Free design lessons.

The principles behind every graphic that sells, and the words you need to tell AI exactly what to fix. Free, short, and yours to keep.

The 8 principles, and what they add up to

Principle 01 · Layout

Balance: why your graphic feels off

Visually appealing and effective designs

Balance is how visual weight is spread across a graphic. When it's off, people can't say why. They just feel it and keep scrolling. Here's how to spot it and fix it in a few minutes.

Principle 02 · Color

Color and contrast: one accent, on purpose

Making color do a job

Color is the first thing people notice and the last thing most brand owners plan. The fix isn't more color. It's fewer, used on purpose.

Principle 03 · Layout

Hierarchy: decide what gets seen first

Setting an order of importance

If everything on your graphic is shouting, nothing gets heard. Hierarchy is how you decide what people see first, second and third, and it's the principle that makes the biggest difference to whether an ad works.

Principle 04 · Layout

Alignment: the fastest way to look expensive

Arranging text and images

Nothing makes a graphic look homemade faster than things that almost line up. Alignment is the cheapest upgrade in design. It costs nothing and takes minutes.

Principle 05 · Color

Repetition: how a graphic becomes a brand

A visual connection

A brand isn't a logo. It's the same colors, type and shapes showing up again and again until people recognise you before they read your name.

Principle 06 · Layout

Proximity: things that belong together sit together

Placement makes a difference

Where you put things tells people how they relate. Get the spacing right and a graphic reads itself. Get it wrong and people have to work it out, and they won't.

Principle 07 · Layout

White space: empty isn't wasted

Room to breathe

The urge to fill every corner is strong, especially when you're paying for the ad. But empty space is what makes a product look worth buying.

Principle 08 · Type

Typography: two fonts, maximum

Type that reads and sells

Most graphics that look amateur have a type problem, not a picture problem. The rules are short, and they'll fix more than you expect.

The finale · Layout

Unity: when every piece belongs

How all eight fit together

Unity is the one principle you can't do directly. It's what you get when the other eight are working. Nothing looks random, and every piece looks like it belongs.

Spot the AI tells

AI tell

The light doesn't agree

One shadow falls left, another falls right. Nothing in the frame agrees on where the light is. The fix is in: Color & contrast.

AI tell

Everything is in focus

Pin sharp from front to back, so the eye has nowhere to land. The fix is in: Hierarchy.

AI tell

The surfaces are too clean

No texture, no grain, no wear. Plastic skin and untouched stone. The fix is in: Repetition.

AI tell

Dead centre, always

Product in the exact middle with equal space on every side. The fix is in: Balance.

AI tell

Five things shouting at once

Headline, badge, icon, sticker and price all competing to be first. The fix is in: Hierarchy.

AI tell

Nothing shares an edge

Every element placed by eye, so nothing lines up. The fix is in: Alignment.

AI tell

The same gap everywhere

Even spacing that makes a layout read like a list. The fix is in: Proximity.

AI tell

Every corner filled

Props, petals and sparkles where the breathing room should be. The fix is in: White space.

AI tell

It's a picture of type

Letters that melt at the joins and drift in weight. The fix is in: Typography.

AI tell

Six brands in one feed

Every image in a different style, light and mood. The fix is in: Repetition.

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MINI DESIGN SCHOOL for business owners 01 Design for business 02 Marketing foundations 03 Principles of good design 04 Your AI design toolkitAI 05 Directing AIAI 06 Putting it into practice 07 Teardowns & rebuilds 08 When to hire a designer vs DIY 8 MODULES · WAITLIST OPEN

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