At the end of last year I finished my design board, exhausted and welcoming my next year of design at The University of Auckland, although I was also left with a feeling that I was not expecting afterwards, doubt.
For my design board last year I developed five key designs for an actual band that my friends were trying to launch, so not only were the designs important for me, they were also important for them. After spending so much time perfecting these designs I would have expected to find relief in finally getting them done, being proud in what I had created, though that was not the case. Instead I was left with the lingering feelings of doubt that kept me fixated on my old designs.
Be it a small misalignment of elements, regret of font or colour use or maybe you just can't look at your drawings and be happy with the final result. It's the small things that can get to a designer, because not only do they know how to make good, they also know how to spot bad design. Sometimes the difference between good and bad in design is simply opinion, as designers we sometimes have to have harsh opinions towards our own work so as to better it.
As a designer it's easy to find yourself trapped in loops of continuously reviewing your work, finding small imperfections or judging yourself for not being able to fully visualize your ideas. Sometimes you may think that you took just a little bit too much inspiration from a certain artist you like, but at some point you have to realize that, "The first place to start being creative is stealing" (Ko, A n.d).
This design helped me realize that to be able to move even further in design you eventually have to break that loop and continue onward to newer and greater designs. Even during the hard the times it's important to keep doing what you enjoy most in life.
References
Ko, A. (n.d). Design Methods. https://faculty.washington.edu/ajko/books/design-methods/index.html