The 5 Rules Every Designer Should Know

Design isn’t just a job. It’s a craft. It’s one of those fields where you never truly “arrive” — you’re always learning, refining, and evolving your style. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience under your belt, there are some timeless principles that tend to stick with you — things that quietly guide the way you think, work, and approach every project.

Here are five essential rules every designer — regardless of discipline — should know. Not just to create “good-looking” work, but to become a truly thoughtful, effective designer.

1. Design with Intent, Not for Decoration

One of the easiest traps to fall into as a designer is prioritizing how something looks over what it’s actually meant to do. You see a cool trend or a slick UI and think, yeah, I want to design something like that. But if you strip back the bells and whistles, does the design still work?

The best design is rooted in purpose. Every element — from the font choice to the spacing, color palette, and layout — should exist for a reason. That reason might be to guide the user, evoke a feeling, tell a story, or solve a problem. But it should never just be “because it looks nice.”

Before diving into any design, pause and ask:

• What is this for?

• Who is going to use or see this?

• What do I want them to do, feel, or understand?

If you can’t answer those questions clearly, no amount of visual polish will save the final result.

Real-world example: Think about an airport sign. It doesn’t need to be trendy or artistic — it just needs to get thousands of tired, stressed travelers to the right gate. That’s design with intent.

2. Get Obsessive About the Fundamentals

It might sound boring, but the difference between an average designer and a great one often comes down to the basics: typography, colour, spacing, alignment, and composition.

These are the tools that hold everything together — the silent workhorses behind every powerful design. You can have the most creative concept in the world, but if the tracking on your text is off, your colors clash, or your layout feels unbalanced, it instantly weakens the entire message.

A few non-negotiables:

• Typography sets the tone. Learn the difference between display and body fonts. Understand hierarchy. Master spacing between letters (kerning), lines (leading), and blocks of text.

• Colour influences emotion and usability. Contrast isn’t just about looking good — it’s about accessibility. A pale yellow button on a white background might seem subtle, but no one’s going to click it.

• Spacing creates rhythm and clarity. Give your content room to breathe. Crammed layouts are harder to read and look less professional.

Pro tip: When in doubt, simplify. A design with fewer strong elements is often more effective than something cluttered with too many things fighting for attention.

3. Use Hierarchy to Guide the Eye

People don’t look at a design the same way they read a book. They scan. Their eyes jump around the page, looking for signals — something bold to catch their attention, then smaller details to help them understand what they’re looking at.

That’s where visual hierarchy comes in.

Your job is to structure the design so the viewer instinctively knows where to look first, second, third. This means thinking about:

• Size and weight of text

• Contrast and colour

• Position on the page

• Grouping related items

• Use of negative space

Hierarchy helps people make sense of what they’re seeing — and more importantly, helps them act on it. Whether it’s clicking a button, reading a headline, or understanding a product at a glance, the design should lead them there naturally.

Try this: Step back and blur your design slightly. What stands out first? That should be your primary message. If it’s not, adjust accordingly.

4. Design for People, Not for Other Designers

This is a big one, and often the hardest to accept — especially if you’re active on platforms like Dribbble, Behance, or Instagram where most feedback comes from other designers.

But here’s the thing: most of your real-world audience isn’t made up of designers. They don’t care if your layout uses an 8-point baseline grid or if you chose a trendy typeface. They just want to find the information, buy the product, use the app, or feel something from the visual.

The moment you stop designing to impress your peers and start designing to serve real people, your work becomes so much stronger. It becomes human. Practical. Meaningful.

Talk to your users. Read their feedback. Watch how they interact with your work. It’s often humbling, but always revealing.

5. Keep Growing — Always

Design is not static. It’s a field that’s constantly shifting, evolving, and reinventing itself. That’s what makes it exciting — and a little exhausting. But it’s also why continuous learning is essential.

Don’t rely solely on what you learned at school or what worked a few years ago. Tools change. Trends evolve. What people expect from design — especially in digital spaces — can change overnight.

• Read books on design theory and creative thinking.

• Watch talks and tutorials from designers in different industries.

• Study old masters and modern innovators.

• Take feedback seriously, even if it stings a bit.

• Revisit your old work. Reflect on how your thinking has changed.

The more curious and humble you are as a designer, the better your work will get — not just visually, but in how it connects with people.

My advice? Fall in love with the process. If you enjoy learning, iterating, and refining your craft, you’ll never get bored — and you’ll never stop improving. I enjoy the studying and development process just as much as the actual creation process!

Finally,

There’s no single formula for great design — but these five principles are a solid foundation. Think of them as your compass. They’ll keep you grounded when trends distract you, when clients test your patience, and when you hit the inevitable creative blocks.

Design is part art, part science, and part storytelling. If you can approach each project with clear intent, strong fundamentals, empathy for your audience, and a hunger to improve — you’ll not only become a better designer, but you’ll create work that truly matters.