60 Design Challenges to Boost Your Creativity

Feeling uninspired or stuck in a creative rut? Design challenges are a proven way to shake up your routine, push your boundaries, and unlock new ideas. This curated list of 60 creative prompts will help you develop fresh skills, experiment with new tools, and reignite your passion for design no matter your experience level.

I’m Riten, founder of Fueler a platform dedicated to helping designers and creatives get hired by showcasing real, assignment-based work samples. In this article, I’ve assembled 60 design challenges that will not only boost your creativity but also build your portfolio and confidence. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, these prompts will help you grow as a designer in 2025.

1. Visualize a Quote

Select a meaningful quote and design a visual piece that brings its message to life using typography, color, and layout. Focus on capturing the emotion or story behind the words. This challenge sharpens your conceptual thinking and helps you practice transforming abstract ideas into compelling, shareable visuals.

2. One-Color Design

Create an entire design using just one color and its tints, tones, and shades. Limiting your palette will force you to experiment with contrast, texture, and negative space, helping you develop a keen eye for detail and balance in monochromatic compositions.

3. 30 Circles Exercise

Fill a page of 30 blank circles with as many different objects or icons as possible in just 10 minutes. Don’t overthink—let your imagination run wild. This rapid-fire exercise is about quantity, not perfection, and is a great way to break creative blocks and spark unexpected ideas.

4. Incomplete Figure Test

Start with a random scribble or abstract shape, then turn it into a finished drawing or design. This challenge encourages you to see possibilities in the ordinary, flex your creative problem-solving skills, and embrace playfulness in your process.

5. Daily Illustration

Commit to creating one illustration every day for a month, no matter how simple or complex. Consistency is the goal, not perfection. Over time, you’ll develop your style, discover new techniques, and build a strong creative habit that will serve you in all your design work.

6. Experimental Typography

Design a poster or social media graphic using only type—no images allowed. Play with scale, spacing, distortion, and layering to create something bold and unexpected. This challenge expands your understanding of typography as both a communication tool and a visual art form.

7. Redesign a Classic Logo

Pick a well-known brand logo and create your own modern interpretation. Explain your design decisions and how your version updates the brand’s identity for today’s audience. This exercise helps you practice branding, research, and rationalizing your creative choices.

8. App Interface in 24 Hours

Design a simple app interface from scratch in just one day. Focus on usability, layout, and visual hierarchy. Limiting your time encourages quick decision-making and helps you practice rapid prototyping, a valuable skill for real-world projects.

9. Create a Custom Font

Design your own alphabet or typeface, even if it’s just a few letters. Explore different styles, weights, and personalities. This challenge deepens your appreciation for typography and gives you a unique asset to use in future projects.

10. Design for Accessibility

Redesign a website or app interface with accessibility in mind. Focus on color contrast, font size, and keyboard navigation. This exercise will make you more aware of inclusive design principles and prepare you for working with diverse audiences.

11. Poster for a Social Cause

Choose a social cause you care about and design a poster to raise awareness. Use impactful imagery, bold typography, and a clear message. This challenge helps you practice purposeful design and encourages you to use your skills for positive change.

12. Minimalist Redesign

Take a busy or cluttered design and rework it using minimalist principles. Focus on whitespace, clean lines, and essential elements only. This exercise teaches restraint and helps you understand how to communicate more with less.

13. Icon Set Creation

Design a set of at least five related icons for a specific theme or app. Ensure consistency in style, size, and line weight. This challenge improves your attention to detail and your ability to create cohesive visual systems.

14. 10-Minute Sketches

Set a timer for 10 minutes and sketch as many ideas as you can for a single prompt. Don’t worry about perfection—focus on speed and variety. This challenge helps you loosen up and generate more creative concepts quickly.

15. Redesign a Book Cover

Pick a favorite book and design a new cover for it. Think about the story, mood, and target audience. This challenge lets you practice visual storytelling and branding for print.

16. Website Landing Page

Design a landing page for a fictional product or service. Focus on clear hierarchy, call-to-action buttons, and engaging visuals. This exercise sharpens your web design and conversion optimization skills.

17. Animated GIF

Create a simple animated GIF using your favorite design software. It could be a bouncing ball, a looping icon, or a moving character. This challenge introduces you to motion design and helps you add life to your digital work.

18. Infographic Design

Choose a topic you’re passionate about and design an infographic that explains it visually. Use charts, icons, and concise text. This challenge builds your data visualization skills and teaches you how to communicate complex ideas simply.

19. Album Art

Design a cover for a music album, real or fictional. Use imagery, color, and typography to capture the genre and mood. Album art challenges your ability to create impactful, expressive visuals in a square format.

20. Create a Moodboard

Curate a moodboard for a design project using images, colors, textures, and typography. Moodboards help you define a visual direction and communicate your ideas to clients or collaborators.

21. Social Media Campaign

Design a series of three to five posts for a social media campaign around a theme or event. Focus on consistency, brand voice, and engaging visuals. This challenge builds your ability to create cohesive content for digital platforms.

22. Design a Mascot

Invent and illustrate a mascot for a brand, event, or product. Consider personality, color palette, and how the mascot will be used. Mascot design combines character illustration with branding principles.

23. Responsive Web Layout

Design a web page that adapts to desktop, tablet, and mobile screens. Show how the layout changes at different breakpoints. This challenge teaches you the fundamentals of responsive design and user experience.

24. Packaging Design

Create packaging for a product—real or imaginary. Think about shelf appeal, usability, and how to communicate the brand’s story. Packaging design is a great way to practice working in 3D and considering user interaction.

25. UI Microinteractions

Design a set of three microinteractions, such as button hover states, loading animations, or toggle switches. Microinteractions enhance user experience and show your attention to detail in interface design.

26. Data Dashboard

Design a dashboard interface for visualizing data, such as sales, fitness tracking, or social media analytics. Focus on clarity, hierarchy, and usability. Dashboards challenge you to present complex information in a digestible way.

27. Event Poster

Design a poster for an upcoming event—concert, festival, or conference. Use bold visuals and clear information hierarchy. Event posters are a classic way to practice layout and promotional design.

28. Redesign a Mobile App

Pick a mobile app you use often and redesign one of its screens. Focus on improving usability, aesthetics, or accessibility. This challenge helps you practice UI/UX skills and rethink existing solutions.

29. Create a Pattern

Design a seamless pattern using shapes, icons, or illustrations. Patterns are used in branding, textiles, and digital backgrounds. This challenge encourages you to think about repetition, rhythm, and visual harmony.

30. Design a Business Card

Create a business card for yourself or a fictional character. Focus on layout, typography, and how to make a memorable first impression in a small space.

31. Newsletter Layout

Design an email newsletter template for a brand or organization. Consider hierarchy, readability, and mobile-friendliness. This challenge helps you practice digital layout and communication.

32. Redesign a Receipt

Take a standard receipt and redesign it for clarity and aesthetics. Think about typography, spacing, and how to make information easy to scan. This exercise turns a mundane object into a design opportunity.

33. Brand Guidelines

Create a one-page brand guideline for a fictional company. Include logo usage, color palette, and typography rules. Brand guidelines help ensure consistency across all design materials.

34. Storyboard a User Journey

Draw a simple storyboard showing a user’s journey through a product or service. Focus on key touchpoints and emotions. Storyboarding helps you visualize user experience and identify pain points.

35. Design a Ticket

Create a ticket for an event, transportation, or raffle. Consider security features, branding, and usability. Ticket design is a fun way to practice layout and information hierarchy.

36. Redesign a Menu

Take a restaurant menu and redesign it for better readability and visual appeal. Think about sections, pricing, and imagery. Menu redesigns challenge you to organize complex information in an appetizing way.

37. Animated Loading Screen

Design and animate a creative loading screen for a website or app. Loading animations keep users engaged and show your motion design skills.

38. Create a Zine Cover

Design a cover for a small, self-published magazine (zine). Zines are all about creative freedom, so experiment with illustration, collage, or bold typography.

39. Design a Product Mockup

Create a realistic mockup of your design on a product—like a t-shirt, mug, or packaging. Mockups help you visualize how designs work in the real world.

40. Redesign a Signage System

Pick a public signage system (like airport signs or subway maps) and redesign it for clarity and accessibility. This challenge teaches you about wayfinding and information design.

41. Animated Social Story

Design and animate a short story for Instagram or Snapchat Stories. Use a sequence of visuals to engage viewers and tell a narrative in bite-sized pieces.

42. Create a Custom Brush

Develop a custom brush for your favorite digital art software. Experiment with texture, shape, and opacity to create unique effects in your illustrations.

43. Redesign a Calendar Page

Take a monthly calendar page and redesign it for better usability and aesthetics. Consider how people use calendars and how design can improve their experience.

44. Design a Gift Card

Create a gift card design for a brand or event. Focus on branding, security features, and making the card feel special for the recipient.

45. 3D Icon or Object

Design a simple 3D icon or object using digital modeling tools. 3D design is increasingly important for modern interfaces and branding.

46. Redesign a Weather App

Pick a weather app and redesign its main screen for clarity, beauty, and ease of use. Weather apps are a great way to practice data visualization and interface design.

47. Create a Custom Emoji Set

Design a set of custom emojis for a specific audience or theme. Emojis are small but powerful tools for communication, and this challenge lets you practice visual storytelling at a tiny scale.

48. Design a Bookmark

Create a bookmark for a book or brand. Bookmarks are a small canvas for creativity and a fun way to practice print design.

49. Redesign a Boarding Pass

Take an airline boarding pass and redesign it for clarity and user-friendliness. Consider how travelers use this document and how design can reduce stress.

50. Create a Welcome Email

Design a welcome email for a new user or customer. Focus on clarity, brand voice, and encouraging engagement with clear next steps.

51. Redesign a Form

Take a complex online form and redesign it for simplicity and ease of use. Forms are often overlooked but are critical for user experience.

52. Design a Loyalty Card

Create a loyalty card for a coffee shop, bookstore, or other business. Focus on branding, usability, and making customers feel valued.

53. Redesign a Map

Take a city or transit map and redesign it for clarity, accessibility, and aesthetics. Map design is a challenging but rewarding way to practice information design.

54. Design a Certificate

Create a certificate for an award, course, or achievement. Certificates combine formal layout with creative touches and are often kept as keepsakes.

55. Animated Button

Design and animate a button for a website or app. Focus on feedback, accessibility, and making the interaction delightful for users.

56. Redesign a Price List

Take a price list or menu and redesign it for better readability and visual appeal. This challenge helps you practice organizing information and using hierarchy effectively.

57. Create an Event Invitation

Design an invitation for a special event—digital or print. Invitations are a chance to combine illustration, typography, and layout in a memorable way.

58. Redesign a Product Label

Pick a product label and redesign it for shelf appeal and clear communication. Label design is key for branding and marketing.

59. Design a Podcast Cover

Create a cover for a podcast, focusing on genre, audience, and eye-catching visuals. Podcast covers need to stand out in crowded directories.

60. Redesign a User Profile

Take a user profile page (from a social network or app) and redesign it for clarity, personality, and usability. Profile redesigns help you practice personalization and user-centered design.

Final Thought

Design challenges are more than just creative exercises—they’re catalysts for growth, experimentation, and renewed passion. By embracing these 60 prompts, you’ll stretch your imagination, discover new strengths, and build a habit of daily creativity. Remember, the journey is as important as the outcome. Keep challenging yourself, share your progress, and let your curiosity lead you to new design heights12345.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do design challenges help creativity?

Design challenges push you out of your comfort zone, encourage experimentation, and help you develop new skills. They offer structure for practice and can spark ideas you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

2. How often should I do a design challenge?

Aim for consistency daily, weekly, or monthly. The key is regular practice, which helps you build creative habits and track your progress over time34.

3. Can beginners try these challenges?

Absolutely! These challenges are designed for all levels. Beginners will build confidence and skills, while experienced designers can use them to break creative ruts and try new techniques.

4. Should I share my challenge results online?

Sharing your work can boost motivation, help you get feedback, and connect you with the design community. Platforms like Behance, Dribbble, or Instagram are great for showcasing your progress.

5. What if I get stuck or run out of ideas?

Don’t stress skip to another challenge or revisit an old one with a new twist. The goal is growth, not perfection. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and let the process inspire you

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