Secrets to Insanely Creative Graphic Design, Designers Won’t Tell You

No, you are not a designer…Yes, you can design great documents…But, How to come up with great graphic designs? Read on to know more…

There are several occasions on which you feel like getting a fresh designing course. That has happened to me multiple times. But as a mother of two and a busy Content Marketer, I could hardly get time for that. I was looking for an editor that was super-easy to handle and saves time too. With part doubt and part confidence, I tried my hand at designing. But, only with the help of DocHipo.

As a person with zero designing experience, I chose the DocHipo canvas to start designing. I started using the editor a li’l bit, but never required to use it for a full-fledged document. I signed into my account and chose a beautiful template to work on.

First and most importantly, you have to sign up to explore the magical world of DocHipo. Trust me, you do not need much for it. A valid email ID is fine. You can select a template from a list of beautifully curated ones on DocHipo. Or maybe you would like a fresh design, from scratch. Just put a title to the document, put a description and gung-ho, your graphic design sets its journey.

Now, you must be thinking that if you would do everything on your own, what do I promise as help? Patience buddy, I am right here, on your side.

You can design a document on your own, DocHipo is easy peasy for a novice. Do you want to brush up your skills? It’s just a matter of a few documents. BUT you might want a Designer-like perfection in your work from the very beginning, right? Is that possible? Yes, it definitely is. I will offer you a few pro-tips to gain engagement as professional Designers do. So, ready to kill it? Well, you must be.  

Use stunning pictures to make your graphic design works world-class…

Your choice of a picture can make or mar your graphic design. Therefore, you should crawl over the stock of images available in DocHipo library. They are all carefully handpicked for your convenience. However, you can upload the image according to your needs as well. You can use images of people and products on your graphic design documents too.

In the above template, you can see how beautifully the image of a professional resonates happy, enthusiastic feel to the resume. Moreover, the profile picture also adds life to the otherwise drab record of information

In this YouTube thumbnail, you can see how beautifully one single image can build the perception of the viewers. Here, the image only reinstates the message of the video.

In the above picture, you can see that changing image of a template on DocHipo is no big deal. It takes one click or drag and drop to change it. The editor has an extensive picture library to choose from.

Resize your pictures to add fun to your graphic design

Resizing pictures is an integral part of graphic designs. The other day I was exploring the possibility of resizing the pictures in a fun way. Enter the DocHipo Crop function! There is a wide list of shapes in which you can resize your pictures. Just use one to suit your need and you can offer an amazing dimension to your document. The image below shows how amazingly you can crop your image in different shapes.

Filter is not for Instagram only, it is

Have you ever noticed, how an ordinary picture can look absolutely breath-taking in the right light? Oh, yeah. This is exactly what the filers do! And, I’m pretty sure, you have used it on Instagram or at least in your smartphone camera!

You can use the same functionality within the DocHipo editor too. Using filters is another very important aspect of graphic designs. There is a list of options for using various types of filters to your images. Use the one that goes with the mood and purpose of your document and you add a whole range of versatility and depth to your documents (not to mention, the pro-designer-like touch to your documents!).

Weave magic with breath-taking backgrounds to your graphic designs…

Marvels of Motion Graphics…

Your social media posts can ascend to another level riding on simple motion graphics. Want to know how? Just check out.

1. Select a blank template

(DocHipo lets you choose document size for a particular social media platform)

2. Save it with a document title

3. Choose an option from the media asset list

4. Put it in the background

After completing the design, it will look something like the one below.

Gradients are very much in vogue

You can use a gradient background to enhance the overall effect of your graphic design. While a number of well-known brands are returning to gradient colour-scheme, this could certainly raise the ‘wow’ quotient effortlessly.

Add character with texture

While a flat mono-coloured background is perfectly fine, textures (when used mindfully) can provide a character to your design and elevate it to the pro-level.

DocHipo comes with a range of beautiful textured backgrounds. You can use them to your benefit too. Just check out a few templates on DocHipo to understand the impact of the textured background.

Take a look at the extensive stock of gradient and texture backgrounds in the DocHipo asset library.

Smart design elements to add that pro-touch…

Smart elements are needed to elevate the awesomeness of your design a few notches in no time. You can control Distance with SIZE, Depth with PERSPECTIVE, Attention of onlooker with COLOUR, CONTRAST, NEGATIVE SPACE, Engagement with F or Z-PATTERNED DESIGN.

With Illustrations

Working with illustrations is fun! And they are in trend too! More and more people are simply playing with illustrations of different sorts on their designs. The idea is to give image amiss for two reasons, 1 to avoid copyright breach, 2 to let your imagination fly.

Apart from the basic reason, you play with illustrations for some technical rationale too. See the below template, where illustrations of trees have created a nice perception of DEPTH, DISTANCE and SIZE in the entire design.

Just by using dark and lighter shades of blue and different width of trees the designer has created a dense forest right on a flat poster. Magic…right?

With Icons

Icons let you say more without cramping up your document. They are quick to grab attention, add a degree of fun and convey meaning at the same time.

There are different ways to use the cute icons available on DocHipo beautifully.

Overlays

Overlays, what you cannot do with them! Want to highlight a piece of text? Or maybe you are looking at grouping information together. Or maybe you simply want to add some depth to your graphic design! Overlays are the way you go!

Why? Well, there’s a lot of flexibility in terms of deciding the share, colour, opacity and of course placement of the overlay. Within DocHipo you can choose any filled shape, change colours, adjust opacity and then place it right to create a beautiful graphic design element.

Typography pattern

Maintain a pattern of ‘F’ or ‘Z’ while putting your message on the doc. The typography should maintain these patterns as it is the most convenient pattern for eyes to follow. Experienced designers always maintain these patterns to make it easy for onlookers to decipher their message.

Here’s some inspiration on how you can use overlays to put together and create that design you’ve always wanted!

Use colours consciously…

Contrast & Combination:

Don’t worry…I am not going to explain colour psychology or any other complicated theory related to it. That deserves a separate title altogether! Just a little care in choosing combinations or contrasts. Your design is sorted. It might sound pretty basic but trust me, it is fundamental to a vibrant, beautiful design document.

No matter what marketing document you are creating, its design will win with the aid of great ‘contrast’ and ‘combination’ of colours. While choosing colours for your background, fonts, design elements, only a lovely combination or a striking contrast can put your Graphic design work on top. But, what will be a good combination for you? Which contrast works for your doc? See below to know the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ about it.

Image Source: DesignHill

You know which contrast will work for you best, right? Try to avoid the combination termed as poor. Remember that your colour schemes, contrast and combination must create a beautiful rhythm, unity, balance and harmony on your graphic design.

The above example was for creating a beautiful harmony for text on the background. But while using different illustrations, shapes, icons, even fonts on a single document, you can use different shades of the same colour.

Have a look at the templates below and see how our graphic design team has created magic with colours!

Green on green, Blue on blue or Yellow on yellow do not really look too bad, right?

Design Hierarchy…

I was a bit confused at the beginning. “Should I add this point to this post or not”. Then I thought aloud, “Why not”? After all, this particular element is one of the most important factors that is going to decide, whether your design wins or not.

However, the design hierarchy remains more in your brain than your designing canvas. You must decide first, what graphic design elements are the most important for your prospects and which ones are not. Intriguing? Let’s simplify this idea a bit.

First, you need to decide the focal point in your design. And then create the design in a way that complements that part.

The images below are 2 templates from DocHipo. One focuses solely on the font, while in the other, the focus is on illustrations, shapes and other graphic design elements sans fonts. In the second template, typography gives a handwritten feel.

Time to apply your skills…

You have finally reached the end of my post. I can assume that you have also started thinking about your designs rather than just choosing elements and putting them together on your doc. A conscious thought into it can make your design an amazing one. Now, it is time to push your limits and become a pro in creating documents that impact.  

So, sign up to DocHipo today and explore everything in its repository to create magic. I will wait to see you doing wonders. Till then, bye…