10+ Web Design Tips From Experts for 2020

In the world of web design, starting out is the hardest part of the journey. You might need some help along the way.

We’ve put together some of the best tips from expert designers (in alphabetical order) to put you on your path to becoming a better designer.

There are a massive number of design websites and guides on the web but these experts are the real deal when it comes to knowing the industry and using their creativity to become better designers. Reading what they have to say will definitely help you climb the ladder to success.

Here are web design tips from experts:

• David Airey

David Airey is a graphic designer, writer, and consultant, hired by clients of all sizes, from multinationals to companies of one. Since opening his studio in 2005 he has created logos and visual identities for brands in more than 30 countries. The pages of his design blogs (Logo Design Love & Identity Designed) are visited millions of times each year. The Logo Design Love book has sold more than 50,000 copies in English, is available in twelve languages, and is included in the reading lists of design programs around the world. The Identity Designed book? was published in 2019, and in the words of Adobe’s principal designer, Khoi Vinh, it’s, “Not just beautifully designed, but also beautiful in its depth and detail about the identity design process.”


His advice: I’m asked time and again where I find the inspiration to do my job, or how I stay inspired, but what we do, as designers, doesn’t need inspiration in the true sense of the word. Design inspiration is a bit of a cliché. The ability to successfully complete project after project comes from study, practice, and experience, as well as following a clearly defined set of steps. In the words of Chuck Close, “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”




• Michael Bierut

When people think about logos, they don’t tend to see the past the shapes and words that make the logo. Professional graphic designer Michael Bierut delves into the primitive power of logos and what it takes to make a truly great logo in his inspirational videos. His most notable design is the Hilary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign logo.


His advice: His advice: "The only advice I give to people, and it sounds egotistical, is really just to save everything.”

• Jacob Cass

Jacob Cass helps brands thrive by crafting logos and brand identities that are not only distinctive but strategic. Jacob shares his expertise whenever he has the opportunity which has led to a large and loyal following. His websites, including the design blog JUST Creative, have been viewed over 50 million times. He has spoken at TEDx and been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, and a number of high-profile design books including The Best of Logo Lounge Master Series. Some notable web design clients include Disney, Nintendo, Powerade, VitaminWater and Jerry Seinfeld.

His Advice: 2020 couldn't be a better year to enter into the world of web design. New tools & technologies are coming out every day, making our jobs both easier and harder at the same time. For some actionable advice for a beginner, I would suggest looking into a course on the basics of HTML and then move into UX.

• Mike Kus

British designer, Mike Kus specializes in branding, graphic/web design, illustration & photography. Mike aims to fuse his creative skills with the identity of his clients in order to create original and engaging design work that sets his clients apart. He has a worldwide client roster and his work is often featured in design-related publications. Mike is also a regular speaker at design/tech conferences.

His advice: The one thing that can set you apart into 2020 and beyond is being as creative and daring in your work as possible. In the face of web automation, being creative, bucking trends, carving your own path is the best way to out-pace an ever more sophisticated and automated web. Hold on to creativity, it's that last thing that computers will steal from us.

• Meg Lewis

Meg is a brand & experience designer working with companies excited to create positive change. She specializes in human-centered strategy, creating personable brands and crafting unique experiences. She has been an independently working designer for the last 10 years. She is set apart by her energetic personality. 

Her Advice: Becoming a specialist vs generalist is a totally boring argument. By 2020 I challenge everyone with finding a way to specialize in a way that’s totally unique to your own interests, personality, and skillset. Try creating a specialty that’s a true reflection of your own interests and skill set and you’ll find yourself setup for a fulfilling career.

For me, I specialize in friendly, personable, brand design that affects positive change. That’s a specialty that allows me to be a generalist designer, but helps me to position myself in a way that’s totally unique to me. It helps me to knock-out competition and have a career that’s totally fulfilling at the same time!



• Chris Messina

Chris Messina has had his fair share of successes. Having always been interested in human behavior in the context of technology, he has been instrumental in creating some of the ideas that shape the internet today In 2007, he championed the idea of the hashtag, eventually changing social media forever and galvanizing popular social revolutions.



• Shane Mielke

Shane is a freelance creative director, designer, front-end developer, animator, photographer and author. He has won many outstanding awards for his achievements in web design. In 2014 he was honored by .Net Magazine as one of the top 50 web designers in the world.


His advice: You must be an expert at something to stand out. Complete focus and dedication to one program or skill for a year or more will leave you with experience, understanding and muscle memory of a discipline that will stay with you forever rather than just being average at several things.

Not every project will make it into your portfolio. But every project is an opportunity to improve on something. Even a boring project where you are doing production work is a chance to fine-tune your technical skills, speed, efficiency, and process which will benefit you later on special projects.




• Tobias Van Schneider

Tobias van Schneider is a multi-disciplinary maker and founder of Semplice, a portfolio system for designers. He writes about productivity and portfolio building on his blog, DESK. Born in Germany and raised in Austria, he now lives and works in New York City.


His advice: This is the year to finally make a personal site. When we share our work on social media or external platforms, we forfeit our ownership over it – and our privacy. Our personal sites are the only place where we have full control of our work and how it’s presented. In an age dominated by templated social profiles and ephemeral content, creating our own site shows we take pride in what we do.



• Andy Sowards

He started his web design career in 2007 when he landed a job in a very small web dev shop, armed with a bit of HTML knowledge and a love for Photoshop - he learned all that he could. he launched his personal blog andysowards.com in 2008, and In 2010 he founded his own web design & development studio where he builds awesome stuff for Celebrities, Authors, Entrepreneurs, Small Businesses & Large Corporations, from his home office!

He has worked with the top designers in the industry, along with working with some high profile clients along the way - names like Nintendo, and the University of Tennessee. He splits his time between his wonderful family, running several blogs, and managing youtube channels of my other passions - video games (@gametomatoes) and tech (@infinigeek)!


His advice: My advice for new designers is two parts. The first part never changes and that is if you are new to the industry (any industry) - seek out those that are doing the best work, getting the most attention, finding the most success - they are in tune with the industry and what needs to be done, and how to do it.

You can learn a lot from them and they will help guide you in your decisions in your own career - don't copy them, but learn to think like them. The second part is to pay attention to the trends in 2019 and try to be a trendsetter in 2020, attention early in your career can make or break your following years - right now all things retro and nostalgic are hot, minimalism never left, and complex designs pulled off in very simple ways really grab attention. Ride those waves. I wish you all the best of luck!



• Tidjane Tall

Tidjane Tall is a creative technologist with over 10 years of design experience, from consulting, design leadership roles, to running his digital studio in Montreal and Toronto from the ground up. While covering UX, Product strategy, and branding, he uses a design-thinking approach to solve complex problems for startups, and global brands like Accenture, MIT, Ogilvy, Yellow Pages, Adobe, and more. He helped launch mobile apps, websites, and 360 campaigns, reaching millions of people for value-driven organizations.  

His advice: Design is not art: yet thinking like an artist can make you a better designer. Learn how to writing and stop designing for other designers. Instead, focus on solving tangible problems for real people interacting with your work.



• David Teodorescu

David has 10 years of experience as a UX and Product Designer. He founded a couple of startups and worked in advertising agencies and tech companies in Bucharest and New York, where he had the chance to design products serving millions of users. He is now at Fitbit, working on a product that aims to improve people’s sense of security. 

He writes on Medium about product design, psychology, gives talks from time to time and curates design stories on his Twitter account. He was featured on various tech publications like TechCrunch, Inc. Magazine and TNW.

His advice: The lack of experience is probably the biggest problem junior designers face when interviewing for a job. They might have a work process and good interaction or visual design skills but they usually haven't had the chance to apply these to real-world products.

If you struggle with that first project, my advice would be to volunteer your design skills. Reach out to small NGOs or local volunteer groups and help them build the digital tools they need to improve their work.

Even better if you come up with a solution for a problem they have or partner with a developer and implement the product yourselves. Not only do you get the chance to put your skills to work but you also get to support a good cause.



• Jeffrey Zeldman

Jeffrey Zeldman is an entrepreneur, web designer, author, podcaster and speaker on web design. He is the co-founder of A List Apart Magazine and the Web Standards Project. He has countless blogs about web design and his life in general on his website. 

His advice: Start by asking questions. Sketch, share your sketches, ask more questions. Don’t be precious with your work. Don’t hurry to finish.

Conclusion

These were some tips from the top creative artists in the web design community. They all have spent multiple years perfecting their work and are always striving to be better. 

Their advice can be career-changing to some people. So we hope that you will take inspiration from them as you continue or start your journey to become a better designer.