Why George became a designer

More than being good at art: how curiosity led me to Graphic Design

“Why is colour important?”
“Who designed this?”
“What if this ‘A’ was an arrow?”

These were the kinds of questions I asked constantly growing up. Not because I was naturally talented at art, but because I was curious.

When people think of graphic design, they often assume you need to be “good at art.” But for me, the path to becoming a designer had less to do with drawing well and more to do with wanting to understand the world around me.

Design, at its core, is about curiosity. It's about noticing details, asking questions, and trying to make sense of the visual world. It’s a mindset.

A playground for ideas

One of the biggest turning points for me was discovering the sketchbook. Not as a tool for perfect drawings, but as a space to think. To explore. To mess up. To test ideas.

It became a home for my thoughts and questions. I didn’t need every page to look perfect. I just needed to start. In fact, embracing chaos—scribbles, half-formed concepts, crossed-out thoughts—was where real creativity started to emerge.

The messiness became part of the method.

My design process has always been about questioning. Questioning assumptions, visuals, messages, and meaning. I believe good design asks:

• What is this really trying to say?
• Who is this for?
• How does it make someone feel?
  

Design isn’t decoration. It’s communication. It’s storytelling. It’s empathy. And it often begins with something as simple, and as powerful, as a question.

Design is everywhere. It touches every part of our lives from the signs we follow, to the brands we interact with, to the apps we use every day.

If you’re someone who constantly wonders how things are made, why they look the way they do, or how they could be better. Then you’re already thinking like a designer.

You don’t need to be “good at art” to start. You just need to be curious.

Want to explore design more deeply?

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