Most people can tell when a design looks amateur but cannot say why. The first skill in design is not using software; it is seeing: noticing the decisions in a layout and naming them.
The questions designers ask
- Where does my eye go first, second and third? That order is the hierarchy.
- What lines up with what? Invisible alignment lines create order.
- How is space used? Groups of related items sit closer together; unrelated items have more space between them.
- How many typefaces, sizes and colors are there? Amateur work often has too many.
- What is the one message? If you cannot say it, the design probably does not either.
The squint test
Squint at a design, or blur a screenshot, until you cannot read the text. What remains is the structure: the big shapes, the darkest areas and the empty spaces. Good designs still show a clear first focal point and orderly groups when blurred. Cluttered ones turn into an even grey mass.
Collect references deliberately
Keep a swipe file of designs you think work well, such as posters, web pages, packaging and social posts. For each, write one sentence on why it works. Over time this trains your eye faster than any tutorial.
Try this
Find three designs you like and three you think are weak. For each, list the order your eye travelled and apply the squint test. Write down the single biggest difference between the strong and weak examples.