How to Improve Your Design Eye: 5 Daily Habits Designers Use

Learning how to improve your design eye is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a designer.

It’s one of those strange “when you know, you know” things.

As you become a better designer over time, bad design doesn’t just exist in the background anymore - it stands out to you. You notice spacing. You notice awkward font pairings. You notice when something feels slightly off balance.

And after almost 18 years as a graphic designer, I can tell you this - you are always learning. But there are ways to speed it up.

If I was relearning design from scratch, these are five things I would do daily.

1. Study typography.

Not casually. Properly. Become obsessive. Know your favourite fonts by name. Learn about hierarchy, spacing, kerning, alignment, contrast.

Most design problems are actually typography problems. If you master type, everything else levels up.

2. Aim for volume.

I would create a lot.

That’s why I love selling on Etsy so much - building out your store gives you a chance to hone your skills.

The more layouts you build, the more patterns you see. Skill compounds through repetition.

3. Make up design briefs that challenge you.

Design a luxury brand.

Design something for kids.

Design something corporate and minimal.

Stretch yourself beyond what you naturally gravitate towards. Growth happens in constraint.

4. Research daily and take notes.

Don’t just scroll Pinterest. Analyse.

What do you love? Why?

What feels messy? Why?

Train yourself to articulate what your eye is reacting to.

5. Take inspiration from everywhere.

Art history. Packaging. Architecture. Nature.

I saw the most incredible gradient in a sunset the other day and immediately thought - that’s better than half the colour palettes trending right now.

The more you train your eye, the harder it becomes to tolerate mediocre work - especially your own. And that’s a good thing.

Design becomes your unfair advantage.

Remember it’s a learned skill and it comes down to practice.

Jessa

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