* Begin your designs in greyscale. Introduce colour at a later stage once you've worked out your design whilst only being aware of tone.
* Like many have said, good typography is essential. "The Elements of Typographic Style" by Robert Bringhurst is pretty much the bible here. Some find it too dry, some find it fascinating -- either way, it's definitely worth a read.
* "Don't Make Me Think" is a brilliant book. Each page is almost worth the price of the book itself.
* With usability in mind, definitely read "Web Form Design" by Luke Wroblewski.
* When you notice a piece of design that you really appreciate, take note of it and think about why that is so.
Comments
Just some random pieces of info:
* Sketch.
* Begin your designs in greyscale. Introduce colour at a later stage once you've worked out your design whilst only being aware of tone.
* Like many have said, good typography is essential. "The Elements of Typographic Style" by Robert Bringhurst is pretty much the bible here. Some find it too dry, some find it fascinating -- either way, it's definitely worth a read.
* "Don't Make Me Think" is a brilliant book. Each page is almost worth the price of the book itself.
* With usability in mind, definitely read "Web Form Design" by Luke Wroblewski.
* When you notice a piece of design that you really appreciate, take note of it and think about why that is so.