My old boss told me my designs were 'too safe' and it actually helped

She said I was playing it too close to the rules and my work felt boring. I spent two years just following best practices without ever asking why. After she said that, I started pushing boundaries on smaller projects first. Last month I pitched a layout with intentional asymmetry and it got approved on the first round. Has anyone else had a boss drop a critique that made you rethink your whole process?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_baker1mo ago

Does this mean I have to stop teaching my students that "centered and bold" is a complete design? I spent my first few years hiding behind boring layouts because they felt safe, and it took a coworker literally drawing an arrow through my perfect grid to make me snap out of it. But honestly, once you let go of the fear of being wrong, the fun stuff starts working.

the_simon1mo ago

3 years in, and I still catch myself defaulting to the safe center-and-bold move when I'm running low on time or ideas. But @cole_baker, isn't part of teaching them that boring layouts are a solid foundation, not the final answer? You have to learn the rules before you break them, right?

margareto261mo ago

Wait, you USED to think safe designs were the way to go? That's interesting because I was totally on the other side of this for years. I honestly thought following all the rules was how you proved you were good at design.