Guest Creative: How to find your design style with Sami Davis
Hi creative lovelies! Sami here from The Unexpected Type, an adventure-driven creative studio that specializes in branding, illustration, graphics and content creation. Today I’m here share a little bit more about my journey on how I uncovered my own design style and a few tips on how you can find yours too!
When I first started out designing, I felt so much pressure and frustration in trying to determine what my style was. I mimicked a lot of different artists, testing out what fit me and honestly, none of their styles ever felt natural or authentic to me. I avoided sticking to my personal style because I thought it wasn’t good enough and that DEFINITELY wasn’t working out.
One day it finally hit me- I took a deep breath and started over, leaning into what felt right to me and what I came out of my own work without looking at any inspiration or competition. Before I knew it, clients were emailing me for work that I was passionate about executing in MY own style.
Did it happen overnight? Absolutely not. Was it a process that took time? YES! I’m still on my own “Evolution of Style” train and that’s honestly okay.
My Overall Style
My style touches all areas of my life from my home décor and clothing all the way to my design work–that’s just how I channel my creative energy! I would say it walks on the fine line between masculine and feminine, soft + hard, simple yet complex, and unexpected. Most importantly, design style is a journey and mine will continue to evolve – there is no endgame. If you look at my IG feed, it’s definitely been an evolution from three years ago. The important thing about discovering your own style is executing what feels good to you and what YOU are passionate about.
Tip 1 // Watch What You Gravitate Towards
When I started designing, I would look at packaging, a magazine spread, a retail space or Pinterest and take note of what I gravitated towards and what inspired me. It might sound obvious to clock that in your head, but It’s so important to do. Take a photo of the things you love, tear out the magazine spreads and gather those items together - over time, you should see a few patterns or unifying tone from everything you bring together. This is your style beginning to manifest itself!
TIP 2 // Draw Inspiration, but DON’T Copy
Even as a small designer, my designs have been stolen and uncovered on the big world wide web. It SUCKS! I can’t stress how important it is to draw inspiration from role models, designs and other artists, but don’t copy others’ work. It’s so fun to immerse yourself in creative IG pages, take notes of how they market, what products people like from their page and how consumers are interacting with them, but don’t ever copy work. EVER EVER.
Instead, figure out what elements of that work inspires you the most and how you can translate that in your own way, I use Pinterest as a big source of inspo to help avoid zoning in on one artist. If I have creative block I create a board for the project and pull together a bunch of images, then really pay attention to what I’m gravitating towards and pull elements from images to create something completely new.
Tip 3 // LIVE!
Now… turn off your phone, exit out of Pinterest and go outside. I know, I know – I just told you to look on Pinterest, but after that it’s really important to disconnect from it. Draw your inspiration from the real world: how the leaves bend in the wind, the color of the sky, the way the cement cracks in a cool way. Inspiration often strikes at the most unexpected times and now most of my inspiration comes from things like nature, a song, an experience or maybe even something I ate.
But GUYS, the best things come from experience real life, moments, experiences. Remember, just like the magazine clippings or Pinterest, I make a note of what inspires me here too and how I can create designs that represent those feelings. These real-life experiences have shaped my design and helped me find my own style.
Tip 4 // Find Your Why
During the process, it’s very important to learn, reflect and grow as you figure out your style. When I booked my first logo client, I undercharged and didn’t have any onboarding or creative questionnaire (seriously cringing just thinking about it.) Let’s just say that was a HUGE learning for me.
Now I keep note of things I wanted to improve on, what went great, any mistakes, and those big wins. I have an idea journal where I keep all my very loose sketches and goals I have. It’s super helpful and serves as a great reminder of why I love designing in the first place. A notebook or journal can also help you get clarity on what exactly it is you want to design and how you’re going to do it. It’s a safe place to ask yourself questions like, “If I was going to be known for one type of design, what would it be? It’s also an amazing place to look back on where you started and rediscover old ideas!
Tip 5 // Make It Happen!
As a new designer, it’s SO important to create “portfolio projects” or projects that you create for yourself! You could have an amazing business model, but you can’t just wait for clients to come to you (they won’t if you have nothing to show and no style to sell them on.) After feeling comfortable with how my style was evolving, I started making mock-up logos and illustrations, then posting as if I had made them for real clients – seriously!
Design intentionally for the clients you want and deserve! Keep on going and you’ll attract the dream client you’ve been on the hunt for. This practice will also help pull out your design style and help you refine it. Put passion into these portfolio pieces and it will translate – I PROMISE. The work will manifest itself!
Do you feel better yet? I hope so. You shouldn’t feel the immense pressure of finding your “design style” right away and ASAP. It’s an evolution of the things that happen to you in life and what you gravitate towards. Now that you’ve been given a few tips to help recognize more about where you are in finding your own style, you’ll be owning your own aesthetic in no time.
Where to find Sami:
Instagram
Website
