Design Tips for Non-Pros: Creating Unique Products

Graphic design is not only for professionals, even non-professionals can create beautiful and impressive design products. In this article, sadesign will share simple, easy-to-apply design tips to help you create perfect designs without having to have specialized design skills.

1. Basic Understanding of Design Principles

To create beautiful and effective design, you don't need to be an expert, but you should at least understand and apply the basic principles of design. These principles will help you create design products that are aesthetically pleasing and effectively convey a message.

1.1. Principle of Balance

Balance is the first and most important element in design. To create a design that is pleasing to the eye and not distracting, you need to distribute elements appropriately throughout the design space. There are two main types of balance in design: symmetrical balance and asymmetrical balance.

Symmetrical balance : Is the distribution of elements equally on both sides of a central axis.

Asymmetrical Balance : Is the use of elements that vary in size, shape, and color to create balance without symmetry.

1.2. Use of White Space

White space, also known as negative space, is an essential part of design. This doesn’t mean you have to leave areas completely blank, but rather use negative space to keep design elements from overlapping, creating a sense of openness and ease of viewing. White space also helps highlight important elements in the design.

1.3. Lines and Shapes

When designing, using straight lines, curves, or simple shapes can create clarity and neatness. Lines help direct the viewer’s attention to important points in the design, while also creating consistency and flow.

Lines and shapes are fundamental elements of design principles, playing an important role in creating a harmonious and attractive layout. Lines not only guide the viewer's eyes but also contribute to creating a sense of movement, connection or separation in the design. Meanwhile, shapes are visual elements that help define space, structure and overall aesthetics. The harmonious combination of lines and shapes not only brings visual effects but also helps to convey messages clearly and impressively. Therefore, a deep understanding of these principles is the foundation for creating professional and creative design products.

2. Choose Colors Wisely

Color plays a huge role in design. Not only does color create interest, it can also convey emotions and messages. Here are some tips on how to use color effectively without being an expert.

2.1. Using Primary and Secondary Colors

One of the simple tips for choosing colors for your design is to use a dominant color and one or two secondary colors. The dominant color will be the one that stands out, while the secondary color will help to soften and balance the overall color scheme. You can also use neutral colors to create a background for other elements, creating harmony.

The skillful selection of colors plays an important role in design and message transmission. Use primary colors to create accents and define the overall style, while secondary colors can be applied to complement and balance the composition. The harmonious combination of colors not only enhances aesthetics but also contributes to improving communication effectiveness, creating a deep and professional impression on viewers. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the meaning and impact of each color to achieve the desired design goal.

2.2. Create Contrast

To highlight important elements in your design, you can create strong contrast between colors. For example, if the background is dark, use light colors for text or other prominent elements. Contrast will make it easier for viewers to recognize and access important information.

A harmonious combination of dark and light, light and dark, or warm and cool tones will help to attract the viewer’s attention and convey a message clearly and impressively. To achieve this, it is necessary to carefully consider the purpose of use, the target audience and the emotions you want to create, thereby ensuring that the color is not only beautiful but also has high functional value in any context.

2.3. Use Natural Colors

Natural colors, such as green, blue, or beige, are often soothing and easy to combine. These colors are great for when you’re not a professional and want to create a clean, easy-to-look design.

3. Minimalist and Sophisticated

One of the design trends that is becoming increasingly popular is minimalist design. There is no need for too many complex elements or details, sometimes a simple and sophisticated design is more effective.

3.1. Font Usage Limits

When designing, you don’t need to use too many different fonts. Choosing one or two fonts that are appropriate and easy to read is enough to make the message stand out. Using simple and easy-to-understand fonts will help viewers not be distracted and will help them absorb the content easily.

3.2. Keep the Layout Simple

In design, simplicity is always an important factor to make the product easy to see and understand. Avoid using too many images, text or decorative elements. A clean layout, with elements arranged logically, will help you create an effective design.

3.3. Create Focal Point

To grab the viewer’s attention, you need to create a focal point in your design. This can be done by highlighting an element, such as a headline, image, or call to action. This focal point will help the viewer easily identify the main message you want to convey.

4. Use Simple Design Tools

With the advancement of technology, there are many free and easy-to-use online design tools available for non-professionals. These tools help you create professional designs without having to learn complex software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

4.1. Canva

Canva is an extremely popular online design tool with a simple and easy-to-use interface. With Canva, you can create impressive designs such as posters, flyers, banners or invitations in just minutes. Canva offers a wide range of ready-made design templates that you can easily edit and create the finished product.

In addition, this tool also supports integrating many useful features such as editing images, adding text, icons and graphics, helping to save time and improve the quality of work. Canva is truly an ideal solution for those who want to be creative without too much experience or complicated skills.

4.2. Creole

Crello is a design tool similar to Canva that allows you to create beautiful designs without any in-depth design skills. With thousands of design templates, images, and graphic elements available, Crello is a great choice for those looking to get started with graphic design.

With a friendly interface and a rich resource store, Crello allows users to easily create impressive design products such as banners, posters, social media posts and many other types of content. In particular, this tool supports many available design templates, helping to save time and enhance creativity in work. This is an ideal choice to optimize the design process while ensuring high quality.

4.3. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark offers a range of design tools that are simple and easy to use for non-professionals. With Adobe Spark, you can design social media posts, promotional videos, invitations, and many other types of design products without complex knowledge.

5. Test and Get Feedback

When designing, you should always double-check your product before finalizing it. Sometimes, small details can affect the aesthetics of the design. You can also ask friends or colleagues for feedback to improve your design.

5.1. Viewing on Different Devices

If you're designing for online platforms, make sure your product looks good on a variety of devices, from desktop to mobile. Make sure that design elements aren't misaligned or obscured on different screens.

5.2. Test With Other Viewers

If possible, try having a group of non-designers look at your product. They will give you honest feedback on the readability and aesthetics of your design.

6. Conclusion

Graphic design is not a field for experts only, it can be learned and applied by anyone. By understanding the basic principles of composition, color, simplicity and using simple design tools , you can create beautiful and effective designs without being an expert. The key is persistence and practice to improve your skills over time