However there are no rules in designing and stating any may seem controversial, but I would like to raise awareness on some of the hot mistakes/misuses in designing. Some of them I gathered from another great designer Jacob Cass’ s article, some I know from experience.  Remember that design is an experimenting process and some times things which normally don’t match with each other, in other conditions can create a great project. Everything presented here should rise your awareness on the biggest risk in designing but the style and tools is completely your choice.
Shall we start?

Bad Grammar & Spelling

Maybe it’s acceptable in american songs but you as a professional designer have to always check your work for spelling and grammar mistakes. If english (or the language you’re creating your project) is not your mother language, it still isn’t any excuse.

Using Hyphens Instead Of Bullets

• This is a typewriter habbit and in design projects is seen as unprofessional.
• Try instead using bullets or any simple shapes.

Comic Sans & Helvetica Fonts

While first one is the forbidden font, the latter is loved by designers. However, as so many of them use this popular font all the time, it makes your project choice dull and unoriginal. Try something else and break out of your habit. You can find many free quality fonts on some of top free font websites.

Straight & Wrong Quotes

Straight quotes were considered to be for typewriters only, but designers should always use typical quotes in every project.

• Properly done quotation should have quotes hanging over the edge
• Never ever try to ‘create’ quote by typing twice an apostrophe mark.

It’s a good idea to learn the Mac & PC keyboard shortcuts

Adding Embossing & Shadows

However cool and dimensional may it look is shows your work as amateurish. I’m not suggesting to completely resign from using this options, but you must feel the balance of clear and light look and the overdone one. You don’t want to see your text as some kind of cheap, ugly plastic. Add some flowers, greenish-yellow background and surely you can compete for the title of worst designer.
As you can see, I used little embossing in the main text of the article and it doesn’t look heavy.
Also always remember about the rule ‘Less is More’ & ‘KISS – Keep It Smart and Simple’. If you don’t know what you are doing -  keep any font and image decoration to minimum.

The Leading

Although it’s really useful tool of adjusting space between text verses, you have to be careful not to mess up with image balance. Too little or too much space between verses looks disconnected.

Double Spacing After Punctuation

Some designers have a very bad habit of adding two spaces after comas, dots etc. Use only one space, unless you want to obtain amateourish look.

Centred Layout

No comment.

Use Gradients & Patterns Responsibly

I think I don’t need to explain why it’s so risky to use gradients or patterns by non-experienced designers? Trying to trim your project you have to add colours responsibly. There is nothing worse and more annoying than that kind of ‘projects’ – it may your potential clients run far far far far far….. away from your business.

Inconsistency of the font sizes

Unless it’s a intended effort, always carefully check if font sizes are consistent. Sometimes even minor differences can ruin balance and total look of your project.

Using More Than 3 Fonts

Again, unless is an intended effort, try to keep up to 3 different fonts in the total project. Using too many of them looks messy and inconsistent. To enrich the look of your project, try bold version of the font, italics, or reduce spaces between letters. Look for example at the practices of the best companies in the world – if the company consists of two words, usually one of them is bolder version of the other. Simple? Yes. Professional? Hell yes!

Using Background Boxes Behind The Text

From time to time using background boxes is acceptable, but you can get much smarter and cleaner effect by making use of the white space.

Underlining & All Caps

Underlying is considered to be typewriting tool and regarding internet it’s only acceptable for hyper links. In the past, underline text was used to highlight and italicize text, but nowadays it’s just out of date. The biggest sin you can commit is to underline and italicize in the same tame…. Better change profession.

Using Hardly Readable Fonts

Just because you are short of money doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to use poor quality, unreadable fonts. There are many of great quality fonts in the web!

Manipulating Of The Text & Image Proportions

Manipulating of the proportions is another great, yet risky work. If you’re inexperienced designer but have good eye for catching the image’s balance – you will be safe. However, if you are not sure about the effect, ask some more experienced designers for opinion – unbiased one.

Pixelation

Since most of the quality images became paid, you may have problem with finding free one with good resolution. However, always avoid low resolution images, especially if the project is to be printed on the large scale!! There is nothing worse than bad, bad pixelation.
You must remember that sometimes your clients don’t have bloody idea about pixelation and they may send you 200px * 200px and ask you to do 4m banner on their venue.  If that happens, calmly explain your client what the pixelation is and how bad is it for their business image. Persuade them to invest in quality, paid images. They will be happy and you will be happy not working with bad materials.

Borders

Using borders is risky and most often indicates that you are a beginning designer. If by using borders you want to get attention of the viewer – you may try instead original font or nice scale of colours. Don’t limit your text with the frames – let it be free in the white space.

Using Frames & UFO (Unidentified Filthy Objects)

Well… I know that back in the early days of colour-screen mobiles producers used to add frames option to your pictures gallery. Amateur, amateur and once again amateur! Don’t use any kind of kinky, funky frames, unless it’s an intended effort of killing your business.

Do any of the above points look familiar to you and your practices? If yes, rethink about your design practices and habits and try to apply above rules. See if it makes any better difference and let me know. If you know any other serious sins a bad designer can commit, please, share it with me.
Also, if you want to make a design world less messy, please, teach other beginning and amateur designers rules above by sending them this article.
Good luck with your design!

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