Top 5 Qualities of a Creative Designer

Creativity is the most important ingredient when you’re cooking up a new design. But, we must ask ourselves, what are the characteristics of a quality creative design? Book covers, drawings, cover art, video games, and films – whatever it is you’re working on; your product needs to have certain qualities that will make it stand out from the crowd. In this article, we will examine the 5 most important qualities of a creative design that are responsible for making it valuable.

Uniqueness

There is no need to take this too literally. A lot of topics were covered over the course of history, so if you want your work to deal with serious issues like segregation, moral codes, love, death, war, and so on, this is probably not a good idea, unless you really have something revolutionary to offer.

Being unique does not only mean doing something that was never done before; it also means adding a new perspective, point of view, and very often, it’s about creating something differently. Basically, it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

Purpose

In order for any design to have value, it must have a purpose. You need to send a message, tell a story, and inspire someone with your design. You should not shy away from tackling serious topics, like racism, inequality, terrorism, etc. Also, make a statement or simply send a motivational message. You do not need to go for something too complex; a simple poster can have value if everything is executed correctly. Long story short, simply ask yourself: “What is the point of my work?” What would you want it to be?

Layers

Now, it is important that your design has layers, or that it is even equivocal. Let’s take one of the most famous paintings “The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo for example. The painting tells a tale of its own, but when you look closely, you can see that people and the background, where God is painted, actually resemble a human brain. Thus the artist made an additional statement.

So, regardless of whether you are designing a book cover, or a logo, or a simple brochure, adding more layers to your creative design, will prevent it from being mundane and dull. With more layers, you can morph something as simple as an informative message into something more interesting and engaging.

Mystery

In the previous paragraph, it was mentioned how designs needs to send out multiple meanings or messages, but they also need to leave some room for mystery. To be more precise, your work needs to be open for interpretation. It is something that will cause observers, or users, to get back to it, and re-examine it. When we read, watch, or listen to something, we use our own experience and knowledge for interpretation, which is why great works like “The Little Prince”, for example, are basically different book when we read them during different periods in our lives, despite the fact that the words used never change.

Of course, this trait is not always wise to apply on everything you design, since it can only cause confusion. Also, using too much of it can also make your design difficult to follow. In other words, using mystery is a double edged sword. It can add significant value to your design, but it can also send out a wrong message.

But, all things considered, if you want to create something artistic, don’t give your users the absolute truth. The truth in your work needs to be ever elusive and to compel observers to search for it, because that is what creates a more meaningful experience.

Room for improvement

Finally, you must come to terms with the fact that your work will never be perfect and that it is not supposed to be perfect. If you doubt yourself, if you are not sure whether what you are creating will turn out exactly the way you want it, this is actually a good thing.

With self-doubt comes the drive for progress and improvement. If you are critical of your own work, you will strive to do better. If you can take criticism and constructive feedback, you will also do better.

So, if you are a neonate artist, try to implement these traits into your future work. In the event that you need quality design services, search for these traits in the designer’s portfolio.