Googling your inspiration
There is a lot of debate on the use of tutorial blogs and magazines for design education. It seems to be a touchy subject between designers of all levels. I have been apart of many conversations that questioned the usefulness of sites such as Smashing Magazine or Web Designer Depot. Sometimes these discussions can get a little heated, but many good points usually come out of them.
While in a perfect world all designers would have formal educations we all know that it isn’t always the case. Or even if they did get an education in the graphic arts, in some cases the education received may not have prepared you to the “Real World.” There are many ways that a person can improve their graphical skills, but in today’s web crazy world it seems that design blogs are fast becoming the option for many designers. While I do look at some design blogs, I will say that they can be as helpful as they can be harmful. But before I focus on the bad, I will start with the good.
The world of design is as varied as the designers themselves. The great thing about the web is that we can quickly and easily see what other creative-minded people are doing. Looking at works from others is a great way to get inspiration, get ideas and learn technique. While searching on the internet for samples of other peoples works, it is much easier to find examples on some of the more popular design blogs such as Abduzeedo.com and or many of the gallery sites like CssMix.com or Creattica.com. There are also a ton of online tutorials on more websites that you can count. They can be very helpful to the novice or even a veteran designer. The advantage of these sites is that the information is at your fingertips and it is easy to bookmark and share what you have found. There are also many magazines (Communication Arts and HOW Magazine) that are useful to look at to increase your knowledge in the field.
So if all these resources can be useful tools, how can there be something negative about them? Well there really isn’t a true negative, but more of a problem that can occur. It is very easy to become a “me too” designer or a slave to trends. There are many sites that will tell you about the “rules” of design, but by limiting ourselves to rules we risk crushing our creative drive. While functionality, user experience and a ton of other factors are very important, we need to remember that there are many different ways to achieve design nirvana. One of the greatest things about being in the creative realm is the creation part. The ability do something that many others wish that they could. You can begin to define yourself and develop a personal style. Trends and tastes will vary, but it is always a bad thing to limit your creativity because of what others are doing.
Another pitfall is that you could actually be learning something that is incorrect. There are plenty of articles that are poorly written and even worse, wrong material. You can even look at the comments and see posts that point out the mistakes. Some tutorials might skip steps or not be up to date with important information that can lead into future problems. While this is more common for the coding/html/css side of designing, it is still something to watch out for. I tend to look trusted sites like w3schools.com or ask friends in the industry for advise, but there is still that risk of getting incorrect information.
I know that there are many people that frown upon some of these sites and resources, but if you ask if they have used them before, many will admit that they did one time or another. Learning new things and keeping up with what is going on in the field is never really a bad thing. Figuring out how to put it all together is where the real challenge begins.
Author Info: Rahsaan Taylor
jazz.
I tend to agree with a lot of what you are saying here. I use smashing, css-tricks, creatica, nettuts, etc. all the time. Not that it is a bible, but you choose what you want to read or not. Some is useful, some not. Just like anything else.
The truth is, most formal educations don’t prepare you for the real world. I graduated from Ball State with BFA in Graphic Design. When I started my first job, I still did not know a lot of the programs that well. But as far as concepts and fundamentals go, it was top notch. Are these sites a replacement for a formal education? Absolutely not. College is more than the degree you get. It’s about the life experience, time management and growing that you are able to do in a controlled environment that makes the difference. Any company hiring a college grad understands there are going to be some growing pains in that employee. That is part of life.
I am a firm believer that anyone can learn photoshop. Anyone can learn to use any computer program out there… there are tons of books to help you do so. You can NOT learn talent. You either have it or you don’t. Not one website, book, program or otherwise is going to teach that. Everything that you are talking about is a skill that can be learned. It is just time and patience. The difference between a true designer and someone who thinks they are a designer because they have a pirated copy of Photoshop is obvious in their work. You will see it. Someone with true talent for design will stand out from the crowd.
Very well said Ryan, I couldn’t agree with you more!
You are spot on. In the long run it is the mix of talent, skill and craftsmanship in your work that stands out the most. No matter where you gather your ideas or inspiration from, in the end it is how you piece it together.
My only problem with sites out there like this is that they enable “anyone” to suddenly become an “expert”, “professional”, “designer”, etc. Practically overnight…
Have you ever clicked through to some of the peoples websites who comment on those sites? You won’t find many good results, I guarantee it.
I guess what I am getting at are these are the people that really make our industry look bad, very bad. Why? Because they have no formal training, no education, and probably little to no experience either.
It is what it is though, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again ~ Only the Passionate Survive, everyone else withers away. Usually pretty quickly too.
I love articles like these. They challenge me through a unique sort of way. First, upon reading I find myself getting really frustrated. Why? Because I’ve devoted the better part of the last 3 years of my life teaching myself “The Graphic Arts” and I have run into the same things. I’ve weeded through books and media looking from something away from the basic. I’ve been searching for substance beyond the clutter of the internet wannabes.
I’m not frustrated at the people talking about these “Careless Designers” I’m frustrated with the idea that I still lump myself in with them.
My hardest decision though it wasn’t set in stone was my choice, I choose to teach this art to myself through resource, and perseverance. Countless numbers of books, and tutorials followed by practice practice practice. I attended insite the first year, and learned to focus on my true passions and become a master in that field. Now the third year I went back to not see who I was but to evaluate what is going on around me. I still want this, need this to be my goal in life.
Any suggestion on where to go next. I’ve been studying history, grid layout, and typography per the AMAZING ATOM GROOMS suggestions! THANKS ATOM…
Any takers? Anyone want an intern?