5 Ways Being Your Own Design is Not as Hard as it Sounds
The thought of designing your own graphics can be pretty intimidating when you have no idea how to do it or where to start looking to figure it out. You know it’s something that needs to be done, you just aren’t sure how to make sense of everything you need to get started.
The thing to know is that it’s really not as scary or hard as it sounds.
In this post I’m going to share with you several things about designing for yourself that can help lower the intimidation factor and give you the confidence you need to get going.
1. You don’t need to know everything about design.
Pro designers have to know a lot about design because they’re doing all kinds of different designs with completely different styles, for lots of different clients. You’re only creating for yourself. You don’t need to know everything that the pros know about design to create good looking graphics.
Your design needs are really very simple. You’re not trying to win any contests or blow anyone away with your great design skill.
All you are needing to do is to get a message across to your audience, and look professional in the process.
You only need to understand basic design rules to make your designs look professional, and this is something that most anyone can do.
Just get the basics down, and many times that’s most of what you need to get everything done that you need to.
2. You can make great designs by just keeping it simple.
Here is the great thing about design. Less is more. Understated is best. And when you’re designing for yourself, this great because keeping it simple is very easy for you to do.
You don’t have to go crazy with artwork or bright and bold content to feel like you’re designing well. It’s actually better if you don’t.
Sometimes people will try to do too much or overwork the design, and the message ends up getting lost. A simple design that communicates well is much better than a flashy one that takes the attention from what you’re trying to say.
Keep it simple. Don’t worry about making these awesome, gorgeous designs. Some of the best designs I’ve seen have been the most understated, with a classy font and just some very simple content.
Keeping it simple also makes you look more professional. Just keep your designs clean and uncluttered and apply basic design rules. Your message will get across and your graphics will look great.
3. You don’t have to sweat it too much.
Here’s another great thing about designing for yourself. Your designs really do not have to be perfect.
Again like I mentioned, don’t feel like you have to create design awesomeness to be good at this. You’re not trying to win any contests.
Your goal is to communicate well and look professional, and most times a clean and classic look will do the trick.
Just start out with a simple design style with some classic fonts and a nice accent color, and then be conservative with your layout and clear with your content. Learn some basics with design and with your software, and you are most of the way there.
4. Designing for yourself gets easier with practice.
Like anything else, it may feel awkward at first but the more you practice at it the easier making your own graphics will get. Learning what you need to will take some work up front, and at first it may feel a little difficult to remember what to do.
But with time and a little practice, you will definitely get more comfortable with things and again, since you’re only doing this for yourself, everything will be much simpler for you than it would be for someone who does design for a living.
You will get better and become more comfortable, and eventually what you’re learning will click and won’t seem so difficult.
Designing for yourself is really not that hard once you know what to do. Don’t worry if you think you’re not getting it at first, you will get better over time.
5. Put in some work up front, and you’ll have a good setup to get your graphics done quickly and easily.
If you put in some work up front doing the things I’ve mentioned – learning the basics with design and software, take some time getting a simple design style down – and then setting up some templates for the types of graphics you use, it should make designing for yourself a much simpler thing that doesn’t have to be hard or take up so much of your time.
You want to get to the business of working on your own business and creating your own content. You don’t want to spend all day figuring out your graphics and want to get this part done as quickly as possible.
The good news is you can.
Again, if you keep it simple, practice and just stick to the basics, creating your own graphics doesn’t have to be difficult. Over time you’ll be a pro at getting the design part done so you can focus on the rest of your business.
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About the Author
Hi! I’m Melodie, and I help bloggers and solopreneurs create their own graphics for their businesses. I’ve been a graphic designer for over 20 years, and I can tell you that just by learning some basics, you can definitely create a professional look for your brand, even if you don’t see yourself as a designer.