Continual Improvement is a main challenge of the web and graphic design field. Though you will gain experience to improve the skills through client projects, it is important to find some time outside the client to shape up new and up to date skills for staying on top of the changing trends. Setting some time for learning is important. This article by Medialinkers web design shares a few tips which you need to keep in mind for continuous growth and improvement:
One quick way is to identify a few areas for the potential improvement. Check out your past work in the past few months and analyze it critically. Sometimes looking at a project again with fresh pair of eyes brings new angles to the view. By checking the project again after a few months, you can see things in a better way than you could before when working on a project.
When analyzing your work, you also need to get feedback from other people such as users, clients and other designers. Though taking constructive criticism is not fun, but it will provide new points to improving your skills and making you look better as a designer. Community sites such as Dribble are a great way to get feedback on the work.
Another way to learn something new is by studying the work of experienced designers. Check their work along with the design decisions they have made regarding their projects. For example, you can study different layouts such as white space, calls to action, typography and pixel-precise design details. These things can serve as an inspiration for the work. There are many designers on sites such as Dribble and Forrst which you can study to bring improvements in your work.
Implementing new trends is part and parcel of the industry, but making a deliberate effort to brush up on the fundamental elements such as color theory and design theory goes a long way. There are a number of free tutorials available on the web which can do the job for you.
There are number of online tutorials available to offer help regarding the graphic design industry. Check out these tutorials in spare time to expand your skills and learn something new. Websites such as CodeTuts+, DesignTuts+ and WebDesignTuts+ are a great way to find tutorials.
You can also ask for more tips from the Medialinkers graphics design experts.