In graphic design, or any other profession, being a perfectionist is a great quality. Perfectionism helps a designer to design beautiful graphics for logos, business cards, etc. However, perfectionism can often turn to obsession, and though it may help a designer to come up with a grand design, it can also affect his productivity if he indulges himself too much.
Here’s how you can keep a balance between your productivity and desire for perfection.
- A “Good” Design Is “Perfect”- It depends upon the designer and how he perceives perfection. Some designers set a goal in their mind and unless their design is perfect by their set standards, they keep doing the same work again and again. If you design a great logo that has perfect color balance, makes sense, can be used for web and print, and above all, satisfies the onlooker, your logo design is perfect. If your client is happy with your design, don’t spend too much time perfecting the design to conform to your personal standards.
- Set a Deadline- The problem with being perfect is, after a point in time, no matter what you design, it doesn’t satisfy you. You tend to feel you could have done better. Maybe you could have, but decide just how many modifications of the same design it’s going to take before you say “enough”. You should set a deadline and an achievable standard for your work and follow it. This way, you will be able to create great designs without getting stressed out in the process.
- Keep Your Work Organized- Make a list of things-to-do and divide the time you are going to spend doing each. For instance, you can spend 1 hour to finalize a font and 2 hours for a color palette for a business card design project. However, if you spend an entire day deciding these things, you will feel the pressure of deadline. Working dedicatedly to achieve great quality is desirable, but don’t redesign the same layout repeatedly as it will hamper your productivity.
- Increase Your Knowledge- A designing degree and 5-6 years experience in the designing industry, doesn’t mean that you know everything about graphic design. Graphic designing is a dynamic field and new designing trends are always making waves in the market. To achieve perfection in your work, you should always remain updated and keep learning new designing techniques.
- Focus On the Main Goal- When you design a brochure, or a logo, your main aim should be to create a design that will be appreciated by a large audience. Your viewers see the logo and brochures as a whole, not the perfection of gradient or pixel density in the design. Instead of concentrating on the perfect gradient, you should focus on creating a perfect logo that will be liked by all. Focus on the final work and once your design is completed, you can make small changes to satisfy your passion for perfection.
Passion for perfection does not mean obsession for the smallest detail in design that may never get noticed by viewers. A true perfectionist knows the elements that make a design eye catching, plans a design in his head, and works dedicatedly to achieve it.