Top Mistakes Graphic Designers Make

Written by Jacob Cass on Thursday, November 22, 2007 – 6:59 pm

Top Mistakes Graphic Designer’s Make

Below is a list of very common mistakes that so called ‘graphic designers’ make.

How many of these do you do regularly?

  1. Take constructive criticism too personally
  2. Not knowing any famous designers in particular Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand and not knowing WHY they were famous
  3. Not Staying Up on Current Events and Design News
  4. Not Owning the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook
  5. Charging too Little for Design Projects
  6. Not Using Contracts to Cover Your Butt
  7. Not Setting Deadlines for Projects
  8. Doing Spec Based Work (If you like it you can pay)
  9. Not Asking for a Down Payment before Starting a Project
  10. Using Poorly Designed Fonts from Free Font Sites
  11. Using Display Fonts as Text Fonts
  12. Using the Comic Sans Font
  13. Using too Many Different Fonts in One Design
  14. Forgetting White Space is your Friend
  15. Not Sketching Before Designing
  16. Not Using Rulers on Screen
  17. Relying Totally on the Computer, Especially for Kerning
  18. Using Photoshop Filters After Your First 6 Months
  19. Using Low Resolution Web Images for Print
  20. Not Designing Logos in Vector Format
  21. Making Logos Unable to Reproduce Well Small
  22. Forgetting to Learn Keyboard Shortcuts
  23. Not Saving Frequently
  24. Not Backing up Files on an External Hard Drive
  25. Not Getting Enough Sleep!
  26. Stealing or ‘borrowing’ Other Peoples Work
  27. Using the dash quotation marks instead of true quotation marks.

If you are doing the following (below) I wouldn’t call yourself a ‘graphic designer’, well at least not a professional one and would recommend doing some more research into the subject area.

12. Using the Comic Sans Font (for the right purpose
13. Using too Many Different Fonts in One Design
19. Using Low Resolution Web Images for Print
20. Not Designing Logos in Vector Format

But remember rules can be broken.

This list was compiled by myself and Gino Orlandi over at You The Designer.

What other mistakes do graphic designers make?



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Posted in Design For Students, Graphic Design


24 Responses to “Top Mistakes Graphic Designers Make”

  1. By Riply (3 comments) on Nov 23, 2007 | Reply

    I’m new to graphic design, and in NO way am I saying that I am a designer..

    ..i’m more of your run-of-the mill chap with a little more creative spark than you’re average Joe.

    Vectors, i’ve never done one.. mostly because the only application i’ve learnt it a little photoshop.

    Boet (afrikaans for brother, just used informally haha) you continue posting things like this and your blog will go far.

    Perhaps some “youtube” style tutorials that you have (or will still compile) could be posted :)

  2. By mlankton (1 comments) on Dec 5, 2007 | Reply

    Here’s a slightly-related question for you: Why do Wordpress themes look so amateurish? Is it a limitation of Wordpress, or are there just not any talented designers working on Wordpress themes?

    My site was initially on Wordpress, and I designed my own theme. Even with having complete control over my own theme, I felt limited in what I could do, and I eventually abandoned Wordpress for Joomla. In fact, I found a Joomla template that someone else designed that I like so much I am using it and not worrying about my design anymore.

    In general, Joomla and Mambo templates are light years beyond any Wordpress theme I’ve seen. What is your take on why this might be?

  3. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on Dec 5, 2007 | Reply

    @ripley I replied to both your comments in the wordpress plugins article.

    @mlankton I guess that because more people use wordpress, thus more themes get created that are done my amateurs. I also think that wordpress is more focused on the content rather than the design of its page.

    That is my take anyway.

  4. By Marty (1 comments) on Dec 6, 2007 | Reply

    Very good post there, outlining quite a few points that i sadly fall on my face to haha! I take constructive criticism too personally sometimes, i’ve got alot better than when i first begun though :).

    Thanks for the nice read.

    Marty.

  5. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on Dec 7, 2007 | Reply

    @Marty

    Your welcome. I think everyone would do at least one of the 27 listed there.

  6. By Niyaz PK (15 comments) on Jan 11, 2008 | Reply

    I will print this and keep it in my room.
    Good work
    :)
    Niyaz PK’s last blog post..Orkut getting the loops wrong

  7. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on Jan 11, 2008 | Reply

    That is a good idea, never thought about doing it - I might now :)

  8. By K. Lammi (1 comments) on Feb 27, 2008 | Reply

    I agree with you. On most counts.

    1. Not thinking creatively. Stealing other peoples work.

    2. Using RGB instead of CMYK colors. and if using CMYK, just trusting the program to convert them. You must invest in a Pantone formula guide.

    Think simple.

    K. Lammi’s last blog post..New Work: Serif Books

  9. By LL (1 comments) on Mar 3, 2008 | Reply

    Jacob! Your use of apostrophes is terrible.
    For someone who writes about the faults of graphic designers, this could not be more representative of a typical error of our field. It is particularly awful here because of your criticism of other oversights and imperfections.
    Please consult Strunk & White. Better yet, write an article about it. Designers are in dire need of a collective lesson in punctuation.

  10. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on Mar 3, 2008 | Reply

    Hi LL,
    Well we are still all learning and I know I am not perfect! Far from it and I also agree with you on the typical errors of our field. We are in dire need, much alike everyone in the digital age who rely on automated software to fix their mistakes. Thanks for your comments.

  11. By Saranya (1 comments) on Mar 7, 2008 | Reply

    Top Mistakes Graphic Designer’s Make
    is either
    Top Mistakes Graphic Designer IS Make
    or
    Top Mistakes Graphic Designer HAS Make

    Should have been “Top Mistakes Graphic Designers Make”

  12. By Twisty (1 comments) on Mar 13, 2008 | Reply

    Hello Jacob! Well done!
    I am also a BAN COMIC SANS follower. Its the most digusting font IN THE WORLD!
    I think we need one more point here:
    NEVER use your own logo, business cards, anything for yourself in your portfolio.
    I noticed you were guilty of that.
    Ive seen too many designers who fill a bulk of their portfolio with their own logo and advertisements etc, and clients look upon that BADLY.

  13. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on Mar 13, 2008 | Reply

    That is interesting, why do you think that is a bad thing by putting your own logo and ads in the portfolio? It is the first time I have heard that but I suppose it could look bad. I will have to look into that.

  14. By yuraccypark (1 comments) on Apr 6, 2008 | Reply

    what a great article … this is very helpful for everyone who wants to be a great designer … thanks for this ^^

  15. By Gina (1 comments) on Apr 25, 2008 | Reply

    Just want to say that this list was great. It’s wonderful insight into things designers (especially new ones) should remind themselves of every day.

    I wanted to comment on adding your own material (business cards, flyers, etc.) in your portfolio as per Twisty’s comment. While I understand why this would be frowned upon - perhaps clients assume your own marketing material is posted there because of a lack of anything else to put in its place - I personally am just as proud of the work I’ve done for my own business as anyone else’s. And, as a new business owner myself, a portfolio based entirely upon work done for others takes time. Some of us haven’t been at it long enough to fill all that space with freelance work yet…so to Twisty, give us a little break here!

  16. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on Apr 25, 2008 | Reply

    Hi Gina,

    Always nice to get new commentators with something useful to say. I agree with you because as you can see I still have my work in my portfolio. Perhaps when I have more sufficient work outside of University I can remove it.

    It also shows that have designed it ourself and can do so which is also great.

    Hope you stick around Gina and comment more often.

  17. By Desiree (1 comments) on May 4, 2008 | Reply

    I REALLY loved reading this, and there have been several people who I have worked with who NEED to read this! (Albeit, they do not work with me now.. probably because they need to read this.)

    However - I would like to add that as a graphic designer who builds display ads for a newspaper, there are a few things on this list that are unavoidable at times. Working for a newspaper where you crank out 30-50 display ads in two day’s time, AND build pages… it’s a whole different bag of beans. Pulling images off the web to use for print, and using Comic Sans (NOT BY CHOICE, but by CLIENT choice!)– these crimes are committed at times.

    When you are on such a tight deadline, often, stretching ads to fit the page, having to copy the disgusting work of a “GENIUS GRAPHIC DESIGNER” (READ: The Redneck down the street with Microsoft Word) — it happens, you get over it and you wait for that one project where you have time to put your own interest and effort into.

    On another note, I am also a picky font fanatic. Other fonts that make my blood boil, (Much more so than Comic Sans) — Bradley Hand, Papyrus, Cooper Black and Apple Chancery or ANY Chancery type font.

  18. By Jacob Cass (469 comments) on May 5, 2008 | Reply

    Hi Desiree,

    Welcome to JCD first off :) Glad for you to join the discussion.

    Why don’t you email them the page so next time they may keep their jobs. I suppose newspaper advertising is a little different but it doesn’t sound like the most appealing job.

    I am also not a huge fan of papyrus however I do not mind cooper black, its just so friendly, the only problem would be that it is used so darn often.

    Hope you stick around on JCD.

  19. By Dee (1 comments) on May 31, 2008 | Reply

    Ok. Now that everyone’s done cutting off each others privates off, how about we thank whoever wrote this article and for all the nice little ideas we’ve been given here today.

    *hears everyone here chanting like the dreadful psychotic Microsoft word…FRAGMENT FRAGMENT FRAGMENT*

    Please spare me the butchering, I’m glad we’re all trying to improve our ability to handle constructive criticism but I think I’ll pass :)

    In short, has anyone here got links to more interesting articles?

  20. By ChiaraCielo L. (1 comments) on Jun 24, 2008 | Reply

    Wow… this list is great… and so it’s your site! This post contains every tip my teachers suggested me in years!

    chiara . from Italy

  21. By leila (1 comments) on Jul 15, 2008 | Reply

    wow thanks so much! I suffer taking criticism personally, slowly getting over it though and another thing i found interesting -

    “Not knowing any famous designers in particular Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand and not knowing WHY they were famous”

    i dont know many designers actually, still learning!

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