Fifty Ways to Become a Better Designer

Here is a collection of very useful tips from 17 designers gathered by Computer Arts on 50 ways to become a better designer. Here is the summary:

The ideas stage
A blank canvas can be terrifying, so where do you start? Our experts reveal ways to force your ideas into motion

1. ROUGH COMPS
2. METAPHORS
3. FROM WORDS TO PICTURES
4. BRAND THINKING
5. KEEP YOUR BRAINSTORMS REALLY SHORT
6. USE A SKETCHBOOK
7. GET AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER
8. JOIN A FORUM
9. TAKE A SHOWER
10. SPECS!

Best practice
Work smarter, not harder, with advice for best working practice

11. KEEP A LIBRARY
12. WEB STANDARDS
13. KEEP IT CURRENT
14. KEEP IT SIMPLE
15. RECORD YOUR ACTIONS
16. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!
17. STORE YOUR ASSETS
18. COLLABORATE
19. GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME
20. PRACTICE ALWAYS MAKES PERFECT

Software skills
A bad workman blames his tools, so make sure your software works for you, not against you

21. ALPHA CHANNELS IN PHOTOSHOP
22. BUY MORE RAM
23. GRADIENTS IN PHOTOSHOP
24. MORE LAYERS
25. AIRBRUSH IN ILLUSTRATOR
26. EVIL FLASH
27. NAME CONVENTIONS
28. GROUP LAYERS
29. FORBIDDEN FRUIT
30. THINK ON PAPER

Finishing work and finessing
An eye for the final details often makes the difference between a good and great piece of work. So read on and learn to how to ‘put the cherry on top’

31. WALK AWAY
32. ACROBATICS
33. KERN!
34. BACK TO THE BRIEF
35. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
36. PRINT FINISHES
37. ADDING TEXTURE
38. BE PREPARED
39. A LITTLE SHADING
40. BULGING EYES

Things to avoid
Finally, learn from your mistakes. Ten things you should avoid when working with clients

41. READ AND RE-READ!
42. BE SPECIFIC
43. DON’T RELY ON THE SPELLCHECKER!
44. STICK TO THE BRIEF!
45. WORK WITH CLIENTS
46. STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW
47. DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING
48. JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS
49. DESIGN HISTORY
50. MANAGE EXPECTATIONS

Remember: The way you work can have a huge impact on your creative success.

Please visit Computer Arts to read more about this really neat design tips.

Understanding No!Spec - No to Speculative Work

Ardie once refered me to this site about taking speculative outsourced work and I find it very interesting. Here is the analogy on what No!Spec is all about:

A Design Analogy

By Tom Stephan

I really wanted a tattoo, but I had no idea what I wanted — I just wanted a tattoo. So went to four or five different tattoo studios and said “hi guys, I want a tattoo, and it has to be cool and it has to be something that says “this is me, this is who i am, and after you decide who I am and what I want to tell the world, I will pay you for it and you can tattoo it on my arm. If I don’t like it, I can always have it removed later.”

Oddly enough, the tattooists all asked me, “well, how will I know what kind of person you are?” and I said “I dunno … just give me some designs and I’ll see what I like.”

The reputable tattoo studios refused to take me up on this, and I was astonished — here I was, offering them a chance to go wild and let their imaginations take flight, and they weren’t interested. It was the less-than-great tattooists who took me up on the offer, and when the designs came in, none of them were like me. None of them said anything about me…as a matter of fact they looked more like what the tattooist might like on themselves.

I was pretty disappointed. Next time, I’ll have to rethink whether I want to put my identity in the hands of strangers.

Moral of the story? If you’re willing to commit someone else’s ideas to your business, without a clear concept of what you yourself want or desire, you leave yourself open to the mercy of other people’s caprice and fancy. If you’re running your business, don’t you want the right to get it the way you want it without gambling on something that may cost more to fix than to get right in the first place?

So, why say No to Speculative Work?

1. No Guarantee
2. Unprofessional
3. Lack of Professional Research
4. Needs of the client not met
5. Myopic
6. Undermines consultive benefits
7. Undervalues the profession
8. Pitches and design don’t mix
9. Red Flags
10. The lack of contract does not a professional make

After visiting the website, I realized that I have indeed taken spec work in the past and I was not getting paid for it. It was such a waste of talent and creativity.

I now too say, NO!SPEC!

5S - Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, Shitsuke

5S is a method to reduce waste and optimise productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to achieve more consistent operational results.

• Seiri: tidiness, organization. Refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. This leads to fewer hazards and less clutter to interfere with productive work.
• Seiton: orderliness. Focuses on the need for an orderly workplace. Tools, equipment, and materials must be systematically arranged for the easiest and most efficient access. There must be a place for everything, and everything must be in its place.
• Seiso: cleanliness. Indicates the need to keep the workplace clean as well as neat. Cleaning in Japanese companies is a daily activity. At the end of each shift, the work area is cleaned up and everything is restored to its place.
• Seiketsu: standards. Allows for control and consistency. Basic housekeeping standards apply everywhere in the facility. Everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are. House keeping duties are part of regular work routines.
• Shitsuke: sustaining discipline. Refers to maintaining standards and keeping the facility in safe and efficient order day after day, year after year.

Also known as “Sort, Straighten, Shine, Systemise and Sustain” in Western Methodology and CANDO (Cleanup, Arranging, Neatness, Discipline, and Ongoing improvement).

Benefits of the 5S System:

• Improved quality
• Achieve work standardization
• Decreased changeover time
• Improved safety
• Reduced storage costs
• Reduced cycle time
• Reduced machine down time
• Boost employee morale as well as work environment

In the words of Hiroyuki Hirano, author of 5S: Five Pillars of the Visual Workplace:

“A company that cannot successfully implement the 5 Ss cannot expect to effectively integrate JIT, re-engineering, or any other large-scale change. Good workplaces develop beginning with the 5S’s. Bad workplaces fall apart beginning with the 5 Ss.”

Resource:
Quality Gurus
Wikipedia