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Ask HN: Independently learning design?

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Ask HN: Independently learning design?

#1

Post by nicholjs »

I'm a self-taught programmer (iOS and some back end web). Here on hacker news and also on other forums and startup news sites, I always see information on learning to code. The standard routes are codeacademy, certain recommended books, types of projects to get started out on, etc. As recent as yesterday I saw a post on properly learning javascript. It was inspiring, but more so, it went in to such detail on a 6 week method one could follow.

Are the same sources out there to learn design? Books, apps, certain forums that designers look to (akin to stackoverflow)?

Re: Ask HN: Independently learning design?

#2

Post by vickytnz »

http://hackdesign.org/ is trying to cover this exact niche (I'm following along as a designer just out of curiosity, and it's pretty cool).

Mark Boulton's A Practical Guide to Designing for the Web (Five Simple Steps) http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956174019/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_f-cg... is also a good start.

There are the usual suspects such as Nettuts, Smashing Mag, Core77, Creative Review, Design Observer (though that's more intense).

For web typography, try http://kaikkonendesign.fi/typography/ and the older (but based on a lauded print book for print type design) http://www.webtypography.net/

Just for the insight into the nutty world of type design, I like the MyFonts newsletter: http://www.myfonts.com/newsletters/cc/201301.html

If you want to get more into IXD, Cooper has a good list: http://www.cooper.com/journal/2013/01/self-study-interaction...

Re: Ask HN: Independently learning design?

#4

Post by breckinloggins »

I'm in the same boat. I'm not very good but I'm starting to get better at design. Here are some tips, which might be useful. None of these are affiliate links and I'm not associated with any of them, if that matters.

- It's cliche, but read "The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald Norman [1]. It gives you a good sense of design's place in the greater world. The best design principles are as at home in a product development firm as they are in the software world.

- I own "Design for Hackers" by David Kadavy and I think it's pretty good. The content may or may not be "obvious" depending on your skill level, but he phrases things in a way that is understandable and reassuring to the engineering set. [2]

- There's a guy on HN (Jarrod Drysdale) who produced an eBook called "Bootstrapping Design". I haven't pulled the trigger on a purchase yet, but I need to. I've read his sample chapter and am subscribed to his newsletter and I think he's an excellent coach. [3]

- I keep a bookmark folder called "design inspiration" and when I find really cool sites or apps I save them here. You might also want to keep a clipping diary or something where you can keep notes for yourself about what you like and don't like about certain things.

- There's nothing wrong with imitation, within reason. EVERYONE stands on the shoulders of giants and the guy who designed that awesome site or app probably started by shamelessly copying existing stuff. In fact, I recommend that you spend some time trying to EXACTLY copy things you like. You'll start to get a feel for how to accomplish certain affects and, in general, you'll get design a little more "in the fingers".

- http://ux.stackexchange.com/

- Have a project. Have a project. HAVE A PROJECT. It's very difficult to just "learn design", just as it's very difficult to just "learn programming". Unless you're just a natural autodidact, you can read all the tutorials and books and whatever but, when it comes time to do something on your own, you'll just be sitting there staring at a blinking cursor (or an empty Photoshop document) unless you have some place to start.

I hope this all helps, and don't be afraid to share stuff on HN with us. There are plenty of folks who would love to give you positive criticism and feedback.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d...

[2] http://www.amazon.com/Design-Hackers-Reverse-Engineering-Bea...

[3] http://bootstrappingdesign.com/

Re: Ask HN: Independently learning design?

#7

Post by subpixel »

In my experience the very best way to develop design chops is to get a sense of the kind of design you like, and then let that influence the look and feel of your own projects.

At first you will be copying other peoples' style and that is okay. As you proceed and improve you'll start doing your own thing. Great artists steal, etc.

Of course, without your own projects, you'll get nowhere, as has been pointed out.

Design it Yourself is a pretty good read: http://amzn.to/UV6jFV

As an aside, there's very little of the camaraderie/collaboration you're probably used to from the hacker world in the design world. (Though http://hackdesign.org/ looks rad!) No one has written The Cathedral and the Bazaar for design yet. Know that upfront and you won't be surprised when designers act more afraid than excited at the prospect of unskilled hackers trying their hand at design.

Don't buy into the suggestion you need to worship 'the masters' of graphic design to learn to do your own thing. The web is not just paper that you can click, it's a new medium. You'll learn as much studying design on the web as you will from books.

Re: Ask HN: Independently learning design?

#8

Post by artursapek »

Go to art school, like I did. Hahahah. No, I'm kidding, don't. But do become educated about the past. Buy some books. I recommend starting with Paul Rand http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Rand-Steven-Heller/dp/0714839949 I love that book. I'll never let go of my copy.

The most important thing is not to focus too much on current trends. They're mostly bullshit that will be forgotten fast. The reason I say study the past is because everything old that has been documented is actually worth studying. It's "stood the test of time," if you will.

I think a lot of designers today focus too much on what's happening NOW, reading today's blogs and knowing the trends and whatever. So they go make things with an extremely narrow perspective and think they're designing when really they're retracing the only thing they know.

People don't know nearly enough on say, 50's modernism. Or the Bauhaus aesthetic. Watch the Eameses' films. Know the greats. Respect them. Broaden your awareness. Graphic design was huge before computers.

Then apply the broad ideas you absorb from that to the medium you're working in. That's my advice. There's no Stack Overflow for design. It doesn't work the same way as programming. You're not going to become a good designer by visiting websites.

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