Hey, I'm Izzy 👋
Design websites that look expensive
I share weekly redesign breakdowns of real websites so you can steal what works and design with confidence.
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Profile portrait of Izzy. Olive-skinned Mediterranean man. Dark wavy hair. Blue sweater.
Ismail B.
November 27, 2022

Raw talent doesn’t exist

Key points

  • Nobody is born with good taste
  • Your eye for design is honed, not inherent
  • Hone your eye for design by continually exposing yourself to great work, creating & learning concurrently, and understanding the psychology behind design principles

Raw talent is pure BS. Your eye for design is honed, not inherent. I share 12 things you can start doing immediately to hone your eye for design.

Many of us are under the misconception that some people are born with an “eye” for design.

They call it “raw talent”.

I call BS.

Your favorite creators are not special genetic specimens.

Your “eye” for design is honed. Not inherent.

12 things you can do to start honing your “eye”:

  1. Save the things you like
  2. Recreate the things you like
  3. Modify & combine the things you like
  4. Learn key design concepts
  5. Learn the cognitive biases behind these concepts
  6. 10,000 iterations > 10,000 hours (Trial and error beats endless unapplied learning)
  7. Continually identify what you need to improve on
  8. Ask non-biasing questions when getting feedback
  9. Don’t get caught up in shiny new tools & resources. Stick to a handful. Focus on process
  10. Know that every layout conveys 2 messages: An informational message and a feeling message (mood)
  11. Know that an aesthetic layout nails 3 things: Purpose, Ease of consumption and Mood
  12. Know that a layout is created with only 2 things: Elements (text, shapes, imagery etc)and Organizing strategies (visual hierarchy, grouping, alignment etc)