What makes a great designer?

"You cannot understand good design if you do not understand people; design is made for people"

– Dieter Rams

Great designers are not those who know exactly which methodology to use or know the whole set of key shortcuts and tricks for all the available software that we have these days, they aren’t those who always have an opinion and try to impose it, either those who don’t share their knowledge or process with others. Great designers listen more than they speak, and they pay attention not only to visual details.

More often they like to think and to get to know the problem they’re trying to solve. They are made of collaboration, they are open to several ideas, and always trying to make something different but without taking an eye out from human factors. They also are made of giving honest and respectful feedback and never make fun of other’s work no matter if it doesn’t get even close to the basic principles of composition.

Very often they are extremely auto-critical but respectful to the critique from others, including clients. They can always take the best from the most obnoxious commentary, but they can also know how to defend their concepts without being stuck in stubbornness. A great designer firmly believes that anyone could become a good great designer while there’s passion and there’s a hunger for becoming visually literate by consuming good design from others.

A great designer is ashamed of just copying others’ designs. Of course, he admires other designers, but he respects their process and knows that he could get inspired, yet he would never just clone and present it as if it’s theirs.

How could you spot a great designer? Those are the ones that don’t settle with the first option, they could come up with tons of different explorations no matter if it’s a 24x24 pixel icon, an IA map, a complex interaction, or even an analytical blueprint or journey map.

Great designers don’t get closed to other ideas and to the ideas from others, they don’t get fixated on a single idea or opinion, they like to explore, they’re curious, and go beyond.

After being in the field for almost 20 years I’m still looking to become a great designer by learning from and collaborating with great designers. And overall moving towards making improvements on people lives and businesses.