taste yaha hai π
from zero to obsession. a field guide to cultivated judgment.
not a gift. a skill. and this is where you find it.
consume more than you create
great taste is built through relentless exposure. books, films, architecture, music, food. the wider your references, the more nuanced your instincts. you can't taste what you've never tasted.
study what works β and know why
don't just notice beauty. dissect it. ask why this typeface and not that one. why does this layout feel calm? taste without analysis is just preference. analysis is what turns it into skill.
never confuse preference with taste
preference is "i like dark mode." taste is knowing when dark mode is wrong for the product. preference is personal. taste is earned through exposure, critique, and humility.
steal from the best
collect references obsessively. keep a swipe file. deconstruct campaigns, products, films. the best creatives are expert thieves who know exactly what to steal and why it works.
sit with the gap
the gap between your taste and your skill is not a problem β it's the work. you got into this because your taste is good. now you have to make enough bad work to catch up to it. don't quit.
critique everything β especially your own work
design critique is a muscle. practice articulating what's wrong β and right β about your work before anyone else does. the designers with the best taste are the most critical of their own output.
build references outside your field
the best product designers pull from architecture. the best writers pull from jazz. taste becomes distinctive when it draws from places other designers aren't looking. leave the dribbble echo chamber.
never chase trends
trends are the lowest form of taste. they're other people's instincts, diluted and replicated. know them so you can consciously choose to use or ignore them. never let a trend make the decision for you.
make things β even when they're bad
taste cannot be developed by watching. it's sharpened by making, failing, and making again. consume enough to know what's good. make enough to know why yours isn't β yet.
trust the gut β but train it first
the goal is to reach a point where your instinct is faster and more accurate than deliberation. but that instinct is built through thousands of hours of consumption, making, and critique. earn the gut. then trust it.
what is taste?
understand that taste can be learned. stop treating it like a gift.
training the eye
from passive consumer to active learner. build the muscle intentionally.
taste as strategy
use taste as a moat. make it a business advantage, not just an aesthetic one.