Designer Alexander Kochevanov decided to figure out what distinguishes a novice designer from a cool designer and what path one needs to go through to become a cool designer.

At the moment, the labor market in the field of design has a fairly large selection. There are many designers, not very good ones, freelancers like uncut dogs.

Almost everyone who has at least a little knowledge of a profile program, for example, Photoshop or even an illustrator, considers himself a designer. But the problem is that this is not enough. I want to find out who a designer is and how to become a cool designer.

There are different types of designs: web, printing, interiors, industrial, landscape and many others. I am engaged in web design and branding, so it will mainly be about people like me, but it is possible that the material can be applied to other areas as well.

Let’s start with the term “design”. What does it mean? There is an opinion that design is creativity, art, that there is no way without art education. This is partly true, of course, but I believe that design is primarily a solution to a problem. Especially when it comes to commercial design, where the main thing is to sell a product, to make money. Decorations, quirks and other nonsense, undoubtedly, help to achieve what you want, but they are secondary. No one needs a beautiful microwave, the power button of which is located on the back wall.

Good design: reliable, logical, functional, beautiful, enjoyable (in that order).

Now about the person who calls himself a designer:
• 2 legs that bring him to work.
• 2 hands with which he presses keys, drives a mouse or a pen.
• The head that he thinks looks at the monitor and into which he puts food for lunch.
• Accounts on dribble, behans and elsewhere for inspiration.
• Any hobbies outside of work, for a change.

Basically, he’s normal. “SPECIALIST”(Key word) in their field, it is quite possible to become such. There are many ways to upgrade specific skills, I will not describe them. To do this, you can enroll in an educational institution, or you can learn it yourself, with the help of books, the Internet, practice, practice and again practice. I am interested in much more, I am interested in the personality cult of a cool designer: why is it needed, what is interesting for him, how to become one.

Why is this needed?

I want to be the best, I want to leave something behind. Let them not write about me in textbooks or poetry, I don’t need this, but I must be sure that I’m not living this life in vain. My work should benefit not only me, but also the people around me: my clients, my clients ‘clients and even the children of my clients’ clients.

What makes a cool designer interesting?

So, a cool designer, he is also a “MANAGER” (again a key word), in a way, an art director (the difference between a designer and an art director) realizes:
• Design is a sales tool. In the era of market relations and an abundance of goods, everyone buys beautiful pictures and beautiful things. Aesthetics and a sense of beauty will help the designer to make the things that are sold.
• Beauty is secondary, of course, he does not deal with ugliness, but in the foreground the working mechanisms that bring results to the project (the fashionable term is usability).
• Design is not art, it is measured, for example, by conversion. Sometimes simple design changes can lead to better results.
• Design – a compromise between requirements, goals and ways to achieve them.
• Communication skills must be honed to perfection. Communication with colleagues, clients and in general with other people helps and not only on work topics.
• Design trends need to be known, even if they are not always worth applying.
• Knowledge or understanding of the work of related industries: layout, programming, seo-optimization, marketing, etc.
• Interaction with peer designers (if available). You need to help, ask for help, advise, teach, listen, correct.
• Delegation of authority. Not everyone has this opportunity. Thanks to this, you can concentrate on the main goal, and supervise other things.
• A global approach to solving problems: analysis of competitors, market leaders and related industries.
• Healthy perfectionism.
• Responsibility for the result. How else if the stakes are high?

How to become a cool designer?

This is a good question and each designer must answer it for himself, because everyone has different capabilities, everyone has different resources. You can make a clear plan and follow it. Self-analysis helps to achieve the goal. In this matter, it is important not to sit idly by, but to do, do and do, because the path is thorny and long.

Author: Alexander Kochevanov
Source: habrahabr.ru