What is 'Bad Design'? How to Improve Your Graphic Designs

There's no doubt that graphic design is an art form. It takes skill and creativity to turn a concept into something visually appealing that conveys a message.

Graphic design has long been popular, and as a result, an increasing number of underqualified or just untalented designers seek employment with well-known firms. The issue is that design requires a lot of effort, knowledge, and dedication to achieve. Unfortunately, many of these designers bypass the hard step, and the results are frequently disastrous.

As with any other art form, there is the potential for some artists to produce 'bad designs’—whether they’re seasoned professionals or just beginners. But what makes design considered as ‘bad’? And more importantly, how can you avoid it as a graphic designer?

As a graphic designer, it's essential to know what bad design looks like to avoid it in your own work. This blog post will provide you with some helpful tips on how to spot and fix bad designs. Because once you know how to spot them, you’re able to create better work which will surely impress your clients. 

What Makes Graphic Design Good or Bad?

You should first learn what factors determine if a design is good or bad. We'll list the most damaging design components, so keep in mind that eliminating them will automatically elevate your project above the ordinary.

Here are some frequent mistakes to avoid, as their inclusion might entirely ruin your design.

1. Crowded and Cluttered Layouts

In the early days of the internet, cluttered designs were common. Designers strove to squeeze as much information onto each page, frequently ignoring empty space. The consequence was that pages became difficult to navigate, lacked structure, and made it nearly impossible to discover the main message, or identify what you were looking for.

Although the cluttered UIs of the 1990s and early 2000s have mainly vanished, cluttered designs still persist. While not every website needs to be designed in a minimalist manner, be sure to provide enough space between each element to allow your design to breathe. Remove any extraneous elements to make the key features stand out.

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2. Branding Inconsistencies

One of the most frustrating aspects of terrible design is inconsistent branding. On a website for example, when branding guidelines aren’t followed, users suffer when colour palettes fluctuate from page to page, fonts appear to be chosen at random, and there is no consistent visual style. Users will find themselves having to constantly re-acclimate to each area or page of your website, requiring extra mental effort to fulfill their objectives. Even minor inconsistencies can make a difference.

Creating a style guide for your design projects is one of the best strategies to combat inconsistency. Define how everything should look, including where navigation should go on each page, the colour palette, typeface choices, and even the width of lines for icons and dividers.

This will ensure that your branding remains consistent and independent of content modifications or multiple designers' involvement.

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3. Poor Fonts & Typography

Every designer should have a fundamental understanding of typography. There wouldn't have been as many typography books and articles if this subject could have been handled in two or three pages. It's a topic that takes time to master, and the repercussions of ignoring it can be disastrous.

As a designer, keep in mind that using the right fonts will give your piece more style. You can substantially improve the quality of your design by selecting the appropriate fonts for the remainder of the composition.

You should also avoid using too many fonts. Let's say a designer employs more than three or four typefaces for the body text, headings, titles, logo, and a few key paragraphs. For most individuals, the text will appear sloppy and illegible. Ideally, you should only choose two fonts for a single design project to achieve coherency and for pleasing aesthetics. 

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4. Confusing Colours

When it comes to colours, the way they are combined is crucial to the overall project's success. Therefore, keep in mind that some colours simply do not mix well. But with just a little knowledge of the right combinations, you can create pleasing designs. 

However, this is easier said than done. Choosing the right colours for a given product is the most difficult task. You may comprehend each hue's impact on the human brain using basic psychology studies and pertinent knowledge of colour trends and then choose the appropriate spectrum based on that information. You must also keep in mind the colors that resonate with your target audience, and the brand you are representing itself. 

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5. Improper Use of White Space

It's critical to include adequate white space in your design because it will improve readability and enhance user experience. Furthermore, it will improve the elegance and style of your design.

We often notice how congested or how empty some websites look because designers don't know how to mix content and white space. There has to be a harmonious balance between the two. White space helps make content more readable and aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. 

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Conclusion

So what makes for bad design? In a nutshell, it's anything that gets in the way of communicating your message effectively. This may be due to outdated or inappropriate fonts, clashing colours, amateurish layouts, or the design looking too busy or chaotic.

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You can take your designs from good to great by avoiding the mistakes mentioned above and other common mistakes. If you need some help getting started on the basics of graphic design, Dzyn Space is here to provide you with all the tools and resources you need to become a skilled graphic designer. With our easy-to-use tools, you'll be able to create beautiful designs that communicate your message loud and clear.

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If you want to take your skills to the next level, consider using a Graphic Design Online Program like Dzyn Space. With our user-friendly platform, you can create stunning designs in minutes – no experience required.

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Sign up for free today. Hone your creativity and start designing like a pro!

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