Taste as a Skill

We talk about taste as if it’s something people are born with — an innate sense of what’s good.
But taste isn’t luck. It’s observation, trained over time.

It’s the quiet ability to notice what feels right — and what doesn’t — long before you can explain why.

The art of noticing

Good taste begins with awareness.
You look at something and ask, why does this work? or why doesn’t it?
You start to recognize patterns — proportion, rhythm, tension, balance.

Over time, your brain builds a library of reference points.
Every beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, every mistake you’ve ever made — all of it shapes your sense of quality.

Taste grows through exposure and reflection.
You can’t develop it by consuming more. You develop it by noticing more.

From taste to craft

Taste without craft is frustration. You can see what’s wrong but not fix it. Craft without taste is blind repetition. Only when the two meet does real design emerge.

The designer’s job is to close that gap and to keep learning until what you imagine and what you create finally align.

Taste isn’t what separates good designers from bad ones.
It’s what drives both to keep improving.