Learn the Basics

• 1). Understand how color affects design. The designer’s use of color has a great impact on how a design project is understood and received. It creates mood in the piece and helps companies and organizations brand themselves; try to imagine "National Geographic" without the yellow border.
  
  
• 2). Tell a story through your use of lines. Lines tell the story of a piece in ways that we can’t even imagine. Design projects for juvenile audiences tend to feature thick lines, whereas thin lines convey refinement and intelligence. Many big companies gravitate toward the latter. Additionally, perpendicular lines denote something solid and lasting—like a tree, for example—while horizontal lines express the calm of the horizon. Finally, diagonal lines create 3-dimensional space in the 2-dimensional environment.
  
  
• 3). Use shape to get your message across. Angular shapes like squares and rectangles portray a masculine feeling; circular objects, a feminine one.
  
  
• 4). Get a handle on how to use scale and size to add visual interest to your design pieces.
  
  
• 5). Master how to use space properly. Often referred to as white space, these are the areas in a design that contain “nothing.” However, they’re important; they prevent visual claustrophobia.
  
  
• 6). Create visual interest by giving your piece a little visual texture. This element makes your design look more realistic.
  
  
• 7). Observe the differences between lights and darks. Called “tones and values,” this design element teaches you how to see and use the lightest lights and the darkest darks. By learning how to use these elements properly, you create mood in a piece.
  
  

Advanced Work

• 1). Study the work of other designers. Many anthologies of design exist that explain why certain designs worked to convey the message of the organization for which they were created. By learning how other designers created successful campaigns, you learn to create your own.
  
  
• 2). Learn to “copy” other designers’ pieces. This goes along with studying the work of other designers. Many traditional art schools teach people how to draw and paint by having them copy the works of master artists. You’ll do this, too, except you’ll use the pieces of famous designers instead.
  
  
• 3). Look at each piece you design and ask yourself if you’re effectively communicating through your design. If you’re not, then go back and change the design elements until it conveys what you want.
  
  
• 4). Design a lot. Learn how to design using traditional art media like pencils and ink as well as the latest design software.
  
  
• 5). Get feedback on your designs. Sometimes you can't see your flaws like others with a fresh eye can.