I’m Kayla, and I’ve learned design the way you learn to ride a bike—with a few loud crashes. I’ve made the mistakes. I’ve fixed them at 2 a.m. I’ve watched a printer eat my postcard edges like a snack. So here’s my honest review of the don’ts in graphic design, with real moments I wish I could redo. Use them, please, so you don’t get the same “uh-oh” email from a client. If you’d like a more textbook-style rundown to compare against my stories, Noble Desktop’s overview of common graphic design mistakes is a solid companion read.
For an even deeper dive into these pitfalls, skim my longer don’ts of graphic design review where I catalogue the worst offenders in even more painful detail.
Don’t use every font you own
I once made a school fair flyer with six fonts. Six. Two were curly scripts. One looked like a ransom note. Parents said it felt “loud.” The PTA asked me to redo it the night before printing. Now I stick to two fonts, tops. One for headlines. One for body copy. Life got calmer.
Don’t make tiny text (or weak contrast)
I posted a story on Instagram with size 9 text in light gray on white. Looked cute on my screen. On my friend’s phone? A whisper. They messaged, “What does it say?” Oof. Big text, strong contrast. Black on white. White on dark. If it’s on a phone, go even bigger. Your future self will thank you.
Don’t ignore color access
I made a red-and-green holiday sale banner. It felt festive. My color-blind friend said it looked… brownish. He couldn’t read the button. I ran a contrast check after that. Dark text on light. Light on dark. Skip red on green, or green on red. Your message should work for more eyes, not fewer.
Don’t print without bleed or safety space
Real story: a postcard for a gym. I pushed the logo right to the edge. No bleed. No safe zone. The trim cut off part of the “G.” It read “ym.” The printer sighed. I learned: add bleed (that tiny extra edge), and keep text a bit in from the trim. Printers are not magic wands. They’re more like hungry paper chompers.
If you need a quick refresher on setting up bleeds or safe zones, the guides at Moon & Back Graphics break it down step-by-step.
Don’t send RGB to a print shop
I designed a bright teal brochure in RGB on my laptop. It printed dull and sad. Why? Print wants CMYK. I also used 100% black on uncoated paper, and it looked gray. Now I ask the printer for specs. Rich black for big blocks. Plain black for small text. It sounds nerdy, but it saves tears.
Don’t send a JPG logo with a white box
A cafe asked for stickers. I sent a JPG logo. The white square showed up on the oval sticker. It looked like a Band-Aid. The fix? PNG with a clear background for web or stickers. SVG or AI for true vector work. If it needs to scale big, make it vector. No fuzz. No box.
Don’t use low-res images
I built a poster at 72 DPI. It looked fine on my screen. Printed? Blurry. The worst was a vinyl banner for a farmer’s market. I used a tiny photo. On the big sign, the berries looked like pixels. We had to redo it in vector art. Since then: 300 DPI for print, and huge source files for big signs.
Don’t go effect crazy
I once stacked a drop shadow, a glow, and a bevel on a title. A client said it felt like a PowerPoint from 2004. They were right. A soft shadow can help. A tiny glow can lift text on a busy photo. But if you see three effects, cut two.
Don’t skip hierarchy (and how things line up)
I made a brunch menu where every line was centered. No clear path. Prices floated. People asked the server, “What’s the special?” It was there, but it hid. Later I used a grid, lined items left, and made clear heads. Same info. Easier flow. Servers smiled. Tips went up. That part made me happy.
Don’t forget spacing and letter care
Kerning is the space between letters. Tracking is space across a word. I once squeezed letters so hard the word “FLICK” looked rude. I also left a single word dangling on a new line—what we call a widow. And I used full-justified text that made “rivers” of white gaps. Now I spot those and fix them fast. Readers don’t notice good spacing, but they feel it.
If you’ve ever wondered how much breathing room is too much, my experiment with strategic dead space shows exactly when negative space sings—and when it flops.
Don’t steal photos (even cute ones)
I grabbed a dog photo from Google for a pet clinic ad. I thought it was fine. It was not fine. We got a takedown notice. I had to swap it with a licensed photo and write an apology. Lesson learned. Use your own shots, paid stock, or free stock with a clear license. Keep a folder of proofs.
Don’t forget to test size and distance
I used a thin font for a billboard near a highway. At 60 mph, the lines buzzed. You couldn’t read it at all. For large signs, use bold type and high contrast. For phones, check screens in sunlight. For car signs, step back. Farther. If you can’t read it from across the room, someone on a bus won’t either.
I discovered the same “big, bold, and readable” rule when I laid out a moving advertisement—my full recap on designing truck graphics that actually work details every lesson from that rolling billboard.
Don’t ignore culture or meaning
I used the “OK” hand emoji on a global event poster. A teammate flagged it as risky in some places. We switched to a simple check mark. Colors and symbols carry weight. White lilies look lovely at weddings in one place and mean loss in another. Ask a local. Or two.
On a similar note, I once designed discreet invitations for an adult-only social meetup in northwest Georgia. Understanding the community’s preference for subtle imagery over flashy graphics was key. If you’ve never tackled a project aimed at an open-minded audience, take a peek at the local scene showcased on Dalton Swingers—the photos and event write-ups there reveal how tone, color, and language shift when privacy and inclusivity matter most, offering handy inspiration for crafting tasteful yet engaging visuals.
Don’t keep messy files
I sent a printer a PDF with missing fonts. It swapped them, and all my spacing broke. InDesign will let you package a file with fonts and links. Do it. Name your layers. Use styles. Months later you’ll open the file and say, “Oh thank goodness, past me cared.”
Don’t skip proofs
I printed a gradient with banding—those ugly steps. It looked like a flag, not a fade. A test print would have caught it. Adding a tiny bit of noise fixed the banding. Quick proofs save money. And your mood.
Don’t let a template run the show
I made a flyer straight from a Canva template once. It looked nice—but it looked like six other flyers in the same hallway. Templates are fine to start. Change the layout. Swap the type. Make it yours. Your client paid for you, not copy-paste.
Don’t forget why you’re designing
I’ve rushed into colors, fonts, and vibes before asking a simple thing: what’s the goal? Sell tickets? Teach? Help folks sign up? If the point is clear, the choices get clear. Less fluff. More signal.
Before you run off to design, you might also appreciate the concise cheat-sheet of slip-ups the team at Pepper Inc. outlines here; it pairs nicely with the checklist below.
My quick “no-no” checklist
- No more than two fonts
- Strong contrast, big type
- Use bleed and safe space
- CMYK for print, RGB for screens
- Vector logos for scale
- 300 DPI for print images
- Light use of effects
- Clear order and clean spacing
- Licensed photos only
- Test at real size and distance
- Respect symbols and color meaning
- Pack files with fonts and links
- Proof before big runs
- Make templates your own
- Start with the goal
A surprising side gig that taught me a ton about tight layouts was creating micro-banners and swipe cards for dating platforms—those graphics are basically business cards at 320 × 50 pixels. If you ever find yourself designing for the swipe scene, spend a minute studying how [