Feeling stuck with your layout? Here’s something you can do that should help you immediately. And it should only take you around 10 minutes.

Help or Hinder?

Print out your design, grab a pen or pencil, <strong>find a quiet space</strong> (alone if possible), and analyze each design element on the page. Ask yourself if it helps the design or hinders it. If it helps your design — keep it, if it hinders your design — lose it. Explain to yourself why you added a gradient to your sidebar. Is it because it looks cool? If it is, well, that’s fine for now, but you should ideally find its purpose. Think about why you designed it in. Does it help guide your eye to a call to action? Does it balance the left and right columns? Each element plays a role in communicating a message and should be able to be explained.

This also comes in handy when you’re presenting your design to a client (what client doesn’t love knowing why you did what you did?).

Sometimes it’s as simple as that.

What are some quick rules that you follow that make you more creative? Let me know by leaving an idea in the comments below.