If you're a designer, you should be designing things. But sometimes it can get very easy to get hung up in the minutia of work and life. So, for 2010, I'm proposing we work together to improve our designs. And the best way to improve designs is to do the designs. (Thanks to Smashing Magazine for this splendid idea.
The Daily Design Challenge
Here's what I propose:
- Take the pledge that you will participate in the daily design challenge
- Spend 15-30 minutes every day designing something. It doesn't have to be big or splashy, just something to get your mind moving and your design energies going.
- Post your design efforts to the Web Design forum in the Daily Design folder.
What to Design?
This is a scary proposition, even as I write it, I can feel my brain getting all tied up in knots at the idea that I would have to design something new every single day for a year. But here are some things I've already thought of that we can all do:
- Redesign an existing page on our sites.
- Create a new logo - even do a new logo every day for a week (or a month). This could help you create a logo you like even better than your old one.
- Draw or teach yourself to draw.
- Take a photo - this may not seem like design, but the act of composing a good photograph is very design centric. If you spend 15 minutes creating the perfect shot, believe me, that counts.
- Design a new font. One of the suggestions that Smashing Magazine cites is a designer who creates a Daily Drop Cap.
- Experiment with a new CSS style you've never used before.
- Try designing a page for a cell phone or other small device.
Be Accountable - Join the Challenge and Post Your Designs
Don't be shy. Join the challenge and design something with us every day. It only takes 15 minutes. And what do you have to lose?
