DIY Design: Design for Non-Designers

Not every founder has the budget to hire a full-time designer, or even bring on a freelancer for every little thing. Sometimes, you’ve just got to open Canva or Figma and get it done yourself.

The problem is — a lot of DIY design ends up looking... DIY. And not in a scrappy, resourceful way. In a way that signals, "This brand isn’t ready yet."

So if you're designing things yourself — whether it’s your website, pitch deck, social posts, or email headers — this is for you. Here are the biggest mistakes to avoid and the quick fixes that can keep your design from screaming “first-timer.

1. Typography Disasters

You don’t need a degree in typography to make something readable and professional. But you do need to avoid a few cardinal sins:

• Using more than 2–3 fonts on the same page

• Choosing novelty fonts like Comic Sans, Papyrus, or script fonts that look like birthday party invites

• Tiny text that’s hard to read (especially on mobile)

• Light gray text on white backgrounds that make people squint

Quick Fix: Pick one solid sans-serif font for body text (like Inter, Roboto, or Helvetica) and one accent font for headings. Set your base size to at least 16px on web and don’t go below 12pt for print. Use free tools like Fontpair to choose safe, good-looking font combos.

2. Color Chaos

Color is one of the fastest ways to elevate (or destroy) a design. Most DIY design fails here because of inconsistency or overload:

• Using every color in the rainbow

• Bright neons that are hard to look at

• Colors that don’t contrast enough for readability

• No sense of visual hierarchy with color use

Quick Fix: Use a tool like Coolors or Khroma to generate a cohesive palette. Stick to 1 primary color, 1–2 accents, and neutrals (white/gray/black). And check your color contrast for accessibility at WebAIM.

3. Layout Nightmares

A solid layout makes your content easier to understand. A bad one? It just feels like chaos.

• Center-aligning everything (especially blocks of text)

• No white space — cramming too much into small areas

• Inconsistent spacing between elements

• Misaligned elements that look "off" even if you can’t explain why

Quick Fix: Stick to left-aligning text unless it’s a title or short quote. Use consistent margins and padding (set up an 8px or 10px spacing system). Use layout grids or templates whenever possible. Tools like Figma and Canva have them built-in — use them.

4. Logo and Branding Mistakes

Your logo is often the first visual someone sees. If it looks amateur, people assume your product is too.

• Using clip art or generic icons

• Overly detailed logos that don’t scale well

• Inconsistent logo usage across platforms

• Designs that feel dated or overdone (think swooshes or gradients from the 2000s)

Quick Fix: Keep it simple. A strong wordmark + icon is enough. Use clean fonts and avoid unnecessary detail. Create one horizontal version, one stacked, and one favicon. And always export high-res and transparent background versions for versatility.

5. Image and Visual Problems

This is a big one. Nothing screams "I did this myself" like pixelated images or cheesy stock photos.

• Low-resolution or stretched images

• Obvious stock photography (fake smiles, corporate high-fives)

• Inconsistent image styles (some moody, some bright, some cartoony)

Quick Fix: Use high-res images only. Crop instead of stretching. Stick to one visual style — moody, flat, bright, editorial — and stay consistent. Free image sites like Unsplash or Pexels have great, non-cheesy options. If possible, use real photos from your team or product.

6. Content and Hierarchy Issues

You can have great visual design, but if everything looks equally important, users get lost.

• No headers or subheaders to break up text

• Walls of copy with no breathing room

• Key points buried in the middle of paragraphs

• Bold, underline, italics used randomly with no system

Quick Fix: Use headers, subheaders, and body text consistently. Use font size, weight, and spacing to establish a clear hierarchy. Break up long chunks of text. Use bullet points or icons to make important info pop.

7. Platform -Specific Mistakes

Not all design is one-size-fits-all. What works on a website might fail on Instagram. Or LinkedIn. Or mobile.

• Using print layouts for social content

• Ignoring mobile responsiveness

• Not optimizing for platform-specific ratios (e.g. 1080x1350 for Instagram posts)

Quick Fix: Before you start designing, decide where it’s going. Use platform-specific templates (Canva and Figma both offer these). Always preview how it looks on mobile. And know the basics: square for Instagram, horizontal for Twitter, vertical for TikTok.

8. Not Using Any Kind of Design System

Design systems sound like big enterprise stuff — but even solo founders benefit from some basic rules.

• Inconsistent colors, spacing, fonts across different assets

• No templates to speed up repeated design tasks

• Reinventing the wheel every time you make something

Quick Fix: Create a simple design guide: 2 fonts, 3-4 colors, logo usage, image style, and spacing rules. Stick to it. Use duplicateable templates for decks, social graphics, email headers, and web banners.

9. Not Getting a Second Opinion

When you’re doing it all yourself, it’s easy to go blind to mistakes. That “it looks fine to me” feeling? It might not be shared by your audience.

Quick Fix: Ask 2–3 people (ideally not just friends) to review your designs before publishing. Use tools like UsabilityHub or even Instagram Stories polls to test versions. Watch how people interact — don’t just rely on your gut.

Final Thought

Doing design yourself doesn’t mean you’re doomed to look amateur. But it does mean you need to be extra intentional.

You don’t need to master Figma. You don’t need to become a branding expert. But if you avoid the most common mistakes — and lean on smart tools, basic systems, and some visual discipline — your startup can still look sharp, professional, and trustworthy.

The best design is the one that doesn’t call attention to itself — it just works. Even if you did it yourself.