8 Common Graphic Design Mistakes to Avoid

This article was contributed by  Graphic Designers Club

In this era, the different brand uses creative designs to build communication channels, draw attention and build loyalty with their audience. There are therefore common mistakes which can be seen in these “creatives” or Ad designs.

Although designers or the client make common mistakes, it is important to be aware of them and avoid them in the future. So, to help you in creating good visual designs; here are the common graphic design mistakes to avoid:

1. Delivering A Poorly Written Creative Brief

One of the most common graphic design mistakes occurs before projects even get started; it revolves around the designer not understanding what’s required of them in the first place. In most cases, this is due to a poorly written creative brief or a breakdown in communication between the designer and the client. Regardless of how good a brief is designed, some clients are at fault in submitting ‘weak’ responses- not being well explanatory in everything pertaining to their ideas.  Whatever the situation may be though, it is impossible to receive great work if the designer doesn’t understand what their expectation is.

2. Using Amateur Software For Professional Work

With numerous online resources available these days for designing logos, banners, and other advertisements, it is not that difficult for anyone to create an appealing design in relatively little time. More often than not though, these seemingly “professional” creations come with a whole lot of drawbacks. That’s because most of the freebie programs use raster graphics imaging instead of the industry-standard vector.

3. Over-Designing To The Point Of Chaos

Likewise, it is entirely possible to ask a designer to do too much within any given project. Whether it’s using an abundance of bold color choices, implementing too many graphics or making the design far too busy, these mistakes will usually hurt the overall concept more than it helps.

Personally, I have been faced several times with mistakes like these. After doing critic research to come up with a design concept, the client feels it’s too simple and wants you to add what he/she feels is ‘better version’.  

That is not to say that over-designing a page can’t still look appealing to the end-user; it’s simply an unnecessary distraction. Less is almost always more in the world of graphic design because it’s all about allowing consumers to make a connection with the brand in question.

4. Focusing Too Much On Popular Design Trends

Keeping an eye on the latest advances in design is essential for any designer who wishes to remain at the top of their field. At the same time, however, it’s a bad idea to try and replicate another company’s success just because a certain style is ‘popular’. What works for one company may not work for your business and your customers. Always know that the target audience differs for brands. Not to mention, the design will feel quickly outdated once the trend passes.

5. Saving In The Wrong Design Format

While most design software allows users to save in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG) and several other extensions, how do you decide which is the right one for your project? The answer depends on how you will use the finalized graphic and what features are required for the design.

When choosing a file format for a photograph or design image, think about whether or not the images needs to be in vector format and how it will be compressed. Also, consider if the design will be printed or displayed online; all of these things will make it easier to choose the perfect way to save work.

6. Relying Too Much On Free Images

While stock photography is a quick, affordable solution to use with some projects, be wary of “creative commons” photograph and websites granting unlimited usage for free. Not only do these images tend to be low resolution, but there is also a risk of copyright infringement and other unintended consequences.

Whenever possible, it always makes sense to buy photographs that guarantee exclusive usage through the purchased license. This means that no one else has legal rights to use your images in any capacity, which protects you and your brand down the road.

7. Not Proofing The Assets

This is one of the most common mistakes being made in graphic design.

While it may seem unlikely that several different sets of eyes would overlook a typo over the course of several proofs, it’s a pretty common occurrence in the world of marketing. That’s because our brains allow seeing what we think we should be on the page instead of what’s really there.

Make no mistake though; failing to proofread a design spec before sending it to a printer or pushing it live will never end with a good outcome, regardless of who actually made the error-designer or the client.

8. Missing The Overall Point

While there is no guaranteed way to impress every customer 100% of the time, epic mistakes can be minimized by the designer doing his homework and seeing what types of design projects have previously worked in his industry. By gauging the customer feedback to those campaigns and understand why ideas succeeded or failed, it makes it a lot easier for the designer to become relevant to his customers.

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