10 Must Save Design Resources for Beginners

Hey there, Happy Saturday! Last week, I launched my newsletter, and guess what? A Twitter friend reached out to me, asking for resources to improve their UX/UI skills.

So, I thought, why not put together a list of 10 valuable resources that I highly recommend for technical founders and designers to take advantage of?

Beginner V.S. Pro Designer

Whether you're a technical founder with zero design skills or a designer on the path to growth, I used to be a beginner like you. Just like every other new designer, I would look at an empty screen and wonder, where do I start?

But you know what? After being in design for more than ten years now, let me tell you something. Professional designers don't start from nothing. They always find ways to get ideas, look at similar projects, or have something on the screen before they begin designing (and founders are great at this too!).

Being resourceful and finding inspiration from different sources is what makes pro designers different. So, here are 10 resources that can help you get started and find inspiration for your designs.

I will recommend 4 books, and the rest are links that you can go explore on your own. Here we go, let’s dive in.

1. 101 Design Methods

101 Design Methods by IIT professor Vijay Kumar is absolutely one of my all-time favorites! As someone who has taught students about design, this book holds a special place in my heart. It offers a complete and thorough guide to a wide range of design methods and techniques.

Whether you're conducting market research or studying your users, this book has got you covered. It not only provides practical step-by-step instructions but also includes real-life project examples that demonstrate how each method can be applied in your own work. It's an invaluable resource for anyone looking to enhance their design skills!

2. The Mom Test

The mom test by Rob Fitzpatrick helps you ask the right questions to check if your ideas are good. Lots of founders make the same mistake of asking pretend questions that only get nice words.

It's also a good reminder for founders and designers that talking to users doesn't have to be all serious, like scheduling a special call. Just having a friendly chat offline with the right questions is just as good, if not better.

3. Don’t make me think

The quote mentioned above is one of my favorites from the book. Although it may seem a bit exaggerated, it imparts a fundamental understanding of user psychology: users are often pressed for time, in a hurry, and impatient.

Recognizing and keeping this in mind when designing is crucial, as it enables you to create exceptional user experiences by achieving the goal of minimizing user thinking.

This book offers numerous practical examples and rules that you can follow. While some of the examples may be a bit dated, the underlying principles remain timeless and relevant. So, you can still apply them effectively to your own design work.

4. Typography Workbook

Typography plays a significant role in traditional graphic design, accounting for about 50% of what designers learn. However, it's often overlooked by modern web and UX designers who have graduated from HCI. Unfortunately, founders, in particular, may lack a strong sense of typography. Yet, copy is fundamentally present everywhere, from advertisements to landing pages, and from onboarding experiences to dashboards.

Understanding the basics of typography, such as line spacing, paragraph width, and contrast, can greatly contribute to establishing a fantastic font system that you can leverage in your UX design endeavors. By mastering these fundamentals, you'll be equipped to create visually appealing and readable text across various design elements. So, even if typography is sometimes overlooked, it is undoubtedly an essential aspect of design that should not be underestimated.

Alright, that’s enough books. Let’s get into the practical links you can use day to day.

5. Icons

I loved using SVG Pro to download icons. It's not just free, but it also offers a wide range of styles. You can find practically anything you need here and easily transform them into logos, illustrations, or assets for your app. The best part is that you can download the icons directly in SVG format, which makes changing colors a breeze, whether you're working in Figma or writing code.

What sets SVG Pro apart is that you don't have to sign up, provide your email address, or purchase credits to download the assets. This is a huge relief because many other asset websites require those steps, which can be quite annoying. With SVG Pro, you can quickly access the icons you need without any unnecessary hurdles.

Want more icon and graphic and icon resources? Check out these list here from a Twitter friend Atharv.

• boxicons.com

• iconists.co/central

• phosphoricons.com

• ikonate.com

• iconhub.io

6. Fonts

The choice of font can either enhance or hinder the effectiveness of your website or product. The appropriate font enables users to instantly grasp your message. Conversely, poor fonts can be a distraction, making it incredibly challenging to engage with the content.

I suggest downloading high-quality fonts from these websites and experimenting with them as headlines on your website.

• abstractfonts.com

• 1001freefonts.com

• typespiration.com

• www.fontget.com

• www.1001freefonts.com

7. Colors

I barely rely on colors tools as my years of training and working in the field already taught me how to work with different colors.

However, for those who are just starting out in design, having access to pre-made color combinations can be incredibly beneficial. It saves you the trouble of starting from scratch and provides a helpful starting point. So, while it may not be a tool I use myself, I understand its value for beginners in the design field.

Here are 5 resources to help you get started on colors:

• happyhues.co

• colorhunt.co

• palettemaker.com/app

• designgradients.com

• grabient.com

The above applies better to branding/website colors. If you are more curious about the UX/UI colors, the next resource is a better one for you.

8. Design System for Figma

I stumbled upon “design system for Figma” while assisting in building a design system for a Series A company. What impressed me the most is that they don't just offer one design system, but rather a collection of examples from multiple companies. This diversity allows you to explore various approaches.

The great thing about this resource is that you can not only explore it in Free Figma files, but you can also potentially copy and leverage the color schemes, typography, and foundational icons they have set up. This can be a huge time-saver for indie founders who are building apps on their own. Moreover, you have the flexibility to choose the programming language in which the system is published, making it even more convenient for customization.

However, it's important to note that many of these examples are from big tech companies with extensive design and development teams. Therefore, they may not directly apply to indie projects or small personal endeavors. For simpler projects, you may only need minimal system setup.

Nonetheless, the variety and inspiration provided by "Design System for Figma" can be a valuable resource for designers and developers alike.

9. UX Tools

There's another fantastic newsletter and resource platform dedicated to UX tools that I highly recommend following. One aspect that stands out to me is their challenge section, which allows you to explore and practice specific UX skills. What's great is that you can click on a particular skill you want to develop, and they provide you with a wealth of additional resources and tools related to that topic.

Although I haven't personally engaged in the challenges myself, I found them immensely valuable and saved them in my resource folder.

I wanted to share this treasure trove with all of you who are embarking on your journey into UX/UI design. It's a fantastic way to enhance your skills and gain practical experience.

10. Figma Community

I cannot stress enough how important practice is when it comes to improving your UI skills. The best way to do this is by creating UI designs that truly captivate you.

For an effective practice routine, I highly recommend visiting the Figma Community. You can search for the specific type of resources you're interested in and open the corresponding Figma files. From there, challenge yourself to recreate the designs from scratch. Take note of what stands out to you in these UIs and identify any areas where you struggle to replicate them. To gain a deeper understanding, don't hesitate to explore the original files by clicking into them.

If you're an indie founder looking to enhance your design skills alongside coding, I encourage you to apply the same approach. Once you've completed your design, compare it with the Figma dev mode to ensure you've got all the settings right.

By actively engaging in this practice process, you'll not only improve your UI skills but also gain valuable insights into design techniques and principles. So, roll up your sleeves, dive into Figma Community, and start honing your design and coding abilities.

Final thought

Design is a really practical skill that needs your brain, eyes, and hands to work together at the same time. If you want to get better, the best way is to look at lots of awesome designs or do a bunch of cool projects.

I hope these resources can help you on your design journey, no matter what you want to achieve with your design skills.

Keep practicing and looking at great designs, and you'll get even better!