I have never had a single class on graphic design, typography, or any other related topic. I was an engineering major in college, and I decided about a year into my software engineering career that I enjoyed the creative side of technology. Everything I have ever designed has come as a result of teaching myself. This, of course, only means I've never been in a formal instructional environment, because I've obviously relied on many others to learn what I have.

Through the last three years I've spent in web design, I've learned a thing or two about how to learn graphic design. Allow me to offer five tips that I think might help you along your way.

• Tip 1: Be a Copy Cat. Even if you're a decent designer, I believe it a tremendous bonus to pick a design you like (yes, take a screenshot and paste it into your design tool) and copy the heck out of it. One of three things can happen. First, you'll recreate something as impressive as the source. Second, you'll create something better as you embellish and alter things along the way. Third, you'll do things your way and mutilate the design. Your chances for success are two out of three. Not bad, 'eh? By copying, you give your brain some momentum. It requires too much intellectual processing power to come up with a multi-faceted design in a five-minute brainstorm session. By copying the ideas of others, you enable your brain to work more efficiently.

  In time, you won't have a need or a desire to continue copying as much. To some extent, however, I believe that all design inspiration comes from something else we see. We, as designers, just alter it beyond recognition. There is a food chain in design. Eat, but don't get eaten.

• Tip 2: Find Your Style. Almost without exception, you can browse the portfolio of a specific person and recognize consistencies across their work. Even mother nature uses patterns and structure, so don't be surprised if the things you design look alike. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think designers often compare themselves to portfolios from design firms where multiple designers, clients, and needs were involved. Seeing similarities between your designs may seem instantly boring, but it's not bad. We often use and reuse the techniques with which we are skilled, and only with time do we branch out. I believe it is better to be really good at one particular design style than to be wildly eclectic and mediocre.
• Tip 3: Loosen Your Perfection Tourniquet. We've all spent countless hours trying to tweak a design to celestial perfection. The perfect design does not exist. In a broad sense, there are good designs and bad designs. The goal is to get your work across the line to the good side. From there, you can improve until you're excellent, but never will something be perfect. There's a balance between doing your best and getting the job done, and if we relax our expectations a little, we'll find a good mix of speed, performance, and luxury.

  There have been many times where I felt like I achieved design perfection. I would be full-on stoked about a particular design, and anxious to show it to the client. All it takes is about 24 hours and suddenly your work is full of flaws, or the client spits it back. Keep the drive for improvement, but remember there's only so much you can do in a day. Over time, designing well becomes easier and faster. Just ask any of these guys.

• Tip 4: Gawk Daily. Surfing the web can be all kinds of fun. In fact, I call it the "International Temptation" since most people have internet at work, and the internet is far more interesting than anyone's job. We can all scratch some points off the productivity board because of the web. For designers, there is a near-unlimited supply of inspiration available. Pick a couple of web design award sites, and browse through a few sites everyday. Now don't get caught in the click-faster-than-you-look habit. Slow down your surfing and focus on the design of the site. Ask yourself how you'd redesign the graphics you see. Look the site up and down and consider what coding techniques were used to accomplish what you see. Consistent idea-browsing will keep your own creativity simmering.
• Tip 5: Befriend Feedback. Few, if any of us, like being told we're a loser. It all starts on the playground as a kid, and we never really shrug off the insecurity of being put-down. For a good portion of adults, feedback still auto-translates into a personal attack. If you work in design, you have to keep your emotions out of the game. People are going to speak their mind, especially if they're paying you. Don't attach your worth to a project. Be open-minded, assume good intentions in your critics, and learn to crave feedback. Seek it out and listen carefully when it is given. Handling feedback well is one of the most important skills you can develop as a person and especially as a graphic designer.