Personal Growth Habits Every Designer Should Master
Personal growth is becoming better, wiser, and more compassionate. It's about taking responsibility for all of your thoughts and actions.
Growth is more than changing your appearance or material possessions; it's about living a life of integrity, love, and purpose.
In this article, you'll discover the personal growth habits of some of the world's most creative minds. Discover what works for them.
You'll learn why some of these greats choose to take a day a week away from their design career to pursue their passions. It'll also help you develop growth habits that ultimately lead to success.
Have you ever felt stuck in a rut, and no matter how hard you try, you can't break out of it? You may have tried to improve your creative skills by reading about design, but you have yet to get further. If so, you may feel frustrated, disheartened, or even bored.
I'm sure you've heard the saying that “creativity is just another form of procrastination.” But is that true? If you think about it, is it better to put your creativity to good use and turn it into something more concrete, like a portfolio, a website, or a business? After all, you can earn a living doing something you love.
The truth is that we all have much-untapped potential within us. But we've become so accustomed to doing things the same way that we fail to recognise that we could do much more.
Today, I'll teach you how to unlock your creativity and turn your ideas into reality.
- Personal growth involves becoming wiser, more compassionate, and taking responsibility for thoughts and actions.
- It's crucial for designers to continuously evaluate strengths and weaknesses to foster growth.
- Setting clear goals is essential to measure progress and success in one's career.
- Embracing new challenges and learning from experiences contribute to unlocking creativity.
- Understanding your purpose and desires helps shape a meaningful and fulfilling career path.
What Do We Mean By “Personal Growth”?
Personal growth for designers is often measured by the quality of their designs and creations.
However, when we think of personal growth, we are thinking more about the experiences of the individual rather than what we can produce or how many people we can help. Personal growth is a continuous process, and the ability to change and grow is critical.
What do you mean when you say “personal growth”? It is the journey of answering questions like “What is my purpose?” or “How can I live a meaningful life?” These are some of the questions you might ask yourself.
In addition, you may ask yourself about your skills and strengths. How can you apply these skills and talents to your life?
Why Is It Important?
Growth is essential to design. It's what makes us grow and learn as individuals. We can only achieve meaningful growth by understanding other people's needs and learning new skills.
Designers are often called upon to solve problems and challenges they have never faced. We must grow by taking on these new roles and responsibilities to thrive. We will stagnate and lose our passion if we refuse to grow and evolve.
To be successful, we must continue to develop new skills and abilities. We must constantly seek to expand our knowledge, improve our skills, and grow as individuals.
To help you grow, we've created a series of questions you can use to assess your strengths and weaknesses. Use them to evaluate where you stand today and where you want to be tomorrow.
How Can I Evaluate My Strengths and Weaknesses?
The first step towards growth is evaluating your strengths and weaknesses. If you're struggling, take a moment to review your history and determine what's worked in the past.
Consider your successes and failures, and evaluate the factors that influenced these events. Ask yourself the following questions to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses:
- What have I accomplished that is meaningful?
- What experiences have made me the person I am today?
- What have I learned from my mistakes?
- What have I learned from my successes?
- What do I like doing?
- What do I dislike doing?
- What do I feel comfortable doing?
- What do I feel insecure about?
- What are my biggest challenges?
- Do I rely on others to get things done?
- What are my most significant weaknesses?
- What are the areas that I need to work on?
- How Can I Improve Myself?
Now that you've evaluated your strengths and weaknesses, it's time to use this information to set goals and plan for growth. Look at the items above, and identify your strengths and weaknesses. Think about what you want to accomplish and what you are afraid to try.
What are your goals for the next six months? How will you evaluate your progress? What will be the first steps you take to improve yourself?
By setting goals, we make it easier to keep track of our progress. By identifying weaknesses and addressing these issues, we can grow.
How Do I Grow My Career?
Career growth is often associated with having a stable position. While this is important, it doesn't necessarily mean a position is the only way to grow.
If you want a more meaningful career, consider exploring new and different opportunities. The same principles apply here, just in a different context.
- What do you like to do?
- What are your passions?
- What is your dream job?
- What do you enjoy?
- What would you do for a living if money were no object?
- What are your talents and interests?
- What would you do if you knew you would never have to worry about money again?
Think about these questions and what new positions you'd like to try. What are you willing to give up in exchange for the chance to take on a new position?
Why It's Important To Have Goals
You are headed towards success if you have a business vision or goal. This seems obvious, but people tend to get busy with day-to-day responsibilities and must remember their big-picture goals.
You need to have goals to measure your success and progress. In other words, you are setting yourself up for failure without a clear vision and plan of where you are going.
I'm sure you've heard this before, but if you are a graphic designer/artist, your job is to build a brand and build a business around that brand. Your job is to create a successful business. This means you must have a clearly defined vision of where you want your business.
When creating a vision for your business, it is crucial to think about the following:
- Whom do you want to work with
- What do you want to offer your clients
- What type of product or service will you provide
- How will you attract your target audience
- Where do you want your business to be in 3-5 years
- What is the ultimate goal for your company
A great example of someone with a clear vision is Steve Jobs. He had a clear vision of what he wanted his company to be, which helped him tremendously in guiding Apple and Pixar.
You could think about many more things, but these should help you get started on your way to building your business vision.
How Designers Can Overcome Design Blocks
Let's get one thing straight:
There's no such thing as a perfect design.
If you're waiting for perfection, you're not designing but procrastinating.
The best designers?
They don't chase “perfect.”
They chase progress.
They work under pressure and with constraints and still manage to create things that work, sell, and make an impact.
Thomas Cianflone, partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, nailed it:
“Design is a series of compromises.”
Most people hear that and think it's about lowering your standards.
Wrong.
It's about making smart decisions within your boundaries—budget, materials, function, aesthetics, and time.
The Myth of the One-Off Masterpiece
Let's kill another myth while we're at it.
The best way to design a chair… is not to create one.
It's to design the process that produces chairs.
That shift in thinking changes everything.
You're not just creating a “thing.”
You're building a system that consistently creates value.
Take a car seat.
It's not just foam and leather.
It's stitching, safety belts, ergonomics, wear-resistance, comfort, visual appeal, and cost efficiency—and it has to survive the production line, meet regulations, and last for years.
So you can't just ask, “Does it look good?”
You have to ask:
- Does it function under pressure?
- Can it be mass-produced?
- Is it safe?
- Will it last?
Design is Systems Thinking
Every product—car, kitchen, computer—passes through layers of decision-making.
Design isn't a moment of genius; it's hundreds of micro-decisions stacked over time.
Want to level up your designs? Start here:
- Understand the Subject
- Read books. Visit museums. Reverse-engineer things that already work.
- You're not designing in a vacuum—in a world full of context.
- Map the Process
- Break it down.
- What are the stages from idea to execution?
- Who's involved? What are the failure points?
- Find the Bottlenecks
- Look for parts of the process that slow down quality or efficiency.
- That's your leverage point. Fix that, and the whole product gets better.
- Build Creative Constraints
- Deadlines, materials, budgets—these aren't obstacles.
- They're boundaries that force innovation.
- Want to design better? Give yourself fewer options.
Real-World Example: The Seat Belt Problem
Think of a seat belt.
Its job is safety, but that safety only works if it's used correctly.
Now, imagine the belt keeps slipping out of position.
You can redesign the belt, sure.
But the real fix? Redesign the seat so the belt naturally falls into place.
That's not designing around the problem.
That's designing through it.
And that kind of thinking applies everywhere:
- A kitchen counter that's too high? It could be the cabinet height.
- A product that breaks in shipping? It may be the packaging, not the product.
What Influences Design Decisions
Design is never about just one factor.
It's a mix of:
- User experience
- Production limits
- Budget
- Personal taste
- Time pressure
- Client feedback
- Market demands
Your job isn't to remove compromises.
It's to manage them.
You want the best possible design within your context, not in some fantasy world with infinite money and no deadlines.
Fast Projects vs. Complex Projects
- Small projects = fewer variables. You can go with your gut instinct.
- Big projects = more moving parts. You need a strategy, a plan, and a team.
In both cases, the key question is the same:
What can I improve with the resources I've got?
How To Achieve Personal Success
There needs to be a path to becoming a successful designer. But if you're working toward this goal, here are a few tips to get you started.
- Start by being open to learning about design. Read books about graphic design, look through magazines and catalogues that feature well-designed work, watch films set in a creative environment, and listen to audiobooks about creativity.
- Learn about your industry. To work in a particular field, look into its history and current trends. Research the companies and products that interest you and explore their websites, logos, and taglines.
- Look for opportunities. It's never too early or too late to begin looking for a job. You might find your dream job by visiting job boards and networking events. If you're still in school, search for internships and volunteer positions.
- Don't limit yourself. Once you know what interests you, explore the world of design. Check online forums, review the Design Society catalogue, read Design Week's newsletter, and participate in contests and portfolio reviews.
- Try something new. Learn how to use a graphics editing program, write a cover letter, and conduct research. Find a new library or museum to visit. Learn a new language or musical instrument.
- Keep an eye out for mentors. Mentors are people who can help you grow as a designer. They can teach you new skills, advise, introduce you to others, or offer feedback on your work.
- Keep building. No matter your goal, the more you build your skills, the more likely you will achieve it. So keep studying, experimenting, and honing your craft.
The Five Questions That Change Your Life
To live the life you want, you must know yourself well.
This is a question about the five questions I have asked myself in the last three years.
The first question is, “What do I want?” This is the one that comes first.
We always go for what others expect when we don't know what we want. We never dare to be authentic. If we want a different job or to go somewhere else, we don't ask ourselves our true desires.
Another question is, “What is my purpose in life?”. This is the most critical question because it gives a sense of direction.
For example, if I want to be a designer and work in a specific environment (a place I like) to feel fulfilled, I could create a new space to help me achieve my goal.
The third question is, “Who am I?” This question shows the person's personality, and the answer is that you are unique and should always try to keep this in mind.
The fourth question is, “What do I care about?” For some people, it is vital to be involved in activities they like and share with others. Others are interested in working for a cause, helping others or being surrounded by friends.
Finally, the fifth question is, “How does the world see me?” I have often seen people who are confident in themselves and their actions. However, they still need to hear what others think of them. This is because they need to figure out if their actions are correct.
Many books, courses and articles talk about how important these questions are to success in your life.
These questions are relatively easy to answer. However, having a clear vision of what you want is vital to save time and energy in pointless activities.
Conclusion
Personal growth is essential to success in any area of life. And if you're going to grow, you need to learn about yourself.
The first step is to get honest with yourself about where you are. There is a massive difference between knowing that you want to learn a new skill and taking action to improve your skills.
So I encourage you to start thinking about the areas where you'd like to grow. It may be personal relationships, time management, or work/life balance.
When you have a clear picture of where you'd like to go, reflect on your past experiences. Did you ever struggle with a skill? What did you learn from it? How did you overcome your struggles?
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