The following is a summary and thinking of my experience over the past few years. Although I am not the most outstanding UI designer, I also hope to be beneficial to newcomers.
The first point: study preparation-enlightenment
To learn a skill, especially a skill that has been deposited and widely used in all walks of life, you must first have a full understanding of it. Before starting formal learning, you need to spend enough experience to understand and check its origin, development, application, and future. As a part of graphic design, UI is subordinate to the category of fine arts. Therefore, we must first understand the development of the entire art history. From the various stages of human origin, what kind of changes did art go through, what role did it play in their respective eras, what twists and turns has modern art history experienced, how did graphic design art develop and grow into thousands of households, and what experience do you have Successfully transitioned to later UI design. What are the advantages of the famous masters at home and abroad, what contributions have they made to the development of fine arts, and what are the touching features of their masterpieces?
In today’s UI design community, as professional designers, we can talk to others about Lei Jun’s entrepreneurial experience, Luo Fatty’s craftsmanship, Didi Kuaidi’s business model, and BAT’s layout in traditional industries, etc. This is actually a topic that is not very relevant, but there is no artistic insight.
We don’t understand the paintings on display in the museum, what works Van Gogh painted, what the abstractionists are making, and what’s more, we don’t even understand the underlying reasons for the promotion of flatness.
If Er Yuehe, who has been very popular recently, says that it is a shame for college students not to watch “A Dream of Red Mansions” and it is still controversial, then the designer cannot understand that the artistic achievements of his predecessors are absolutely sad and irrefutable facts.
To understand the history of art and learn the introductory art appreciation, the purpose is to see and hear. Learn to think about aesthetics in multiple dimensions, learn to look at problems in a more in-depth way, learn to examine the industry from a more macro perspective… In this way, you can understand the development of UI more objectively. These knowledge and ideas will enlighten your career and make it easier to become a designer with connotation and depth. There are many advantages in this, you have to rely on you to experience it slowly.
The following recommended books:
“The Story of Art” ([English] Gombrich) (emphasis)
“A Brief History of Western Art” ((United States) Hendrick William Van Loon)
Modern Design History (I can’t find the address of this book, I will take a photo later)
“Design Psychology 3: Emotional Design” (There are 1, 2, 3, all have to be seen)
The above is the most basic bibliography I can think of so far. If any friends think there is something suitable, please leave a message and add it.
Philosophy has three major philosophical questions, “Who are you?” “Where are you from?” “Where are you going?”, which constitute the basic framework for philosophers to explore the truth of the world. The same is true for us. We have to ask ourselves three questions at this stage and spend at least one month looking for answers:
What is the design? How did the design come about? What can the design do?
The second point: drawing skills-insight
I have argued with many colleagues about the need for hand-painted training in UI design. As everyone knows, many of the well-known UI designers in China and the great gods who are catching up on the wave are from grassroots origins and came from other industries. Their excellence is obvious to all. It seems to be confirmed from a certain level. If you have a drawing foundation, you can make a good UI or be a great god?
Pattern take clothes! Let’s talk about the problem of painting.
The three main items of the art college entrance examination: sketch, sketch, and color. These are the three basic topics for the introduction of painting, and our learning process is gradually covered in this order. If you have read those books in the first book, you will know that in the process of learning basic painting, we have detailed and accurate depictions of real-world objects on paper, which requires us to observe things more carefully. What is the angle of light irradiation, what light and dark distribution is shown in the corresponding shape, and how the arc of the cup mouth thickness changes under the principle of perspective. As the painting deepens, you will gradually develop a pair of insightful eyes. You will react instinctively to all designs and shapes, analyze their beauty and ugliness, and find out the core.
Let’s look at the following case:
This is a very concise bird, which can be easily expressed with only a few details, but I believe that if you copy the original image, more than 90% of UI designers can’t draw the essence (if you don’t believe me, try it) . The simpler the graph is, the more critical it is in details such as radian, head-to-body ratio, and center of gravity deviation. If you don’t have good observation skills, you can’t even copy it. You can only make curves that are crooked. The Bessie goods and proudly uploaded the design to the media for praise and approval.
The above-mentioned group of great domestic gods actually accumulated experience of observation in the diligence far beyond ordinary people, so that they can replicate a certain style, and can discover the details of the design and make continuous corrections. But is this over? of course not.
You can carefully observe these UI designers who do not have the ability to paint. Their works have strong limitations. Although they can complete familiar fields and popular styles well, the situation is very single and lacks real creativity. . In addition to improving your insight, the powerful hand-painting ability provides more possibilities for the diversification of your future creations. Look at the following cases:
For example, to draw such graphics, privately thinking that no hand-painting skills is tantamount to fantasy, and the biggest threshold of GAME UI is here. Your drawing skills will support you to cross more thresholds, have more choices and possibilities on the road of design, and will support you to go further.
So to what extent should I learn to paint? Until you think you can draw a still life correctly. It is recommended to apply to some institutions for college entrance examination training, and learn to paint with the third-year students. You will improve quite quickly. This process only takes two to three months. Don’t think it can be skipped. The cost of becoming a good designer in the future will be much lower than others who don’t learn to paint.
Also, one of the most important painting skills to master is structural sketching.
You can make quick and accurate drafting of the graphics you want to draw on the paper, and the efficiency and scalability are far better than the computer mouse drawing.
Hand-painting will run through your entire career. Keep this habit in your future study and work. Believe me, it will always bring you unexpected surprises at the right time.
The third point: Master the software-the means
This step officially begins to enter the step of learning software. If you are learning UI, the following software is essential:
PS, AI, DW, Sketch… the rest are supplemented according to your preferences.
I want to talk to you first. We all know that art has become an insulting derogatory term for designers. Designers like to refute. You are an art artist, and your whole family is an art artist. Aspiring young people with little ideals are full of contempt for this title, but I have to pour cold water on most people, because most designers can’t even reach a qualified artist.
We know that art is the title of a technician, with certain skills but no creativity. However, most people do not have enough skills. This is the fact that the current design industry needs to face. Many designers have not been nurtured by the first two steps, so it is easy to become complacent in the process of learning software, and they have shamelessly typed “proficient” in the resume twice (oh, it seems to be in Say myself!). Their perspective is narrow. They only think that after learning the tools of PS, they have learned how to design, but they also ignore the limit that they are far from reaching the threshold of art. Let me talk about how to learn these software.
First look at the first three lessons of Li Tao’s video: The Basics of Li Tao’s Photoshop Master’s Road . There is also an improvement chapter, which is in the cloud classroom.
Just look at the first three lessons! To repeat it, read only the first three lessons first, and make notes to memorize everything until you are overwhelmed (I read it at least five times). This is the most basic knowledge point in the entire UI design industry, light, color, resolution, color mode. If you don’t even master these, don’t want to be proficient in design software and master their principles.
Then you start to watch other video tutorials, then you can go to Taobao to buy: PS tutorial
There are a dozen high-definition introductory videos for a few bucks. Don’t waste time searching for free low-quality videos. The introductory tutorials are basically the same. You have to finish reading and following several novice tutorials until you have a preliminary understanding of the use of the software, and then return to watch the rest of Li Tao’s video.
To what extent does the software have to be learned? Learn that you can use it to copy any graphics designed with this software. It must be remembered that designing software is only a means we use to achieve design. Over-indulging in software research is putting the cart before the horse, but if you can’t even copy it with software, it’s a shame that doesn’t need to be refuted. . For example:
With this kind of work, you have enough power of observation and you can easily copy it with the mastery of the software, but many designers who have been in the industry for several years can’t even do this kind of copying. Why do you think about it? . The mastery of software is to provide you with the possibility to achieve more design solutions. Don’t let the simplest and easy skill of software familiarity become your shortcoming, at least we must become a qualified artist! I often do some exercises myself to test my mastery of the software, it is easy to find the problem, and then check the information and do research by myself.
Have a good understanding of what each software can achieve, what are the advantages, and where are the limits. Then you do it again! and also! Do not! meeting! Go to the comment area of the Great God and ask: It’s awesome, is this done by PS? Please read to me that these are the stupidest comments in the design world of this century, and don’t let them happen to you.
Nag again, software is just a means, you still don’t understand design, so stop bragging!
Fourth point: Design theory-practice
Broadly speaking, this is when you really start to learn design, and it is also the time when the first and second points are fully utilized.
Because you have read art history, you will know that the popular art creation of each era has its own characteristics and commonalities, so it can be summarized and summarized, and the same writers can be taught and cultivated. In other words, artists can be mass-produced. Today, when theories are constantly being perfected, good designs can be made through theoretical study—produced by practice. You must not think that this is a gap in talent. Others are more artistic than yourself. Those masters of art who can be remembered by history are great because of their groundbreaking or the humanistic spirit and great soul contained in their works, not just an excellent picture.
The previous points have provided you with enough practical foundation, so only in this book can you correctly view your potential and will not easily stop the pursuit of progress. Only the greatest designer needs talent, and becoming a good designer depends on hard work. The design is diligent, not the designer, not the design door.
So what should we learn about theoretical knowledge? The first is the foundation in the foundation: three major components (basic meaning)
You need to read the corresponding textbooks in each direction. The importance cannot be overstated. You need to practice while watching. Then there are specific design books, remember not to buy those useless books that tell you about software operations.
There is another point that I almost ignored. I originally wanted to talk about it as a step, but later I thought about it and summarized it here, and that is the understanding of fonts. UI designers generally lack awe of fonts, especially in today’s popular flattening, the role of fonts is more prominent. Only by mastering the profound meaning of fonts can we design powerful typography and have a full understanding of readability and ornamental text symbols. For example, the Japanese twenty-four solar terms website is an excellent example of using fonts: the Japanese twenty-four solar terms website(It seems that the original website cannot be opened, only pictures are available).
Designed theory books teach you how to design. You need to experiment with them immediately while constantly accepting knowledge, keep practicing, and keep generating problems and solving them. Before your design concept is mature enough, never go online to read the XX rules of design. The XX skills you need to master how to do a good web design are all the chicken soup articles in the design world. They look reasonable, but completely There is no way to provide a practical guide for newcomers, it is used to forget, even if you read more of this kind of chicken soup, you will not be able to design. Your learning process should be systematic and regulated in every aspect. Books can bring you more help and progress than fragmentary reading.
Fifth point: logical trade-off-balance
As a UI designer, you must master the corresponding front-end skills. This is not a place where you can use your design skills without any restrictions. You have to make choices, follow the logic of front-end development, and make a stable and achievable design. draft.
Learn how to get started with HTML5 CSS3 JQ, the implementation specifications of Android and IOS!
Sixth point: Appreciation and imitation-beyond
There is a reason to put this point behind. The previous steps are the realization of the basic qualities of a designer, and an outstanding designer also needs to cultivate his own routine and style-standing on the shoulders of giants.
You have to learn how to distinguish excellent works. You can collect excellent works and cases from multiple channels. The first recommendation is to use:
- Behance
- Petal Net
- www.pinterest.com
- SDC designer website navigation (Others can be browsed in the navigation)
Learn to look at excellent cases, use them to provide you with design fuel, and then all you have to do is copy! copy! copy! Use the design theories you have learned to analyze the cases in the implementation. Only when you discover their advantages and implement them by yourself, will it actually help you improve. You copy a case every day, BANNER, ICON, APP interface, then within a few months, you will be familiar with the existing design routines, you can design a safe UI design draft, you can easily Complete this:
At the same time, it must be reminded that our pursuit of beauty and actual realization in the design process are often inconsistent with user needs. This is a pit. We need to have enough experience to judge what kind of design is enough and what kind of design. It is over-designed and has no practical meaning. Not only do you have to search for excellent cases on the Internet, you must continue to pay attention to the simplest but most popular websites and applications. For example: Zhihu, INS, WeChat, Taobao, etc. Continue to discuss and consult to understand why the current presentation style is not as good as your expectations.
You have to improve through practice and thinking, and don’t blindly pursue visual performance. It is difficult for such a UI designer to truly grow up.
The ultimate goal of design is to solve problems, not to blindly express one’s pursuit of beauty. So I ask novices not to visit websites that only upload airplane drafts.
The current trend of mainstream design platforms is that a few great gods drive a huge bottom-end design community. If you have been improved in the first few steps, then most designers of these websites are already mentally unable to keep pace with you. Don’t go to these places. Confuse. These websites will not have truly valuable and equivalent exchanges and insights. Only designers can find proof of their presence in their circles. You can scan the comments and you will know that there will be no “Luoxia and Lonely Birds Flying Together” The only answer is “Oh, I’m awkward”, “Is this drawn with a digital tablet?”, “Is this made by AI?”. The rapid spread of these great gods’ airplane drafts and common exercises is likely to produce many bad impressions.
Take the chasing wave, which I deeply despise, for example, a large number of works have no practical value, especially in order to attract the attention of peers to show their skills and show dynamic effects. So the trend of dynamic effects immediately spread in the domestic circle. It is obvious that even the basic typography and color matching are not well done. The PS has not yet covered the heat, so I chased after learning AE, and began to play and transfer the interactive special effects.
When you copy the case for two or three months, you will have enough portfolios, and you can already package your resume to apply. By then your level will surpass most designers with several years of experience!
Seventh point: reading thinking-expansion
The entire UI design circle has a fatal flaw, which is the rejection of knowledge in other industries, especially for graduates of majors. Because most students hate learning when they are students, with the umbrella of art students, you can comfort yourself reasonably if you don’t study or study, that’s slutty love and freedom. What a shit! !
One thing that art history still needs to teach you is that true masters are never just ignorant and focus on the pen and ink in their hands. They are constantly understanding the world and studying the knowledge and insights they are interested in. Don’t be a toad that only knows the design, but does not know the mathematics, physics and chemistry. You can only jump in your own well.
Mature design is not only the expression of your personality skills, but also the rationality and insights you have shown to solve problems. Many designers are too naive and superficial compared to other professionals at the same level, and the symptoms are also here. Don’t just look at the world from the perspective of design, learn more professionally, let you have a broader vision, and have more perspectives to understand the world. The insights you get will bring you immeasurable sublimation and progress.
This is a career and skill that can last a lifetime. Under the correct method, the more you accumulate, the more mature you become. Please don’t use superficial thinking to think that it is an excessive stage of eating a youth meal!
Design is a skill that needs to be precipitated, but it happens to meet the ever-changing Internet culture. This makes everyone very sensitive to fashion, and start to catch up with the trend, despise orthodoxy and law. This entire process may take a whole year, but I believe that as long as there is enough patience, a novice can grow into a qualified UI designer. Please slow down your perspective and don’t rush for success.
