What is a Designer, really?

A developer can make it work.
A marketer can make it sell.
A founder can make it happen.

But only a designer can make it feel easy.

Can make it look beautiful.

Can make it click.

There was this post I saw recently on LinkedIn, asking what a designer actually is.

And it got me thinking…

For me, it’s always been the same:

That’s it. Taste.

Now what does that mean?

Taste is hard to define, but easy to spot. It’s the difference between “yep, this works” and *“holy sh**t, I love this.”

It’s that moment where everything feels just right.

Where nothing is random.

Where the product guides you without you even noticing it.

So what do designers actually do?

They think deeply, way before they even open Figma.

They simplify complex problems until what’s left is clear and usable.

And they shape things so intentionally, that the final result feels inevitable.

In tech, a lot of people can make things work:

• Devs find hacky workarounds.
• Salespeople connect random tools with Zapier.
• Marketers run chaotic campaigns that somehow drive traffic.

But very few can make it feel simple.

Even fewer can make it look amazing.

That’s where designers stand out.

But here’s the thing nobody tells you:

Taste isn’t something you’re born with.

It’s something you practice.

I think I have pretty good taste. In web- and product design, at least.

(Still working on dressing better and interior design, though.)

But it wasn’t always like that.

It came from:

• Looking at great design every single day
• Rebuilding work I loved, just to see how it was done
• Iterating on hundreds of designs (especially dashboards 😅)
• Asking for feedback, again and again
• Doing the work, even when it sucked

You can’t fake taste. But you can build it.

How to improve your taste as a designer:

1. Use tools like mobbin.com or saaslandingpage.com.
   Analyze great work. Rebuild it. Steal like an artist.
   ​
2. Senior designers aren’t seniors because of age.
   ​They just shipped more versions. Taste comes from repetition.​
   ​
3. Don’t just look at websites. Look at the world.
   Beautiful buildings. Music that moves you. A perfectly crafted hotel check-in.
   The way a restaurant menu feels in your hand.
   If you learn to appreciate the details in everyday experiences, you’ll find it easier to add delightful moments to your designs, too.

Why taste matters, especially now

In a world where AI can generate screens in seconds…

Where logic, structure, and usability are becoming automated…

What’s left?

Taste.

AI will get things 90% right.

But that last 10%, the magic, is still human.

Designers who see what looks and feels right will always be valuable.

This is also why investors like Y Combinator love design-led founders.

They know how to make things work, but they also know how to make them spark.

So, what is a designer?

A designer is someone who takes what works and makes it exceptional.

Someone with taste.

And that taste? You earn it.

By doing. Over and over again.

Until your 100th dashboard finally feels effortless.

Want to become a better designer?

Then don’t just study design.

Train your taste.