Don't Do It Yourself
Graphic Design Tips & Tricks

13 Graphic Design Tips & Tricks That Actually Work!

Being a graphic designer is all about taking an idea and transforming it into a visual reality. Suffice to say, it’s not an easy task. With more and more businesses seeking cutting edge graphic design for their websites, it’s important for graphic designers of all skill levels to know what works and what doesn’t.

Each design is an original platform for the designer to iterate, but a few design tips is always helpful to guide this complicated process. For that reason, here are 13 graphic design tips that can help you craft your next best design.

Graphic Design Tips & Tricks

Secret time: The absolute best graphic design tip and trick is to delegate as much work as you possibly can. There are only so many hours in a day. If you're like me, and want to still be involved with creating, but don't want to get bogged down tracking pixels, consider hiring a team of qualified graphic designers. I recently hired an unlimited graphic design company. This gave me professional designers at a fixed monthly cost. I went from doing around 8-10 projects per month to 30-50 projects.

1. Leverage low cost design tools

If you're just getting started with a new business, or trying to learn the ropes, you may not have a huge budget or a lot of time to invest into becoming an expert graphic designer. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools that can help you get off the ground.

Canva

Canva, for example, is a graphic design platform, used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents, videos and other visual content. The app includes templates for users to use, which makes it easy to create impressive looking content without spending a lot of time and money on design.

Visit Canva

2. Limit the number of fonts

Graphic designers highly suggest that you use different fonts throughout your design, but they recognize that it’s easy to go overboard. The human eye has a tough time looking at something with too many different font styles. Try experimenting with around three different fonts and see how they each go together, but keep the number of overall fonts under three. You can choose from fonts already in the software, and you can always download new ones online.

3. Use a small color scheme

Similarly, don’t overload your design with an extravagant variety of colors either. Try centering it on three primary colors, and complement it with three additional secondary colors. You can also use different tones of the same color scheme by adjusting the brightness. It’s important to remember that fonts need to stand out relative to the colored background.

4. Use contrasting colors

Opposites attract, especially in graphic design. The human eye is going to be attracted to colors that really stand out, so let your page pop by utilizing contrast. Using high-contrasting color schemes like black and yellow will leave a good impression on those who see your design, especially if it’s scarce on letters.

5. White space is an advantage

If you’ve ever looked at an Apple ad and wondered why it looks so crisp and eye-pleasing, it’s in large-part to the white background. If you don’t feel that crazy fonts and extravagant color schemes is right for your design, using white space might be the move. It prevents your message from getting caught up in all the imagery and colors, as the viewer will have a clear idea of what the focus is.

6. Use big letters

Laying big letters on top of an image can create a sense of scale for your design. Increasing font size and decreasing letter height can also box your letters in the frame. Make sure the placement of the text is pleasing to look at, and that there’s symmetry with the image. You can also play around with the text’s transparency against a large image.

7. Clear and crisp imagery

Speaking of imagery, make sure you select high resolution images that fit the tone of the design while being pleasing to look at. Similar to how you can make the text on top of an image more transparent, you can also increase the brightness of the image underneath to further enhance the contrast. This allows both your image to be clearer and your text to be more legible.

8. Track your text

An overlooked aspect of letters and fonts in graphic design is spacing in between each letter. Kerning, or the adjustment of space between two characters, should be a major concern for designers, as letters too close together can make something look clustered. Some fonts have weird spacing by default, but most software should let you play around with the spacing. Let those letters breathe.

9. Utilize flat design

Just because designers have the tools to create crazy 3D designs, doesn’t mean that that’ll always be the most appropriate decision. Sometimes using flat, 2D designs will do the trick. It’s becoming more and more appealing to designers, and is a relatively accessible tool for beginners as well.

10. Be consistent

Being consistent with your design is one of the most important elements to letting everything come together. Visual elements can help guide the reader through to understanding the message or purpose of the design. Consistency captures people’s interests, so make sure you use the same color schemes, fonts, alignment techniques, and art styles.

11. Use icons

Icons are very simple in design but visually appealing. Using icons can extend beyond simply linking your Facebook or Twitter pages – try and get creative. It gives your page a sense of personality and flair. It’s an interactive element to your design that both increases the visual appeal while also engaging the user.

12. Apply hierarchy

The average human attention span is about 8 seconds, so it’s important to grab a user’s attention and direct them towards the main idea. Hierarchy in graphic design is creating a layout that guides the viewer towards what you are trying to convey. Use text, imagery, colors, and other techniques to highlight what is most important to your design.

13. Be You

Finally, make sure you’re always looking inside yourself for inspiration. At the end of the day, you’re the one who’s guiding the design, and you know what’s best for attaining your vision. Trust your instincts, and know that you’re capable of nailing this next design for your client!

Bonus Tip: Leverage Statistics

Statistics on graphic design show that it is a very competitive industry that is steadily growing. As such, there's a wealth of information on the state of graphic design. This includes consumer behavior, how businesses are maximizing design resources, and documentation on rising trends. Use this data to your advantage to shorten the learning curve and stay on top of changes.