I want to be a better graphic designer. Any suggestions? : Design: "Use good ingredients. Limit yourself to the following fonts for the time being: Georgia, Helvetica, Segoe UI, Avenir, Bembo, News Gothic.
Get your images from a decent source. For now, use iStockPhoto—it's a compromise between cheap and good.
Read about the grid system from a handful of recent library books. Experiment with it and see what works. Don't be afraid to use big type and white space.
Draw. Get half a dozen different kinds of pencils from an art supply store and a few flip pads. Draw simple shapes and look where their shadows fall—learn to see areas of light and dark. Draw faces from photography books (best not to draw your friends at this point; they tend to get mad). Draw things you care about. Make line-only drawings. Make shadow-only drawings. Go see an Impressionist exhibit.
Look at great design work that you someday aspire to doing, and try to make an exact duplicate. This is how great Renaissance painters learned their craft, and is it immensely useful. (Note: Don't copy work for your paid gigs... I shouldn't have to say this, but I've seen it happen.)
Design skill takes years, but it will make your head a better place to live. It will open your eyes."
This Designer guy I use to follow closed shop for unknown reasons : The Driblet of an Aphorism: Harmony
