How to Find Your Own Style in Graphic and Web Design: Let’s Talk About the Struggle

Every designer—whether a beginner or a seasoned professional—eventually faces the question: What is my style? It’s not just a practical concern but a philosophical one. Style is your creative fingerprint, your visual voice. It reflects your personality and values and makes your work recognizable.

Some people imagine that style is something hidden deep inside and must be discovered through painful introspection. As poet Billy Collins once quipped, the idea that your style is buried in your soul can be more paralyzing than inspiring. In reality, your style is shaped as much by external influences as by internal ones—it grows from the work you admire and the world around you.

Just like in any creative field, many designers begin by imitating those they look up to. And that’s perfectly normal. Ask any experienced creative: personal style doesn’t appear overnight—it emerges through years of exploration and practice. Often, others notice your “signature” before you do: “Hey, this has your touch written all over it.”

In this article, we’ll explore what design style really means, why it matters (and when it doesn’t), and how to evolve your own visual language. Along the way, we’ll mix philosophical thoughts with practical insights from globally respected designers and design schools.

In graphic and web design, style is the recurring set of visual choices an author makes—color palettes, typography, composition, shape, illustration technique, and more. It’s the glue that holds your work together and sets you apart from others.

So, why chase a distinctive style? For starters, it helps you stand out. In a fast-moving design landscape where trends come and go, a recognizable style gives your work staying power. Clients and creative directors remember work that feels authentic and fresh.

Second, developing your own style is deeply satisfying. Mimicking templates and repeating what’s trendy may pay the bills, but it rarely nourishes your creative spirit. It’s in crafting something that feels yours that you begin to feel like a true designer.

Finally, like a painter or musician, a designer with a strong style builds a personal brand. Your work starts to speak for itself—revealing your sensibilities and priorities even without your name attached.

But there’s a flip side: having a strong style can be both a blessing and a trap. On one hand, it draws attention and loyal clients. On the other, it can become a creative cage.

Designer Tobias van Schneider once admitted that he feared becoming “the guy who does that one style.” When your portfolio is too consistent, clients tend to want “more of the same,” and before you know it, you’re stuck repeating yourself.

Style, in other words, should be a byproduct of growth—not a fixed identity. As Massimo Vignelli famously said, “Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” Instead of chasing visual trends, focus on refining your own design language—your principles, your thought process, your values.

To build your style, you need to develop your visual language—a toolkit of expressive methods for communicating ideas. That language grows from two main sources: outside influence and inner conviction.

Soak Up Inspiration and Study Design History

No designer creates in a vacuum. Every great designer once studied and borrowed from others. Billy Collins urged young poets to read widely and emulate the voices that made them jealous. The same applies to design.

Expose yourself to a broad spectrum of work—from classic Swiss posters and Bauhaus typography to today’s bold digital studios. Don’t just see—analyze. What pulls you in emotionally? What makes you say, “I wish I’d made that”?

That twinge of envy is a clue. Maybe it’s the elegance of grid-based layouts, the chaos of David Carson-style deconstruction, or the vibrancy of Jessica Walsh’s color storytelling. When you notice patterns in what excites you, you’re beginning to map your aesthetic DNA.

Understanding design history helps, too. Knowing the ideas behind major 20th-century movements can clarify what feels natural to you. From that foundation, you can intentionally borrow, remix, and reimagine.

But—and this is crucial—don’t get stuck copying. As Austin Kleon writes in Steal Like an Artist, creativity is about transforming your influences into something personal. At first, you may mimic others so closely it borders on parody. But over time, as you blend different voices and filter them through your own perspective, a unique fusion emerges.

That’s how style is born—not by avoiding influence, but by metabolizing it.

Know Yourself: Values and Themes

Style reflects identity. So ask yourself: What do I care about? What emotions do I want my work to evoke? What experiences shape the way I see the world?

Your passions inevitably bleed into your design. A love of music might show up in your rhythm and pacing; a passion for travel might inform your color choices and imagery; a fascination with tech might come through in clean, minimalist layouts.

Don’t be afraid to ask friends or colleagues what stands out about you—they might see connections you’ve missed. When you understand your own story, your style will begin to feel honest and grounded.

Ironically, expressing what’s inside often starts by observing what’s outside. Like learning a language, you need vocabulary and grammar before you can write poetry. Look for recurring elements in the work that inspires you—fonts, textures, illustration styles, layout systems. These are the “tropes” of your taste, the clues to your own aesthetic instincts.

By recognizing and refining these patterns, you can start building your own dialect.

Style reflects identity. So ask yourself: What do I care about? What emotions do I want my work to evoke? What experiences shape the way I see the world?

Your passions inevitably bleed into your design. A love of music might show up in your rhythm and pacing; a passion for travel might inform your color choices and imagery; a fascination with tech might come through in clean, minimalist layouts.

Don’t be afraid to ask friends or colleagues what stands out about you—they might see connections you’ve missed. When you understand your own story, your style will begin to feel honest and grounded.

Ironically, expressing what’s inside often starts by observing what’s outside. Like learning a language, you need vocabulary and grammar before you can write poetry. Look for recurring elements in the work that inspires you—fonts, textures, illustration styles, layout systems. These are the “tropes” of your taste, the clues to your own aesthetic instincts.

By recognizing and refining these patterns, you can start building your own dialect.

Design trends come and go: neumorphism one year, flat design the next, 90s nostalgia after that. If you keep chasing what’s hot, you’ll never build a consistent voice.

But that doesn’t mean ignoring trends entirely. Think of them as experiments. Try them out. See what resonates. Use them to expand your skills, not to define your identity.

Try on different “design personas” as exercises. Make one layout in Swiss modernist style—grids, sans-serifs, strict hierarchy. Then do another in web brutalism—clashing fonts, aggressive color, anti-aesthetic vibes. Notice how they feel different. Which fits your temperament? Which lets you say what you want to say?

History is your toolkit. From the clarity of Bauhaus to the chaos of postmodernism to today’s interactive storytelling, each movement offers techniques to borrow and adapt. The best designers mix and match styles to fit their message—and their audience. Just don’t stay in one lane forever.

Originality often comes from recombination.

As you gain experience, your style shows not only in what your designs look like, but in how you work—how you think, how you solve problems, how you prioritize.

Van Schneider once noted that his style isn’t about visual tricks; it’s about his approach. One designer might focus on usability above all, known for clean and intuitive interfaces. Another might prioritize bold storytelling, creating designs that provoke and delight. Both are valid. Both are style.

Especially in web design, your style is shaped by how you balance personal expression with real-world constraints. What does the client need? What will help the user? What’s the message behind the layout?

Russian studio IDBI once said: great design starts with understanding the business behind it. Your process—how you research, ideate, iterate—becomes part of your design identity. Over time, successful solutions evolve into your “signature moves,” not just in visuals but in thinking.

A true design style goes deeper than decoration. It’s your philosophy in action.

Style With Substance

At the end of the day, good design balances originality with clarity. If your work looks amazing but no one can use it, it’s failed its purpose. A style that sacrifices usability is just noise.

The best designers find their voice without losing sight of function. They speak in a language that’s both unique and understandable. Because ultimately, style serves the message—it shouldn’t obscure it.

In this piece, we’ve explored the deeper meaning of what it means to have a “style” in design. Next time, we’ll share practical exercises and sources of inspiration to help you actively develop your visual voice.

Stay tuned.