Zoom out

This week I’m working on a project where I have to create a bunch of “section templates” rather than an entire website (the customer basically wants a bunch of Lego pieces they can plug and play).

I spent several hours meticulously working on these designs making sure they are pixel perfect at every breakpoint. 

A few of them I must have tinkered with for (what felt like) hours and for some reason they just weren’t working.

That’s when I remembered a trick that always seems to help — zooming out.

By taking a screenshot of an entire page (with several of these sections together), and being able to see them all at once (instead of only what fits in your viewport) you get a completely different perspective.

Immediately I could see where my grid was off, or where there wasn’t enough padding, or where some sections needed a graphic element or some more color.

That change of perspective (from zoomed in to one section to seeing everything all in context) can make you see things completely different — It’s a fantastic trick, and I would encourage you to try it the next time you’re designing and something just doesn’t feel quite right.

But what struck me is that this same principle is pretty universal…

It’s easy to get consumed with the daily challenges of your business and it feel like you’re trying to climb a mountain.

But if you step back and look at your business over the past 6-months, a year, or even a decade you see a completely different picture.

It reminds me of a Wayne Dyer quote: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

Whatever challenge you’re facing, try looking at it from a different perspective — it’s amazing how much it can change your perception.