#designexercise

"WHY" matters

Since the day I started learning design, I've been hearing a question, "How did you do that". How did you create that logo, how did you make that gradient, how did you make that animation...the context changes, but the question remains the same.

Yes, the "how" is important, without it, you won't be able to make anything. But it should not be the first question that you ask.

Ask Why.

Why did you make that logo, why did you choose that color or gradient, why did you animate it like that. This helps you understand the DESIGN and the thinking behind it.

Question everything, every decision that was made in a design, and then try to answer those questions one by one. This way, you would understand why the decisions were made, why some things works here, and some don't.

Once you have that basic understanding, you can start asking "How".

Basic Exercise

Take a design that you love (not yours), it can be anything, a logo, ui design of web/mobile, poster, illustration or whatever. Open it in a design software of your choice (I use illustrator)

Divide the design into parts,

Colors, take out all the colors

Type, what are the typefaces used, their font, weight, everything

Layout, bring out the rulers and start placing them. Trace the entire layout.

Images, take out the images

Textures, if present, what kind of textures are there.

Write why this design was made, what was the purpose. If you already know this, great. But if you don't know,

If possible, ask the person who created it

If it's very famous, search the internet

If none of it works, just write what you feel

Now, by taking this purpose as a reference, start asking "WHY" one by one for each item of the list that you created. Why this color was used, why this type, and so on. Start thinking, start writing.

Share it. This is a crucial step. You have to show others what you think, and ask their opinion on it. You would be blown away by the responses. Study their responses. This will help you, and the person who is responding, to grow even further.

Tag me. I am always excited to see what others are thinking and creating. I love that. My Instagram(@prakharmathur619)   twitter(@prakharmathur69)

I hope to see what you come up with.

Still Learning, still growing; let's grow together!