Good creatives can’t sit at a computer or piece of paper for hours at a time. Successful work simply won’t happen this way. Some days I may sit and design or write for only a few hours or not at all, but I’m constantly working. All day I’m thinking about design, advertising or collecting information and inspiration for later. People like us don’t leave work at work, taking a drive to the store isn’t just a drive to the store. It’s a chance to look at dozens of advertisements, hundreds of other design solutions, and a brain-refresher. You can’t force creativity like you can force yourself to solve a math problem. It takes outside stimulation, it takes an untouchable inspiration. For those of us who truly love it, it’s a lifestyle, not a job.

Happiness is important for creativity. Being active is essential. Sitting in an isolated bubble at your computer will result in dull, copycat-like work. Although design isn’t art, design utilizes art – and art is expressive. Graphic design and advertising have specific purposes, but there’s still a huge element of oneself in every solution. The work produced will only be as good as the person who produces it; unlike left-brained work, right-brained work is largely a reflection of the worker as a person.

So stay happy and healthy. Go for a run, grab coffee with a friend, put yourself into nature and see the world.

Nike’s swoosh didn’t land them a ton of publicity and sales, their highly successful marketing strategy did. McDonald’s ‘M’ isn’t iconic because of its witty, stand-out design; it’s a very successful product combined with intelligent decisions. Verizon Wireless’ horrendous logo has nothing to do with being the most dominant wireless company. You get the idea.

A logo shouldn’t nor does it need to tell a person about a company. I find it irksome when designers talk in length about their logo design as a representation of a company’s values and personality. If your logo does that much, it’s doing too much. It should quickly and simply identify. There shouldn’t be much more thought than ‘that’s X company’ — after that, it’s the job of that company to change the public’s perception.

This isn’t to say that an extravagantly designed identity won’t bring success, but it means for much more difficult integration into an overall brand strategy with promotional and ad material, stationary systems, and overall reproduction. Apple’s first logo with a spectrum of colors simply would not work as an iconic mark that played a huge role in creating a lifestyle around the brand. Imagine an iphone or Macbook with a logo that has 6 colors on it, fan boys may be pleased, but the revolutionarily simple, minimalist style that Apple set forth with would be lost.

So what does matter? Things that people identify with quickly: color, shape, typography. Simplicity is key. A mark should work alone, placed in an ad, Web site, or even a t-shirt. Before touching color, it should work in black and white. It should be resizable between the size of a thumbnail and the size of a billboard. Unlike the mark, the typography does have some personality and will say a lot about a company; but this will be a new post.

After you have a mark, the real work begins. It’s the detailed organization, planning, and integration that will establish a brand. I don’t design logos, I create tools for branding.

In a way it’s freedom, but I’m more interested in the concept of self-motivation.  Knowing that I’m 100% responsible for my success or failure is a huge responsibility. If I don’t wake up every day ready to kick ass, I’m not going to feed myself next week.

This is the ultimate motivation.

Waking up at 6-7 am is no longer a chore, I enjoy it. Where I used to roll out of bed and slam down some breakfast, I’m now jumping out and going for a run. Where I used to put off hard work as late as possible, I’m now excited to work on any project. Where I used to love lying in bed at night, I now want to stay up and work. Well, the last one may be a stretch.

Where I may be able to slack at another company and get by, take it easy some days and relax; that simply isn’t an option any more. I work best under pressure, like many people, and there’s no greater pressure than being responsible for everything. As tough as it is in the early stages and as big of an uphill climb we have: I absolutely love it. So my recommendation to anyone who’s bored with work, who is sick of doing something they don’t love, who has become lazy — challenge yourself, do your own thing, make every day count.

1. Content is king

I said it before and I’ll say it again: the final goal should dictate form. Before beginning any design, I clearly layout what it is I want to accomplish within the design. With my own portfolio design, for example, I wanted to display my mark above all else to help brand myself and display the work immediately afterward. If your goal is to brand a company, then your first step should be to inform the viewer of what the company is. Think small, think simple, and then grow. There’s no reason to start out by trying to create a great design off the bat, just start with the basics and create a design that works from there.

2. Nothing is everything

This isn’t to say that one should include as little content as possible, but rather eliminate as much content as possible. Include whatever content is necessary then cut what’s necessary down to what’s really necessary, it’s always less than you originally think. Of course, you can start by including as little as possible, but it’s much easier to get to the absolute core of the content by seeing its entirety first.

3. Negative space is your friend

Minimalist design utilizes negative space more than any other style. It’s the driving force behind simplicity. White or blank space will naturally evolve when content is eliminated, but it’s important to know how to effectively use this white space or you’ll be left with an empty, boring design. The lack of content in a design should add to what content is there, not take from it. The whole idea behind this negative space is to put more attention on the content that you deemed absolutely essential to include. By isolating content, you ensure that the viewer’s attention is drawn to it. That’s the beauty of simplicity: less is more.

4. Flow will make or break a design

Because such little content will be present, it’s important to pay special attention to placement of the content. This goes back to my previous point, you must learn to effectively use negative space or you’ll be left with a dull, blank design. Focal points that demand attention because of the immense negative space around them can be used as a leading point into further content. Think small followed by big (or average) or big followed by small, differentiations will lead the flow of the eye. Pay close attention to space in between content; think about repetition, the rule of thirds, and tweaking those things to play with the viewer’s focus. White space will be more powerful than actual substance.

5. Minor details matter more

Like flow, considering that such little information will be included in your design, what information is there had better be perfect. Kerning on your type had better be impeccable, navigation on your site had better be foolproof, alignment of your content had better be pixel perfect, and whatever graphics are included had better look flawless. Any detail that’s off will stand out like a sore thumb. It’s these little things that turn an average design into a great design.

1. Start

It’s a simple tip, but it’s the most essential and difficult step to take. Becoming better begins at just getting off your ass. Stop waiting for something to fall into your lap, stop waiting for a school to teach you something, stop waiting to magically become a good designer and just start.

2. Continually improve your skill with practice

The key to building a great portfolio begins at having the skill to design great pieces. Just like a sport, practice makes you better. The next few steps will outline what to practice, but it’s important to remember that it’s an ongoing process. There’s no reason a designer should sit around waiting for client work to come in, always practice your skill.

3. Read up on the fundamentals

Understanding simple concepts like the rule of thirds, repetition, and utilization of negative space within design are the building blocks of all great work. Google is an invaluable resource in finding quick, free information. Visiting your local library never hurt, either.

4. Read tutorials

There are tutorials online for just about everything you want to learn. Web sites like psdtuts.com offer articles from great designers in several areas. Understanding how to better use your tools and learning new tricks will greatly improve your ability.

5. Follow and interact with great designers

Find a few designers whose work you love and try to imitate their style to improve upon your own. This isn’t to say you should directly copy anyone’s work, but taking influence is an important step in getting better. Analyze their work and attempt to figure out why they’re successful, what elements make them stand out; and then how you can reach that point. Simply contact professionals and ask for tips, the community is generally friendly and willing to help.

6. Receive critiques

Ask for feedback from designers and non-designers alike. It’s important to have an idea what people outside the community think about your work, considering these are the people you primarily design for. Asking for feedback from other designers is an invaluable resource in improving your work, too. A good way to get an honest critique from a non-designer is to ask a person what they think of a design rather than directly ask for a critique. To ask for a critique often triggers a person to give negative feedback even if there’s nothing negative to say.

7. Visit design blogs and Web sites

Web sites like sixrevisions.com, smashingmagazine.com, and ilovetypography.com have great articles, tutorials, and resources for designers. This not only helps your skill, but keeps you up-to-date on trends within the industry.

8. Design for imaginary clients

If your portfolio is lacking in a certain area or you simply can’t find a client to design for, just make one up. It’s better to have a real client, conceptual work is better than nothing. Rather than filling your portfolio with pretty designs you put together, formulate a company name and give yourself a brief. Make sure the client you make up compliments your portfolio. If all of your current work is primarily clean and simple, design something for a fictional children’s store or record label.

9. Do pro-bono work for local businesses

Your portfolio may not be built up enough to get paid work initially, so offer your services for free to a local store or non-profit organization. Act as though you’re being paid and be as professional as possible; if they’re happy with your services they may tell others about you or come to you for future work.

10. Design for yourself

Sometimes a break from designing for others is refreshing and necessary for improvement. Make art, have fun, design as though there are no limits. Potential employers like to see your personality in your portfolio, it’s the icing on top.

Above all else, like anything in life, you need enough self-motivation to do it. If you want it enough and truly care, then you can without ever having to leave your house.

Art happens if you’re lucky.

This is especially true within graphic design. Content is king. The goal must dictate form. All too often, graphic designers, myself included, become lost in the artistic approach and our own visions so much that we lose sight of the point altogether. A graphic designer’s goal should not be to make something beautiful, not to make something that gains recognition or praise; but rather to accomplish the goal at hand. Rarely is the goal to make something stunning, but even when it is; there’s always a deeper purpose behind making something beautiful.

But one shouldn’t attempt to solve a problem with simplicity; simplicity should naturally evolve from a good solution. As Rand said, “Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.”

My gripe with current design trends lies within a designer’s attempt to make something great and to become known. Forget beauty, it’s become trendy to make something so awkward and so ugly that it gains attention. Being fashionable is outweighing being good.
Volkswagen’s 1959 ‘Lemon’ ad was so revolutionary because it eliminated the clutter and got straight to the point. There isn’t anything particularly great about the ad, but there didn’t need to be.The goal was to introduce the car to America. What better way to do that than to simply show people the car? The solution was so simple that it blew everyone away. Other ads at the time focused on packing in information and relied on fantasy to sell whereas this ad relied on the product and an interesting headline.

Take Pepsi’s logo evolution for example,

I would argue that the most effective version is the icon of the ’70s. It gets rid of the clutter and gets straight to the point: this is Pepsi. The type centered among the brand’s colors in a simple, bold font. What else is needed? Previous versions were plagued with fancy, difficult-to-read lettering and later renditions destroyed with unattractive italic, gradient-ridden marks that become lost in a saturated market. The most current logo attempts to revitalize the brand and get back to simplicity, but falls short by trying a little too hard with a font that’s already yesterday’s news and a mark that no one quite understands without explanation.

Apple is more popular than ever right now. Is it any surprise that the current version of their logo and brand is the most simple, raw version to date? There’s no doubt that the quality of their product is the biggest contributor to the company’s success, but it’s the modern simplicity of the brand that makes them so unique and thus so popular.

Go back to what works. Design for purpose first and foremost. Be a problem solver, not an artist. If art happens, great, you had a happy little accident as Bob Ross would say.