33 Board of novice designers or how not to make unnecessary mistakes

Where, as a rule, it all starts. Here you have mastered a few operations in Photoshop, so you began to receive what only yesterday seemed prohibitively difficult and you're starting to think, "Oh, cool! Now I'm a designer! "I assure you - it does not mean to be a designer, this is only the beginning. You have yet to acquire the skills and habits, to learn many different things that are not directly related to the design, learn to solve problems, go through fairly sophisticated tests in order to move closer to his goal - to become a professional designer.

Now, by analyzing your design adventures over the past few years, I understand that many things would have done differently. I vspomnala how did the first work in photoshop how avidly read design forums, How to get your first job, as the first time talking to customers, how long could not quite believe that the Internet can earn, and not necessarily at the same time every day to walk into the office.

And then, after a bout of nostalgia, this post was born, designed especially for beginners.Collected here are 33 Council, which are - to help the novice designer to avoid stepping on a rake to clear and designer's career not to make unnecessary mistakes.

A. Train
To get hand in Photoshop beginner should train. Now there are many kinds of lessons, including video tutorials and already, in which the steps are painted, and shows all the steps. Learn this tutorial to not only fun but also useful. It is best to start with the most simple and clear, and then move to more complex ones.

Two. Get to know Photoshop
This program provides a truly great opportunity for creativity. We usually have only a limited number of operations. Once I am only more carefully read the manual on Photoshop, I pulled down from the computer most of the installed plug-ins for Photoshop, because they overlap with a similar function in the program.

Three. Do not hurry
Be prepared, that first you all will turn out slowly. This is natural and there's no getting around it. The main thing you should know that the number must be transformed into quality. After six months the rate would be another, and a year and even more. Now I'm doing some things for three hours, but before they actually took three days.

4. Do not be greedy
any trouble with the beginner in the fact that when he has the opportunity to download a new brush, clipart, or style, he pulled out the cry: "Oh! I want that! "And download it without even thinking whether it's him. As a result, stored on a computer gigabytes of unnecessary information, which is physically difficult to handle by one person. In general, be selective.

Five. Organize
Do not turn your computer into a warehouse, scored the eyeballs. Just downloaded manipulate graphics, images, styles, brushes, etc. The workplace should be a procedure that you just know where everything is, and not looking for a few hours. You make just the right folders, rename files, so you could understand, make their own encoding.Maintain order, and you'll have a lot to rake afterwards.

6. Do the other
newcomer in the design is not ashamed to be on the best design patterns. So, if you like the site, feel free to try to do the same. Anyway, get completely different. Checked.

7. Beware of plagiarism
, however, "do as the other" - this does not mean that you should copy the favorite site.You can use the location of the major elements that adhere to a common style, like you liked the site, but still try to use similar elements and not one to one, and place them already in your order. I think any of us quietly tell a site made ​​like the other site of the plagiarism of clean water. In general, plagiarism - it is bad form.

Eight. Analyze
Try to arrange your favorite site on the components. Check to separate what his background as it is made, what are the main elements as they are made, used a brush or clip art, which at a stroke font, gradients, which are used as a superimposed shadow of what techniques are used in the design. Try to understand how the site has been made, which was first done, then what.

9. Look at the world through the eyes of the designer
try to perceive television, magazines, outdoor advertising in terms of how they are made.Keep track of your favorite items. For example, I really like the designer on the channel "Culture" and on MTV can often see all sorts of interesting decorating pieces. If you are irritated by advertising - try to look at it through the eyes of the designer. After all, people who make this ad, paid for a lot of money. And sometimes they do have a lot to learn.

10. Keep a notebook to take notes
when you feel that your head is not enough space to remember all the ideas seen, get a notebook, to sketch favorite items. Yesterday, for example, I have sketched as there was a decorated box with the information, I believe in the Ren-TV. Do not try to fill it. It is the job of the future and this notebook after a while you will be very useful.

11. Do not complain at the lack of inspiration
Complaints about the lack of inspiration and the emptiness in the head - the surest sign of a novice designer. Prominent sites are made ​​on the courage, just a neat sites are made ​​on the skill, on a set of techniques and skills that you possess, and which will not disappear, even if nothing of genius does not occur. Just sit down and do what you know how. All the more so after you start to do these very ideas come to mind

12. Communicate in the community
beginning designer hang useful in the design community, imbued, as it were, a professional spirit. Therefore, talk in forums, speak out, ask for advice. In the future, just come in handy.

13. Track trends
Stay informed design trends, track the latest changes, notice new trends. And do not notice when Web 2.0 style becomes not relevant.

14. Use the new
Do not wait indefinitely, use new items seen in his works. At least you are ahead of many.

15. Make useful piece
Mastering a new piece in Photoshop, try to right the result of your experiments was fit for use in design. For example, when I was versed in the settings control brushes, the output was very nice ready-made design elements, which are then used.

16. Follow the copyright
has long been realized that the pictures and buy healthier and safer. Pay attention to copyright. At some facilities may be licensed only for noncommercial use. If the object has the dubious origin - try not to use it in commercial designs.

17. Collect your free collection ofpeople specifically lay out their work freely available on the Internet. Use it. Gather your collection of fonts, brushes, clip art, icons directly to your needs.

18. Get to know the theory ofBe versed in the theory with regard to issues such as color, composition, fonts, etc. First of all, you yourself will be useful this knowledge. Secondly, communicating with customers, you have to defend their point of view. And it would be better if you can do it with arguments and professional language.

19. Make a reservation to himselfusually the first question the customer when dealing with the designer: "Show portfolio."Newbie says that he has no porfolio, and thus practically deprive themselves of possible orders. The vicious circle: no portfolio because there are no orders, no orders because there is no portfolio. It is best in this situation, make an order yourself. But it must be a finished work, not the sketch. His first customer, I was making a couple of sites that ordered itself.

20. Do not reduce the timing of orderssometimes, talking to the customer, there is a temptation to reduce the time commitment. In no case will not do. Always give a real, not mythical terms, plus two days in reserve. If you do before - will be a pleasant surprise to the customer. And if you're dynamite - spoil the relationship with the client. Customers oh, they do not like to be dynamite.

21. Study regularlyTry to deal with constantly. As in any case, the tone of the design is also very necessary.If no orders - to hone skills, learn new techniques, gradually be engaged in Photoshop

22. Be prepared for the criticismis probably the most difficult challenge for any designer. Well, if the customer is seeing your work, said: "Wow! Wow! "And you are both satisfied. This is the best option. But it happens that a customer as picky buyer begins to actively criticize your work. Sometimes this is done to ensure that the designer has lowered the price, sometimes, and valuable comments. So if you are at the moment to steel himself. Will not give unnecessary emotions. And do not send a client to go to hell, and translate the conversation in a constructive direction, your chances of becoming a professional designer will increase many times.

23. Do not use the default settingsif you see a vague shadow of a huge black if white embossing on the letters look terrible, it is likely that this design did a beginner. All default settings are designed for large objects.This is especially true styles. Using them on objects of small dimensions, such as titles, for example, you simply uroduete work. Be sure to adjust manual settings to decrease the effects.

24. Measure your handStart with simple orders. Do not try to retrieve the heavy construction of complex multi-page layout. Most likely you are exhausted, tighten the terms, do not feel satisfied with the work done and, ultimately, will be disappointed. First, do what is easier.

25. Enjoy working
in a time when you sit down to work, try to let go all unnecessary thoughts, like how cool I am a designer, how much will I get money, how am I going to spend it, etc. Just focus on creativity. It's like gliding on the waves. The main thing one time to feel the buzz of creativity and then this state you have anything else will not mistake.

26. Do not do unnecessary calculations
Favorite game novices: "So much of orders a day, a week is so much as a month is just great!". All of these calculations - a waste of time. Anyway, at first it will be very modest amount, far less than what you count. And by the time the amounts would be significant, you will not have time to do calculations, will be a stream of orders, which just need to get done.

27. Pay attention to details
Scarcity in detail another feature newcomers. Give details of the work of filling. Pay attention to each element of the design work through each of them. Add the details of the block with the text, background, logo, button, etc. and they will sparkle with new colors.

28. Do cliparts themselves
sometimes climbed the entire Internet to find the right element for design. Ugrohat lot of time and not the fact that you find what you need. Somehow I had to find a grunge brush border of the block. Tired of searching, I just took a dry brush of a standard set of Photoshop, and twice held a straight line. Success is just what I needed. You can also photograph the object of the search itself. Conclusion: If you feel that you spend a lot of time - do it yourself.

29. Do not criticize beginners
Another sign by which one can recognize a novice designer - a rabid critic of his fellow newcomers in various forums. If you see phrases such as "Horror," "Sucks," "Nightmare!", Then it's probably written by someone who himself has recently learned to drive a mouse in Photoshop. Seasoned experts at, tend to be more friendly and loyal, and if I criticize it constructively and thoroughly.

30. Be critical to yourself
if you are already starting to compare their work with others, it really compare with the best, not the fast dizami made ​​at the knee. Comparison with known works carelessly gives unnecessary arrogance and complacency.

31. Be careful when
making a sketch to the customer, complete all the details right. Do not talk to the client, "Here it will be so, but here I cleaned up." Just do and show how the correct immediately.Do not force the client to fantasize. Make a sketch - it does not mean to do anyhow. This means do not work out in detail some of the blocks. For example, we show the first draft of a hat, and then deal with blocks, and footer. But what is displayed to the client in the form of a sketch should be made ​​for no apparent blunders.

32. Believe that you will succeed
Maintain a proper mental attitude. It is very important. Just believe that you will succeed. With all the effort will not be lost, and will benefit you in the near future.

33. Do not listen to anyone's advice
Never follow the advice blindly. Try it, experiment, try to understand what is right for you. In the horse, all his own experience and my buds always bring many more benefits.

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