7 Graphic Design Hacks That’ll Make You A Pro Designer

Imagine your name was David Milan.

Just for a second.

Because if it was your name then you’d have clients like HBO, MTV, CNN name them.

What would it be like to be a graphic designer for them? You are one of the most influential designers for some of the most recognized brands in the world. Thousands, probably millions of dollars every month. Sounds great right?

There’s just one problem: While you’d no doubt want to be a pro designer, you’ve not yet quite honed your skills and therefore are still struggling to get pro results. You have to hone your skills.

But how do you do it?

Easy. If you want to become a designer, or are ready to hone your design skills – I’ll show you 7 simple graphic design hacks that’ll make you a pro designer in no time.

Let’s get right to it.

#1. Choose The Color Palette According To Your Designs

Many graphic designers fail on this one. Since graphic design is all about visuals, most people mix up all sorts of colors to get a pretty outcome. Pretty is good, but oftentimes pretty alone doesn’t cut it.

Color is one of the most important yet overlooked aspects of design. That’s because the correct color palette influences the meaning of the text, what users feel about your designs and how they move around the layout.

For example, depending on which part of the world your audience is from, different colors will mean different things. In addition, depending on the language and colloquialisms your audience uses, different colors will impart different feelings.

Therefore, you need to be more intentional about your color palettes and how they integrate into your overall design. And not just the color palette but also the hue, shade, and degree of brightness.

#2. Use High-Quality Backgrounds

Background designs communicate a great deal about the design even before you read the content. If you want to create a certain impression in your audience, consider using high-quality backgrounds that lend to the design you are creating.

Luckily, there are plenty of options to choose from. For example, you can use the Elegant Gold Background Collection from InkyDeals to spruce up your designs. You can also use Glitter Background if you want to go for a more versatile yet elegantly stylish design. There’s also a variety of Paper Texture backgrounds including old grunge, stained, decorative, wrinkled, or geometric textures.

#3. Use Overlays On Your Images

There are endless overlays that you can use when creating designs. However, you want to use overlays that simulate interactivity with your design. You also want to ensure that you are adding depth to the image while making it dreamy and adding flavor to its overall look. Depending on the effect you want to create, you also want to go for an overlay that creates a timeless feeling especially if you want your images to have a vintage look.

You can get a couple of free photo overlays including samples from the 3000+ overlays Giga pack from InkyDeals and the snow overlay, perfect for enhancing images in Adobe Photoshop.

#4. Use Appropriate Fonts

You may not realize it but fonts are an important aspect of graphic design. Much like picking an outfit, you have to use appropriate fonts for a given occasion.

For example, for branding, you want to go for a bold font that embodies the spirit and character of your brand. On the flip side, you’ll probably want to go for a font that’s a little bit more playful and fun if you are doing a concert poster.

#5. Follow The Visual Hierarchy

This is the biggie. The secret to becoming a pro designer isn’t having pretty fonts and pretty color palettes. The real secret is knowing and following the visual hierarchy. A graphic designer needs to know the design elements and the principle of laying them out both strategically and logically to influence the users’ perceptions.

For example, are larger elements more easily noticeable or should you go for smaller elements?

Are brighter colors more likely to attract attention more than muted colors?

What will draw people more, richer textures or flat ones?

Pro designers know and follow all these visual hierarchy elements and more. They understand that their main goal is to influence the users’ perception and psychological state of mind.

#6. Use Grid Layout

When designing the goal is to solve problems. You want to find solutions to visual and organizational problems to capture your audience’s attention. One of the reasons that making use of a grid layout is so important is because it brings order to a layout making your design a lot easier to find and navigate.

In addition, grid layouts create structural consistency and harmony to your design. Which helps you create a unified concept. Moreover, a grid allows you to quickly add elements to a layout. This makes it easier to add new content to a design without messing with the overall vision of the design.

#7. Get Inspiration From Some Of The Great Designers

Having the right tools and knowing the basic principles will no doubt take you far. But one of the most crucial ingredients of becoming a pro designer is getting inspiration from great designers.

People say you are born creative. However, contrary to popular belief, creativity like anything else is learned. And one of the best ways to learn is through getting inspiration from other people’s work.

Conclusion

You don’t need any special qualifications to become a pro designer. Nor do you need to have a Ph.D. in graphic design to create amazing designs.

Often times what you require to be a pro designer is right under your nose:

Look at what great designers are doing, you’ll most assuredly become a better designer and be able to do designs that shine.

As a rule of thumb, you also need to choose color palettes that closely match your design and follow the visual hierarchy.

Which of these graphic design hacks have you used? Are there more hacks you’d like to share?