upon the client’s initial request.

Report progress as necessary

The best designers make sure to check in at each key point, to make sure that they are on the right track. This helps eliminate misunderstandings and reduce the need for revisions.

Design with purpose

Commercial design always has a purpose. Designers should always be able to give clear answers when asked about the intention behind their layouts, fonts, colors, and other design choices.

Manage time with ingenuity

At our company, we often say “Speed ​​is the highest quality.” Of course, speed can not make a poor design into a good one, but designers should always be looking for new ways to reduce their work time as much as possible. Even differences of a few seconds add up over time, and designers who can manage time well will receive more requests for work.

Check final products thoroughly

All humans make mistakes. However, there is a clear difference between mistakes that occur despite double-checking, and mistakes that occur when you haven’t checked at all. Competent designers make sure to take the time to double-check their work for any errors.

Constantly learn and apply new technology

In an industry where technology advances literally every day, it’s important for designers to keep their skills up to date.

In Conclusion

This article is purely my own opinion, but I believe that the best designers all share these 7 characteristics. Creating quality designs is obviously the most important part of being a designer, but if designers also hone their communication and time management skills, they will rapidly become able to produce better and better work.