Not today?
Look, not every day is going to be your best day and that’s cool. Don’t indulge your worst habits though. That will kill your momentum like a motherf#%ker. Been there. Done THAT. Just today though, Satan.
Tiny
It's the tiny moments that mean the most. Details matter. Sometimes I spend more time perfecting the small pieces of a design just to ensure a tiny "discovery."
Think about that little jolt of delight the first time you noticed a tiny detail in something you love. Didn't it make you fall in love all over again? You may not have even noticed it the first time you watched/listened to/touched it, but it was there all along just waiting to be discovered.
Tiny moments create advocates. The "Oh, but did you see this..." sort of advocate.
Make Packaging That is Hard to Throw Away
Sometimes I can't throw a product's box away. Sometimes it's so beautifully designed that it feels like it would be an insult to the designer to put it in the trash or recycling. I may also be a hoarder, though. The jury's out on that one.
You need to strive to make packaging that is hard to throw away. I always enjoy hearing people tell me about how much it has pained them to throw away Honest Company packaging - the vitamins boxes are apparently a popular hoarding item.
I like to use this idea as a starting point when starting any new packaging project. Can we convince someone to keep this box or bottle or sleeve simply through the beauty of its design?
Or better yet, can we get them to keep that box and then photograph it and share it with friends and family across social media? Can the packaging on its own be an ambassador for the brand?
Let it Go
The client wants this font changed or that color tweaked. Is it really that bad? You are there to solve their problems, after all. Unless you are your own client – do the work you were hired for. Good work. GREAT work.
Feedback and criticism are merely a difference of opinion. Don't take things personally. Egos are extremely fragile. They are bruised easily. Don't let yours become an impediment to doing good work.
Of course it's not an easy thing to do, but if you can learn to let go, you'll thank yourself later for having acquired the skill.
Copy That
We all copy – in the beginning, at least. You copy the things you like or love in order to learn. In doing so you can pick up on different approaches and techniques. At some point you eventually have to stop copying though. Your true voice will never show in the work. You'll be nothing more than an echo.
Gateway Design
Use design as a gateway for your message. Bad design will turn people away from all the good you have to share. Good design is inherently trustworthy. People are skeptical of design that looks void of any thought or skill.
Good design can also initially target a superficial response in people, but now you've made it that much easier to bring them in for your message.
More: Making for the Sake of Making
"Eventually, if you do it well, and long enough, people will start asking you to do it for them."
- Jonathan Harris