There’s nothing that compares to the rush of mastering a new design skill. When you’ve managed to go from the design equivalent of training wheels to speeding down the street, it feels like flying! However, then you face the challenge of taking that design skill from something you are capable of doing to something that is second nature in your process.
Why Making Skills Your Second Nature Matters
At first, it may seem like your design skills can stay as a checklist you work your way through for each design. However, as you continue to learn new skills and take on additional projects, it quickly becomes unmanageable. No one wants to run down a hundred-point checklist for every project, and even the most detail-oriented designer is likely to start missing things here and there.
Think about the first time you ever drove a car. Chances are, it was overwhelming as you had to think through every single movement, from shifting gears to exactly how hard you pressed the brake pedal for each stop. However, as the years went on, most of those motions became second nature as muscle memory took over. Now, instead of having to look at the gear shift every time you shift into reverse, you may be able to make that change as you think about shifting directions without even looking down.
When a design skill is second nature, you don’t need to consciously put everything on hold and think about how to apply it. Instead, it becomes a natural part of your process. This helps to reduce mistakes and decision fatigue as you move from project to project.
How to Make the Shift
So, how do you actually take these design skills and make them second nature? Here are a few tips you can use to make each skill more of a habit.
1. Practice Makes (Almost) Perfect
True perfection is usually out of reach, but practice will make a big difference here! Pick a few design skills to focus on and practice applying them across your process for your next few projects. Try to set reminders either at certain checkpoints or time intervals to consider how that design skill applies to this project and if there’s anything you can do to apply it better.
2. Try Habit Stacking
Chances are, some parts of your design process have become second nature without you even realizing it. A great way to build on that is to use habit stacking, which means taking a habit that is already established and associating it with another habit you want to implement. For example, if you always double-check the colors of your design with the client’s brand kit and want to be more consistent about applying simplicity in your designs, try to consider simplicity in your design right after you double-check the colors until it becomes automatic to do so.
3. Collaborate with Other Designers
We all have blind spots and habits we need to work on, which is where collaboration becomes especially helpful! Work with other designers to get feedback on your current projects and accountability for progress toward your current goals. You may also be able to learn something about your process by sharing feedback with them on their projects and seeing what goals they are currently working towards. For example, you may not even realize something has become second nature to you until it pops up as feedback on someone else’s project, which can let you know you’re ready to start integrating the next design skill.
Don’t Let Yourself Get Overwhelmed
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a design skill set! If you start to feel a sense of anxiety or dread about the design skills you’re integrating, it’s time to take a step back and prioritize the ones that are most important to you and your clients. It is better to do a few design skills exceptionally well than to try to do several of them poorly.
Here are some questions to consider when you’re deciding what to prioritize:
- What am I known for doing well?
- Are my clients consistently coming to me for a specific skill set?
- What are the top skills that will keep my portfolio up-to-date with current design trends?
- Where do I have the most room for improvement?
Keep Building Your Design Skills with Matcha Design
If you want to expand your design skillset but aren’t sure where to start, Matcha Design has resources that can help you figure out what to do next. Our blog and design courses are full of insights and action steps you can use to keep developing your skills, whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned expert. Subscribe to our newsletter today to make sure you never miss an update!
