My Design Manifesto

As I begin to venture into developing more digital graphic designs, I find it necessary to set some consistency rules. Although I do tend to naturally work with the same colors and basic styling, I like to have a guideline to refer to. This keeps me from going off course. Staying consistent also helps to keep my work recognizable. This is where creating a design manifesto is a good excercise. I have included elements that I like in a basic design such as colors, fonts, and structure.

For the most part, I like things clean and simple. I like to follow a grid and shy away from some of the creative freedoms that a modern or surrealist artist would enjoy.

A design manifesto also helps to keep me creatively motivated. At times, it can be hard to come up with a brand new design. However, referring to the manifesto reminds me of what I like my style to be and helps to spur on new thoughts under that guide.

The Design Color Palette I Use

I do like to use a lot of different colors in my designs but they are the somewhat toned down or muted shades. I find them to be relaxing and comfortable. Since I like to design for a lot of home decor projects, the serene colors tend to set a mood of cozy.

My colors reflect what you usually see in earth, sky, and water with my blues or coastal colors being the brightest in my palette.

Focus, Focus, Focus

When I think about why I like to create, it comes from what I enjoy looking at in nature or my home. It’s the need to recreate the things that I love in an artistic way. If I start to get all willy nilly and think that I should design something that someone else might like, I lose focus, motivation, and enjoyment.

What I like is the distressed finishes of vintage or rustic items. I like to incorporate textures like woodgrain, chalkboard, concrete, or burlap. Birds, nature, and vintage accessories are some of my favorite subjects.