8 Things That Every Successful Graphic Designer Is Always Doing!

Today we are going to discuss all about the great designers. The best of the best. What is it makes a truly great designer? Is there some secret formula? Is there some sweet 10-step process to turn into an awesome designer? See, it is important to find out because otherwise how would us mere mortals know what it takes to become great? Moreover, it is also important for the up and coming designers. Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but no such thing exists as a formula. Upon careful consideration and pondering I have realized that the best designers often possess some common qualities.

It can be understood that, some of the best qualities that designers possess can be attributed to their success and these qualities are common. Here are eight qualities of great graphic designers:

A great designer is always the doing the following:

1- Keeping up with the learning:

The truth of the matter is, nobody likes to be told how to do something better than or different from the way that person was taught. Usually, what happens is, we become furious or enraged and lose our cool. But no one considers the possibility that maybe, the other person was right? What if that Photoshop trick can save three hours of production time and thus prove to be effective.

The great designers start out very humble. They become like sponges with the ability to taking it all in, with the whole taking notes from the GURUS and trying new things every day. They are receptive and grow simply because are accustomed to listening to the people around them. They do not exhibit any form of pride or arrogance, but remain to stay humble and down to earth in a bid to be flexible for learning.

2- Taking Criticism Well:

According to some of the legendary graphic designers, when they were in college, they had to sit through some of the worst critiques. Their teachers would just go berserk about what was right and wrong about every single design that they had made.

Criticism is a tricky thing. As a designer, what needs to be learned is that when our work is under criticism we should not be taking it personally. There’s no reason to get defensive or try making up lame excuses. We need to be receptive and open-minded with the criticism.

3- Seeking inspiration continuously:

How do you start your day? We all have our rituals. One of the things some successful designers do as soon as they get to work is visit three to five websites full of design inspiration. You will rarely get to meet a talented designer that does not practice the same habit every day.

You must be exposed to what’s going on in the design world if you happen to be a designer all the while constantly looking at what is getting noticed and talked about in the design world so that the same professionalism can be applied to the work. There is also a need to keep an eye on what the current design trends are and where they are going. Keeping a pool of design inspiration has also proven helpful to most designers. Before starting a project, a useful thing to do is to find inspiring design work that you may have saved to help kick start the creative process. This approach can greatly help in utilizing your best potential.

4- Getting out of the Comfort Zone:

Ask any successful designer and they’ll tell you they were willing to learn and explore new design tricks on a day to day basis. There is no doubt, that this is hard! I get that. However, how can a designer possibly ever grow or learn if he has never pushed beyond his limits? Almost every day, the newbie designers are confronted with design related problems and then they think to themselves, “OK, they never taught me this in school, what in the world am I supposed to do?”

Fear can get the best of us. It can cripple us. The solution is to get out of your comfort zone, learn and then just try.

Nowadays, it’s incredibly easy to learn new tips and tricks. Take advantage of the vast sea of knowledge that is out there. Listen to your colleagues around you and don’t let fear stop you from creating amazing things.

5- Being A Chameleon:

It is rightly said that being a chameleon is one of the most important characteristics of a good designer. Don’t get it the wrong way, having your own personal style and flair is important and your style is probably what’s helping you succeed today. However, as a designer we must think about what will be appropriate for the client we are designing for. We need to rein in our design habits and tendencies to be in the client’s best visual interest. What will visually carry their message the best? Are they sporty? Maybe they lean toward being very homegrown and historic. Maybe they’re sleek, high fashion and modern. The point is to not get stuck in one overall style. To be very flexible and expand your design aesthetics.

6- Being A Professional Collaborator:

It’s important to get along with others. It may sound like preschool all over again, but it’s true. Collaboration is an important quality that has been observed in many successful designers. It’s important to be a team player within your agency as well as with clients that you are working with. The times I’ve had to work in and with a group of people, everything goes much smoother if I’m flexible and collaborative with the other professionals around me.

7 – Designing Ethically:

If you want to achieve success as a credible designer in the long term, this is something you should absolutely focus on. One hundred percent original and authentic designs that do not resemble the work of an another designer. There are many designers that steal other people’s work just for the sake of convenience and save some time. Not only is it lazy but from an ethical point of view, it is wrong too. After all, you are making another designer devoid of the profits he may have been able to make on his hard-worked design. Moreover, not giving another designer, the due credit is another aspect of this stealing. There is no excuse to steal another designer’s work and claim it as your own.

Every successful designer out there has been able to earn his name only through honest and legitimate work.

Most of the designers earning their bread and butter from designing, usually spend a lot of time on designs, and would hate to see their work stolen and repurposed for something else. A good designer is always thinking about what he has time for and then decides what to create from there.

8- Designing on The Side:

If you ask any creative individual, they’ll tell you that the creativity never stops. Most great designers I’ve met have told me they are always working on the side. This habit creates a great outlet for designers to have complete freedom of restrictions, a way for each of us to create something truly original and something self-fulfilling. Mikey Burton, a well-known designer in this field, is well renowned for his illustrative style. But what most people do not know is, he started out experimenting on the side with his love for screen printing and letterpress work, consequently launching his career.

Having something on the side is very important for a designer to let loose, experiment, and create something that he can truly call his own. This also allows us to experience trial and error, improving the work that we do for our clients and making it much better.

With time, you will realize what I have concluded after going through extensive research – the fact that all the designing greats usually share these eight common qualities. However, there are many more qualities that could be added to this list. But these 8 are the most basic and common ones, you will find in every other designer. So, it would only be wise if you try to apply these traits in your daily professional life so to achieve designing greatness and become like one of the successful graphic designers you so dream of becoming.