Design, in every sense of the word, is a critical part of any successful business. From your logo to your website and your content, everything must be carefully crafted in a way that pleases the eye and appeals to your target audience.
Doing this requires having someone working with you who has an โeye for designโ โ that special something that gives certain artists the ability to see beyond the obvious and produce quality work fast. This is a valuable skill that is more rare than people think. In this article, we explain why this valuable skill is rarer than many people think and how you can find it.
The Nature vs. Nurture Debate
Many people think they have an innate ability to put images, colors, and text together. They feel they already have an โeye for designโ thanks to skills they were born with. They might say they have good taste. Itโs the old nature vs. nurture debate. There are those who think that design skills are something youโre born with (nature). On the other side, there are those who feel that an โeye for designโ is something that you learn through years of practice and training (nurture).
There is no question that some people are born with a sense of taste that can be enhanced and refined through training. However, there seems to be a disconnect between what many people think they can do and what they actually can do in real life. In your head, itโs easy to come up with amazing designs.
In reality, there are enough bad designs on the internet to convince anyone that only a handful of people truly have an โeye for design.โ Ultimately, we at Matcha Design have to side more with nurture than with nature on this one.
What Youโre Not Born With โ Design Principles
Although some people can naturally put together colors, images, and text in a way that is pleasing to the eye, no one is born with a deep understanding of graphic design principles such as color theory, typography, layout, and composition.
Yet, these principles are vital to knowing how to solve problems and ensure that your designs are repeatable creatively. The artist who simply designs what he โfeelsโ inevitably gets things wrong repeatedly, struggles to meet deadlines, and often gets bogged down in problems. This is because knowing why you are doing something is just as important as knowing how to do something.
Here are 8 design principles that are absolutely crucial to understand:
- Balance
- Emphasis
- Contrast
- Alignment
- Repetition
- Movement
- White Space
- Proportion
Formal graphic design training and years of experience hone oneโs eye for design, enabling the designer to know what the rules are and also when to break them. As the professional designer builds their career, they end up being exposed to a wide range of different design styles and techniques. This is critical because there is no single philosophy or approach that works for all industries. Businesses require designers that are flexible, dynamic, and fast.
What Does It Mean To Have An Eye For Design?
If businesses are looking for designers who have this special something, this โeye for design,โ they need to know what the term actually means. For Chris Lo, the founder of Matcha Design, a true โeye for designโ is like having a Swiss army knife in your pocket. It all comes down to versatility. Professional designers use their years of experience and broad horizons to solve abstract problems quickly and effectively. Those who have an โeye for designโ are capable of delivering high-quality work in a very short timeframe over and over again.
Experienced designers have also worked in the industry for years, taking feedback from mentors, peers, and clients. This further hones their โeye for design,โ giving them the ability to anticipate the needs and requirements of clients ahead of time.
On a practical level, this means that businesses that work with designers who possess this skill get better quality work faster than those who try to do branding themselves or rely on cheap amateurs.
Should I Hire An Amateur Or Work With A Professionally Trained Designer?
This is the ultimate question. The answer is that you should try to find professionally trained designers like the team here at Matcha Design. Why? Although some may have a head start thanks to inborn talent, a true โeye for designโ is only possible through years of experience and training. Designers learn the problem-solving skills and creativity a business needs both through experience and by studying the foundational principles of the craft.
Do you need design work? Matcha Design is ready to help. Contact us today with the details of your project, and letโs talk!
