When I was starting out in design in my earlier years in 2016, I created thumbnails for different products on e-commerce websites in stores like eBay and even banners that listed the features of each product. For three years, I designed under a specific style that was on par with the competition. I looked at the competitors and followed their dull, ordinary product style. As a result, this barely brought any attention to the products I designed. Every other store copied each other. They all had a very similar approach to developing their advertisements.

Only when I started reading about designers and their books my practice is improved, which featured real-world applications of their works, including Graphic Designs from the famous Michael Beirut and Paula Scher. I needed the right inspiration to push me forward and create my style; I did not look at enough designs, and my brain had nothing to feed on as inspiration. In the real world, nothing is original; it is always inspired or combined with many ideas. My source of inspiration was the stores on eBay, based somewhere in China haha. I filled the thumbnails with random icons and images that were not congruent with the brand’s identity, not very appealing on convincing of the products quality.

The lesson here is that if you want to create personalised designs with your style, you first need to feed your brain with enough information and images. We subconsciously analyse our surroundings. When we walk outside, our eyes scan our surroundings, which is how we subconsciously know where to go on the way back when listening to music or someone talking. You get the idea now – I went on Pinterest and Behance every day and looked at designs constantly. Reading about design, researching and looking at inspirational projects helped me drive my practice to the professional level it is now. Ultimately, it was one of the key reasons that helped the business grow

Learn this now, Maksim