This post is a text adaptation of my Q&A video on design paralysis. You can watch the full video below, or scroll down to read the breakdown.
Table of Contents
I keep starting layouts and scrapping them. Why does nothing look right?
Two things can be happening here. Either the content isn’t fitting the format, or you have a preconceived idea of what the final design is and you’re not seeing what you want it to look like.
My first suggestion is to take a break. When you return to the project, I suggest working iteratively.
- Create variations: Set up 3 different type lockups with hero images.
- Test your grids: Take those same lockups and set each one up with 2 different grids.
- Multiply your options: Design 3 options for each variation.
That might seem like a lot, but by being prolific, you explore more, which trains you to master working with those grids faster. The goal isn’t to make a perfect design on the first try. It’s to build on what’s working and make more strategic design decisions with each version.
I rely on the same grid every time. How do I break that habit?
First, relying on the same grid every time isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I use a 7-column grid for just about every project. I’ve been using it for the last decade. I love that grid, and no one is going to tell me otherwise. One benefit of using the same grid is that you become a master of the space in that grid, which makes you a faster designer. If you’re delivering consistent results, why fix what isn’t broken.
With that said, it sounds like you might be getting bored of what your layouts are looking like, and that happens. Just because we’re bored with our designs, doesn’t mean our clients are. I would challenge, “Is the grid actually an issue or is it more of exploring a new design style, changing color palette, etc.?”
If it is the grid, try out either a 5- or 7- column grid. There is an extra column in these grids, which forces you to look at the space differently. What I commonly see is designers using a “6-column grid,” but they’re really treating it like 3-columns. That doesn’t happen using a 5- or 7-column grid, so try it out. (If you want to see how this works in practice, check out my video on 5- and 7-column grids).
I’m great at execution but struggle to come up with ideas.
This is actually very common. Execution and ideation are different muscles, which is why we have to train both. It sounds like you’ve mastered the end of the design process, so now shift all of your energy to mastering the beginning of the design process, which is where brainstorm and concepting happen.
Start with small ideas first, be present in brainstorms and listen to ideas from other designers. That might also be part of the struggle is if you work independently, you’re not exposed to as many ideas from different perspectives. Even still, I think it’s more of habit-building than it is anything else.
Here are a few ways to start building that habit:
Give yourself small prompts.
Write before you design.
Build a library of ideas.
The more you flex that muscle, the less intimidating idea generation starts to feel.
I look at great work and feel discouraged. I’ll never get there.
Ideally, great work should inspire you, but like they say, comparison is the thief of joy. It’s kind of like Instagram. We compare our progress to someone else’s highlight reel. We don’t see the road they had to take to get there. That designer probably had to work through quite a bit to get to that final design.
It’s always good to recognize great work because it gives you something to work towards. As long as you keep going, you’ll get there. And when you do, someone else will feel the exact same way.
When I first started designing, it would take me hours to do 3 options. My boss could do 3 options in like 20 minutes and I was fascinated how quickly they could solve things. Over a decade later, I’m actually faster than that now, and my designers look at me the same way. It’s a cycle every designer goes through.
I know the layout is fine, but it doesn’t feel good. What’s missing?
This is a good opportunity to distinguish between complete and finished.
Complete means you’ve checked all the required boxes, aka, you have a layout.
Finished is more emotional, which is “are you happy with the results?”
If you’re not, how do you make it cool? The wonderful thing about design is that we get to decide what “cool” is. For me, it’s dimension and white space because I think they make layouts more dynamic. Maybe you think custom typography is cool? It could also be minimalism. As designers, we communicate our voice through design. So, if everything about the design is technically sound, but you’re still not happy with it, your “voice” is often times the element missing, and that’s what makes our designs feel “finished.”
The Ultimate Reset: Change How You Design
If you’re stuck, try changing how you’re designing, not what you’re designing. Try switching from the computer to paper. Go into the world and experience things for research.
An underrated approach, which I shifted to years ago, was strictly designing in black and only adding color after the layout felt good. This is the same principle as logo design: if it works in black and white, it will often work in color. The goal is to break the loop and bring yourself back to problem-solving with fresh eyes.
I can actually use myself as an example. At my old full-time job, I hit a rut and I wasn’t inspired. I went freelance, and I was still in a rut. So, I shook things up completely by giving up my NY apartment to travel and experience different cities. It’s been 9 months, and I’m almost back to my old self again.
Design paralysis isn’t so much a lack of talent—it’s just a lack of momentum.
I only know how to design within a brand system. How do I flex creatively?
The best advice is the concept of presenting three options:
- The one the client is asking for.
- A version you like.
- One that’s a departure.
The two versions you have control over are the second and third.
For the option “you like” see how far you can push the brand guidelines. Changing the color palette is probably a little tough to sell, but you can introduce tiny stylistic choices like rounded corners, maybe it’s making the type more bold or delicate depending on what they’re currently using. For the option that’s a complete departure, this is your opportunity to present new ideas.
You do have to be practical here. It still needs to look like the brand because if it’s too foreign to whomever you’re presenting to, it’s harder to convince them. Something to consider is maybe introducing a different approach to photography or new elements to incorporate in the design. Your ideas will be taken more serious if they’re presented as a way to help evolve the brand.
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