9 Top Graphic Designers Share Their Best Advice for Non-Designers

9 Top Graphic Designers Share Their Best Advice for Non-Designers

Written by:
Orana Velarde

Mar 15, 2019
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At Visme, we strive to make it easy for non-designers to create great-looking content for their presentations and visual marketing. We also like to help inspire amazing designs with useful knowledge and creative ideas.

For this reason, we asked a group of notable designers—and people who work with design—to answer a few important questions for our readers. We hope their answers will help entrepreneurs, small business owners, bloggers and non-designers in general to create better visual content. Check out the full Q&A below.

 

Jacob Cass

Jacob Cass is a prolific graphic designer who runs the popular design blog Just CreativeIt also doubles as his award-winning graphic design and branding firm. Jacob’s top clients include the likes of Disney, Jerry Seinfeld and Nintendo.

Jacob has presented talks at TEDx and has been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur. He has also been awarded LinkedIn’s exclusive “Best of” for graphic design.

jacob cass graphic designers tips bio card

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: That good design is good business. If you think that good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.

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Jacob's logo design and branding for Seinfeld's Web video series

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides?

A: Presentation design is about communicating a clear, concise message and this can be achieved by keeping your slides simple, backed up by strong visuals . Keep text to a minimum and use imagery wherever it makes sense. A picture is worth a 1000 words, after all.

 

A: Do you think infographics are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

Infographics are the perfect way to deliver data in a digestible, creative and visual manner. So, yes, they are and always will be an effective way to communicate. One mistake I often see in infographics is adding too much text, so experiment with ways to visualize the data. e.g. using iconography, charts, or even huge numbers or letters.

 

Q: Do you believe visual communication is a skill that should be more democratized? If so, what quick tips do you think would help those who are not graphic designers communicate more effectively?

A: Visual communication has been democratized since the invention of paper n' pen, it’s just become more accessible over the years, especially in today’s modern age with computers and the tools available on them.

The best way to learn quickly? Copy. And by that I do not mean plagiarize, but to borrow elements from another design and use it in your own. Try replicating another design but with your own content. Take note of the smaller details: Is the text left aligned? What is the hierarchy of information? Is there a call to action?

 

Q: How do you think visual marketing will change in the coming years?

A: Visual marketing is changing at a rapid pace. New apps and services come out all the time, and they all have some effect on the way businesses can market themselves. Consider that in 2010, we didn’t even have Instagram. Who knows what app will come out next?

jacob cass graphic designers tips work sample

Jacob's logo design for Waves to Wilderness

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: Children are the easiest to work with, as they still have their imagination and creativity. This said, I think the best exercise for this audience would be to communicate the value of typography.

This would be done by showing how fonts all have different personalities. You could show them slides of different font styles and have a discussion about each one … is this one modern, old, fancy? And why?

 

Q: What are your favorite graphic design trends for 2019.

See my compilation of 2019 Graphic Design Trends here.

 

Chris Do

Chris Do is the CEO and chief strategist of Blind, founder of The Futur, and an Emmy award-winning designer. He is well know for The Futur, an online education platform where he and his team teach the business of design to other creatives.

He serves as chairman of the board at the SPJA and as advisor to Saleshood. He has been an advisory board member for AIGA/LA, Emmys Motion & Title Design Peer Group, Otis Board of Governors, Santa Monica College and Woodbury University.

chris do graphic designers tips bio card

He has taught sequential design at the Art Center College of Design and lectured all over the world, in Milan, Santa Fe, Manila, Toronto, and more.  

Chris has given talks and directed workshops on design pricing and budgeting, leadership mindset, branding, and many other topics related to the business of design.

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: Design for the end user. Solve a pain point. The best way to do this is to empathize with who they are (their needs and wants). The opposite is to design for yourself.

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations. What is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides?

A: Eliminate clutter. Reduce the idea down to what is absolutely necessary. Also, consider using darker backgrounds vs. brighter backgrounds (harder on the eyes).

 

Q: What do you think about infographics? Do you think they are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

A: Infographics should make data interesting, visual and easy to process. In that way, they can be artistic and communicative.

 

Q: Do you believe visual communication is a skill that should be more democratized? If so, what quick tips do you think would help those who are not graphic designers communicate more effectively?

A: I think it’s an essential skill, but am not sure what you mean by democratizing. Having a good idea isn’t something that is easily achieved nor something that can be produced en masse.

Ask yourself, “What do I want to say?” Write this out. Then remove every word that isn’t essential. So, if the word that remains is “protection,” think of the top 10 images that communicate this.

That’s part 1. Part two is to combine that image with something else to transform it into something new.

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: I’d tell them that design is problem solving. If someone invents a novel solution to a problem, they are a designer. Designers don’t need to know how to draw, but they do need to think and communicate.

Additionally, I’d tell them that they are all more creative than so-called “professionals.” And, that no matter what, don’t let adults tell them otherwise. The world needs their creativity to solve some of the biggest problems of our times (clean water, healthcare, climate change, cancer, etc.)

 

Q: What are your favorite design trends for this year?

A: I don’t believe in trends. I believe that to exist in the modern world, we must adapt. Market forces, behavior and cultural norms shift very quickly, so I don’t invest too much energy in what people may or may not do. I trust my gut, listen to the larger conversation, and try to remain nimble to adapt to what’s going on.

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Matthew Manos

Matthew has been called “crazy or genius” by Forbes, and recognized as one of the 100 most influential creatives today by HOW Magazine. Matthew Manos is the founder of VeryNiceModels of Impact, and Give All.

He is also an assistant dean and assistant professor at the University of Southern California. He is the author of How to Give Half of Your Work Away for Free and Toward a Preemptive Social Enterprise.

matthew manos bio card graphic designers tips

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: Every design ends in something you can see, but great design begins with something you can't. This has been my mantra for design since launching our firm.

Too often, the design mindset is reserved purely for that last step of the process. Bring the mindset to the table early and often, and you'll be pleasantly surprised how much more effective your work will be.

matthew manos graphic designers tips work example portfolio

verynice's brand strategy for Clean Power Alliance

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides.

A: Your slides should be in service of your narrative, not the other way around. Avoid having a lot of text on your slides. When you crowd the slide with tons of bullet points, your slides start to tell your story for you.

 

Q: Do you think infographics are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

A: Absolutely. We have worked on a number of infographic and data visualization initiatives. Whenever we've been able to take tons of dense Excel files and turn them into something that can fit on one slide, we're not just making something pretty — we're actually assuring the information will be read and understood. That's big impact.

 

Q: Do you believe visual communication is a skill that should be more democratized? If so, what quick tips do you think would help those who are not graphic designers communicate more effectively?

A: The ability to visualize your thoughts and ideas is among the most important skills someone can acquire today. Think of how often you listen to someone in a meeting who is rambling on and on and on.

The moment you can put marker to whiteboard and capture the essence of what you're trying to say in a simple image, that message is much more likely to be retained by your audience.

 

Fredericus L’Ami

Fredericus is creative director of Studio L'Ami and specializes in bringing brand identities to life through seductive print collateral, packaging and environmental design. He believes in meaningful and tactile design experiences. He likes to give people something to touch, hold and feel.

Fredericus was born in The Netherlands, raised in New Zealand and currently resides in Los Angeles. He is known for his thoughtful and trained eye and brings a refined, European approach to his work.

fredericus lami graphic designers tips bio card

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: Be clear about your intentions and know your audience — that way your message(s) will resonate.

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides?

A: Less is more. One idea at a time and have a clear visual hierarchy.

 

Q: Do you think infographics are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

A: Visual messaging is extremely powerful, but it needs to be clear — not just in the message, but in content. Clarity is key.

 

Q: Do you believe visual communication is a skill that should be more democratized? If so, what quick tips do you think would help those who are not graphic designers communicate more effectively?

A: I think every person/business can benefit from clearer visual communication. I prefer simple, clear messaging/visuals. There's a tendency to over-communicate, less is more and it will give the impression of confidence.

Studio L'Ami's brand identity for Moodcast Fragrance Co.

 

Q: How do you think visual marketing will change in the coming years?

A: There will be more tools available to people, so I suspect the level will go up — then it's a question of how to be different.

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: Think big. No idea is a bad idea. Be different and play with your ideas to work out what you like.

Studio L'Ami's visual system for Westbound & Down Brewing Co.

 

Q: What are your favorite design trends for this year?

A: I'm not a huge believer in trends, I like to put my effort into the concepts and let the design evolve from there.

 

Katarzyna Dziadus

Katarzyna is a creative illustrator who loves solving brand problems with digital products. Currently, she is working for Netguru, helping customers find the best visual solutions with design systems.

kataryzna dziadus graphic designers bio card

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: What you should remember as an entrepreneur is that design should support your message and not just be the cover for your product.

If the design is eye-catching but does not support the message, does not explain the content and does not help to understand the problem, then it is not a good design . That's why you should never ignore the message that design is supposed to communicate.

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides.

A: It is very easy to kill your presentation. There are several features of a presentation that are able to keep it at a high level. What can be done to ensure that the presentation you are making does not put your listeners asleep?

  • Keep it simple. Colorful backgrounds, patterns, illustrations that were not well-thought-out, stock pictures, lack of consistency — all this makes your presentation message suffer.
  • Avoid too much text. A presentation is not a book, nobody will read it ... and if you want to read it during the presentation, it's better to hide it from your viewers 🙂
  • If you use illustrations, let them tell your story and support the brand. The viewer will notice if each illustration is of a different origin. Storytelling is extremely important here.
  • Use text as an illustration. Large and legible subtitles, quotations, will surely look better than a wall of text.
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Katarzyna's illustration for Jack AI Employment Agent

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: I wouldn't be talking about art or any subject purely related to design. I would prefer to talk about how this field helps in everyday life and I would certainly come up with examples. I would like someone at such an early age to become my mentor and role model.

 

Q: What are your favorite design trends for this year?

A: Design trends for this year? I am delighted to see science permeate design. How the illustration becomes part of the wonderful discoveries that are currently taking place. I'm happy to be part of it and help solve problems.

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Katarzyna's illustration for an error message

 

Boris Müller

Boris teaches interaction design at Potsdam University, in Germany. He is co-director of the Urban Complexity Lab, a research space where design, science and the humanities intersect.

As a design consultant, he has worked for a number of international clients, including Philips, the Comdirect bank, SAP, UFA Fiction and the Bertelsmann Foundation. His award-winning work focuses mainly on generative design, science communication, and data visualization.

boris muller graphic designers tips bio card

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: Three things:

1. Context awareness is very important. Design always has a purpose, but you should be very clear about the aims and objectives. And sometimes the aim of design is not just efficiency but beauty and expression.

2. Don’t let technical convenience define your designs. Come up with a good and convincing design and find a technical solution for it - not the other way round.

3. Do not underestimate your audience.

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides?

A: Focus. One message per slide. Leave out redundant stuff. Trust good images.

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Müller's design for the visual theme of Poetry on the Road

 

Q: Do you think infographics are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

A: Infographics can be extremely effective. But they should explain a process or answer a complex question. A good infographic can replace 1000 words. But if it doesn’t - leave it out.

 

Q: Do you believe visual communication is a skill that should be more democratized? If so, what quick tips do you think would help those who are not graphic designers communicate more effectively?

A: Design is already very accessible and very egalitarian. Digital tools allow anyone to create their own designs. But there is a difference between being an amateur and being unprofessional.

An amateur is a "lover," someone who loves and appreciates good design. An amateur understands quality and constraints and is self-critical. Good tools can enable amateurs to come up with good designs. But if you have no regard for design or if you believe that whatever you do will be great, you are simply acting unprofessionally.

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Müller's data viz project for the Bertelsmann Foundation

 

Q: How do you think visual marketing will change in the coming years?

A: I believe that many consumers have become more conscious regarding the social and ecological footprint of a product. Infographics and visual marketing can do a great job explaining these footprints.

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: I would show them that they are surrounded by design. Every product, every »thing« was designed one way or the other. Every chair, every pencil, every bag, every lamp - even the letters in the school books are designed. Then I would ask them *why* every »thing« looks the way it does.

boris muller graphic designers tips work example

Müller's design for the visual theme of 2010 Poetry on the Road

 

Q: What are your favorite design trends for this year?

A: Trends come and go. Good design goes deeper than a trend.

 

Susan Weinschenk

Susan is a behavioral scientist with over 30 years of experience. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology and speaks, consults, teaches, and writes about applying behavioral science to design, business and technology.

Susan went to college at Virginia Tech and finalized her undergrad degree in Psychology at Northeastern University. She then earned a masters and Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University.

She is the CEO of The Team W, Inc. and an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin.

susan weinshenk graphic designers bio card

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: Decide what is the one thing you want your audience to do on this particular page or screen. Then design for that one thing.

graphic designers susan weinshenk portfolio work

Susan's podcast on how brain science affects our technologies

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides?

A: When you start to create a presentation do NOT open up your slide app. Create your presentation first with just you. Then decide which points need visuals in order to get the message across. Only use slides for those.

Here’s another: don’t be afraid of the “B” key. In PowerPoint, if you press “B” a black screen will come up. Then you can talk all you want and when you are ready for the next point that needs a slide, then you can press B again. For more presentation ideas check out my book 100 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know About People. Get the 2nd edition that just came out.

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Susan's book on what designers need to know about people

 

Q: Do you think infographics are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

A: Yes. Make ONE thing stand out visually (see this blog post on how our brains process visuals and the pre-attention visual area).

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Manish Dudharejia

Manish Dudharejia is the co-founder and president of E2M Solutions Inc., a full-service digital agency. He specializes in website design and development, e-commerce, SEO, and content marketing.

With over 10 years of experience in the technology and digital marketing industry, Manish is passionate about helping online businesses take their branding to the next level with good design.

graphic designers tips manish dudharejia bio card

 

Q:  A lot of our users create presentations, what is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides.

A: Perhaps the most common problem you will encounter during any presentation is that people gradually lose interest after a few slides. While the content and design are both critical elements, the latter often gets ignored. Always choose a design that complements your content. When it comes to color, going minimalistic is your best bet. Don't use more than five colors. Maintain a high level of contrast between your text and the design.

graphic designers manish dudharejia portfolio work example

Manish's website for Athena Life Sciences

 

Q: Do you think infographics are still effective for marketing purposes? What tip would you give our users for creating better infographics?

A: Yes, despite the rise of new media, infographics continue to play a vital role in digital marketing. To make them more effective, treat them like what they are — a visual media. So, keep the text to the absolute minimum. Use graphics, especially to present numbers, data, and stats. Visuals have a vast impact on people, so use them as much as possible.

 

Q: Do you believe visual communication is a skill that should be more democratized? If so, what quick tips do you think would help those who are not graphic designers communicate more effectively?

A: Yes, it should be. First, make sure to use the whitespace (blank space between images, text, and graphics) judiciously. It's a great way to attract the attention of your users. Maintain the balance between all your design elements. All the elements should complement each other perfectly. Same goes for using different colors.

Be careful about the scale and size of your design elements. You need size variations to create contrast. But don't let yourself get carried away. Too much contrast will ruin your design for good and will send a wrong message to the audience.

graphic designers manish dudharejia portfolio work example

Manish's website for Firedup Digital

 

Q: How do you think visual marketing will change in the coming years?

A: With the rise of mobile, an increasing number of people are turning towards visual storytelling. However, consumers are also becoming increasingly wary of downright promotional content. So, brands will have to work with influencers to promote visual content on platforms like Instagram with transparency.

The visual content will also need to be highly personalized to make the best impact on the target audience. Personalized visual marketing will, in turn, need to focus on building long-term relationships with consumers.

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: At this age, kids are forming their creative thinking. I would tell them to find their design inspirations anywhere. For example, asking students to visualize how a story ends and paint the ending. That's a great way to nurture their visualization skills.

 

Q: What are your favorite design trends for this year?

A: Earlier, everything including the websites and apps was about the visual appeal. So, your design needed only that element. This year and in the future, interactive design will become a must. Users no longer want to simply gaze — they want to interact with your design.

 

Karol Imialkowski

Karol is a designer and project manager with many years of experience. As part of the team at 247®Studio, he executes projects that focus on visual communication, branding and web design.

karol Imialkowski graphic designers bio card

 

Q: What is the one thing about design that you would like to advise entrepreneurs to never ignore?

A: When designing, you shouldn't ignore the final recipient of what you create. They are the most important to consider because they are the ones who read the visual message of what you design, not our own ego or aesthetics. While the latter is also important, the functionality and ability to understand the message is the most important part.

karol Imialkowski graphic designers work example portfolio

Karol's rebranding and design system for JIT

 

Q: A lot of our users create presentations. What is the one thing you’d advise them about the design of their slides.

A: Every slide should lead the recipient to want to look at the next one — that's a philosophy we profess in our studio. Remember to create a product that is attractive and functional for the end customer, not the client — this is misunderstood by many designers .

 

Q: How do you think visual marketing will change in the coming years?

A: Everything is aimed at simplification and minimalism. Notwithstanding, this direction is very difficult to accomplish. Minimalism requires designers to create the same message using a much smaller amount of content. As a result, projects must be more thought-out and refined.

karol Imialkowski graphic designers portfolio

Karol's work for Mniam

 

Q: If you were asked to give a quick talk about design for elementary school children, what would you tell them?

A: Create, create and create again. Search, search and seek again. And the most important part — observe. The beginning is always difficult but with experience, everything becomes easier. Do not stop learning — learn from everything you've ever done.

 

Q: What are your favorite design trends for this year?

A: In 247, we try not to drive trends. Each project should be unique in a way, it's their main strength. Reproducing trends leads to similar projects and that is something we should never agree to.

 

Your Turn

Which of these pieces of advice has inspired you most on your journey to becoming a better communicator? Which do you agree or disagree with? Let us know in the comments section below.

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    About the Author

    Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com