Rob Walling

It might take

hundreds.

And this again is why seeing a lot of code bases and seeing code written by different people and having to take over a code base you didn't write, I think is actually a really helpful skill.

Or with visual design, you know, seeing hundreds of websites and logos and layouts, you start to understand the continuum between good and bad, especially if you learn some fundamentals along the way, right?

This is either self-study or school or perhaps mentorship.

So that's the first stage, exposure, figuring out what's good and bad.

Stage two is analysis.

It's understanding why it's good or bad.

It's understanding the reasons behind your instincts.

Because as a developer, you might know bad code when you see it, but the why involves understanding specifics, right?

Broken logic, poor structure, lack of clarity, lack of maintainability.

As a non-designer, you might recognize a design feels off.

but struggle to articulate why.

And this is the bane of designers, of freelance designers, where it's like, someone says, I need it to pop more.

You know, can you make it, can you make it?

Pizads and pizads to it, right?

It's awful.

This is where there's a lot of folks stuck at stage one.

And there are even a lot of folks who maybe even don't have the taste and think that they do.

But it is a common frustration, right?