1. Boring designs
As a viewer there is nothing worse than a boring, lifeless design, especially when you are expecting something exciting and vibrant. One of the most important elements of a graphic design is the level of attractiveness it has for viewers and potential customers. This will suffer greatly if the design has no unique or energetic qualities, in particular if the image is representing a brand or company that prides itself on bringing spirit and enthusiasm to its customers lives.
2. Dull colours
In combination with a boring design, a selection of dull and lifeless colours will only be detrimental to the success of a graphic design. The key element of a promising design is that it stands out from its competitors and has a sense of individuality. It becomes incredibly difficult to achieve this if the image is being created using bland and boring colours. For this reason, it is recommended to add a certain amount of colour and liveliness to most graphic designs.
3. Overly Complicated designs
One of the most frustrating elements of a graphic design for a viewer is the use of complicated and confusing features. This can make a design difficult to look at and understand and will therefore ultimately take away from the success of the creation. Graphic design innovators may feel the more complex the design is, the more viewers it will attract, and this is the case for some items, however for most it will usually deter viewers from the brand.
4. Overly basic designs
While over complicating a design can be an issue, creating designs that are too basic and straightforward can also be problematic. For certain products, a slightly complex design can bring an air of curiosity to an image and encourage the viewer to truly think about the message the design is trying to convey. In this case an excessively basic idea will not bring any added success to the creator. In general, it is advised to find a suitable balance between simplicity and complexity for a graphic design.
5. Too much colour/brightness
While a dull and lifeless design can be a major problem, an image that is too bright and colourful can be difficult for some viewers to look at. A design that is excessively dazzling will only make it appear unprofessional and, in some cases, even childish. For this reason, it is important to find the right balance between the darker and lighter tones of colours in order to make a graphic design successful.
6. Errors in grammar/spelling
Easy grammatical errors can be incredibly frustrating for viewers to find in a graphic design, especially one that they were finding enjoyable. Therefore, it is essential to check and double check all designs containing text before releasing them in order to ensure they are all entirely free of any grammatical or spelling errors. Something as simple as a missing exclamation mark can be detrimental to the success of a piece of graphic design.
7. Poor font choice
Much like finding the balance between a complicated and basic design, the same goes for the font choice used in the design. This may seem unimportant and meaningless to some viewers, however to some it will make or break the image. An unnecessarily bold or unusual font style can be off putting in an unsuitable design, while at the same time an excessively basic font choice can take away from the success of a more intricate graphic design.
8. Underlining
While in many pieces of text or imagery, the use of the underline tool can be used to add emphasis and personality, in a graphic design it nearly always takes away from the attractiveness of the piece. A successful design should already be emphatic and unique and shouldn’t require an underline as in many cases this will simply convey the feeling that the piece is desperate for attention, something that is not attractive to viewers.
9. Overfilling space
The use of blank spaces is something that needs to be assessed carefully before completing a graphic design. Many creators will feel they need to fill every blank space and leave nothing vacant. This however may be detrimental to the prosperity of the design as it can end up looking unnecessarily complicated and cluttered. Often the best thing to do is to shape the current design to fit the space well, rather than adding to the design in order to try to fill as much space as possible.
10. Design is subjective
At the end of the day, no single graphic design will be everyone's cup of tea. As much as it is frustrating for the viewers and creators of these designs, it is and always will be impossible to please everyone. For this reason, it is important to create designs that you enjoy and are happy with, rather than trying to create a graphic design that everyone will enjoy, as this will only leave you disappointed.