Here’s Why Your Last Graphic Design Project Failed

1. You Didn’t Have A Clear Understanding Of The Project Goals

The first mistake made by designers is simply not understanding the goals of the project. If you’re working on a branding package, you need to know what the company hopes to achieve through it’s branding efforts. You can’t create an effective design, if you’re unsure of what you’re designing for. Start each project by analyzing the primary goal and the expected outcome of the project. Don’t just jump right into the design phase without laying the foundation first.

2. You Didn’t Plan Out Any Of The Parts Of Your Design Before You Got Started

As a fellow designer, I understand your passion and excitement when it’s time to start a new project. It’s important to take a step backwards though. You need to do some basic planning and preparation before starting your project. First meet with the client to find out their goals and expectations. Next, sketch or outline key parts of the project. Use a timeline and any other tools that would be helpful. Finally, make some rough, placeholder mockups to demonstrated what the final project might look like. Doing all of this will save you a lot of frustration in the future.

3. You Spent Too Much Time Working On Things That Don’t Matter Much Once The Project Is Complete

Color, typography and layout are all very important, but there are several things that aren’t important at all. Spending too much time on things like document sizing and written content isn’t a good idea. Most designs will require you to use a standard sized document, and the client will typically give you the written copy materials that will be included in the design. Designers can fall into the trap of spending too much time on small details that won’t make the design any better or worse. Learning what matters the most in great design will help you avoid falling into time traps.

4. You Didn’t Stick With A Central Theme

Stick with the color, typography and layout themes you’ve chosen for your project. Starting out with a certain color scheme, and then changing it halfway through a project is distracting. The same goes for typography and any other elements of your design. Consistency is key here. Lay a great foundation from the start, and do your background work before starting your project. If you’ve planned appropriately, you won’t have many changes down the line to fix and rework.

5. You Never Learned To Take Constructive Criticism

As a designer, you need to have some thick skin when it comes to your design work. Beauty is subjective; what’s beautiful to you, may not be beautiful to the next person. With that being said, being able to look at your work objectively is crucial to being a good designer. You need to learn to accept constructive criticism. I would really like to emphasize the word constructive here. Not all forms of criticism are helpful and constructive. Take the advice that you find helpful, and disregard hateful or overly critical comments. Listening to others’ opinions on your design can be very helpful. It gives you an opportunity to see your work through someone else’s point of view. It can be difficult to remove yourself from your designs and see them objectively. This is where having another opinion can add a lot of value and get you on the right track for a successful project.

6. You Didn’t Research Your Topic Before Starting Your Design

You can’t create a great poster for a topic you know absolutely nothing about. You don’t have to be an expert in every field that you will design for, but you should have a basic working knowledge of the topic for which you are designing. It’s simple, but so many designers forget to do a little bit of research before starting their project. This research should be done before choosing a color scheme, typography and the layout of the design.

7. You Just Didn’t Listen To What The Client Was Asking

Again, this is another simple thing that many designers don’t think about. Listening skills are important. So many designers never listen to their clients. Some designers get really excited about the project, and they just can’t wait to get started. This overexcitement leads them to going full force on a project without even asking the client how long they have to complete each task. Other designers feel as though they know design, and therefor they don’t need to consult with the client. These designers think that clients don’t understand the principles of design, and tend to exclude clients from the entire design process. This is a very flawed way of thinking, and it is simply not true. Take the time to listen to the needs of your client so that you can provide design work that is best suited for their needs.