#designtips

Colour psychology might be universal, but cultures are different. No matter what the “natural” effect of a colour on people is, when you’ve been exposed to a certain cultural meaning attached to a colour,

When you create design ideas, your eye is the most important judge. The more designs you create, the more trained your eyes will become. But at no point will anyone’s eyes ever become so well-trained,

Besides using complementary and analogous colours, some more advanced concepts of using the colour wheel to create a colour palette have been developed. These are most often based on geometric patterns;

In the last article we’ve established the basics in theory. But can the colour wheel actually help us in the practical design process? Yes, it can, and even the basics of the practical usage are enough

Visual Brain Dumping is the brainstorming of scribbling. Approach a visual brain dumping session the same way you would brainstorm. As brainstorming, the scribbling approach can also be used for groups,

Research is not just the first step of the creative process; it is one of the most important. If you do your research right, you can create more ideas, better ideas, more fitting ideas, and get these ideas

A huge topic that certainly deserves more than one article. But let us start somewhere. And the best place to start is most often: the basics. So, here are the basics of running client interviews for

Your clients are running successful businesses, which is why it is likely that they know more about their business then we ever could. At the same time, your clients don’t know enough about design, which

The most basic advice will elevate you and your business above the market average. On the one hand, it is somehow sad, that basic advice is enough to outperform the competition, but on the other hand,

What goes around, comes back around. If you go around criticizing the work of others, others will go around and criticize your work. And as we all make mistakes from time to time, there is always something

Creating a design is not like creating an algorithm for a software security company. But even though, you should keep your client relations a secret. If clients agree, you can share your work on your portfolio

Why should you give away valid advice as a designer online? Doesn’t that create more knowledgeable designers who might take away the jobs you want to have? Aren’t you just creating unnecessary competition?

No matter how good you are, there are always things you can’t control. Therefore, there is always a chance for us of losing a job, losing a project, or losing income. Prepare yourself for harder times

Being a designer is interesting, creative, and fun. But running a design business is about making money. And making money isn’t always fun, sometimes we must do what must be done to bring home the bacon.

We all have our passion projects, and if the opportunity comes to work on them, money is not really of our concern. But besides these projects, no designer should ever work for free, especially not, if

Maybe it is some weird trick of fate, but every time I presented a b-solution to one of my clients together with the a-solution, the client took the b-solution. And the client was never at fault for choosing

“The more clients you get, the more money you make” is incorrect. In the short run, it is true that you get more money with every client working with you. But in the long run, it is even counterproductive

When beginning designers ask me for advice, I always recommend: “Charge more for your work!” This advice will bring clients of higher quality your way, which will not only give you the chance to work on

Some experts tell us, that we shouldn’t use design portfolios to find inspiration. Instead, we should find our own voice. Going to design portfolios of other designers is not just hindering the development