My senior once gave me a brief: pick one subject and design a poster every day for 100 days. I made it to 51.

Not because I ran out of ideas, but because by poster 51, the exercise had already taught me what it was supposed to.

What changed between Car 01 and Car 51 wasn't just better design skills. It was much more specific.

→ Coming up with ideas became faster. On day one, I'd spend hours trying to find a direction. A few weeks later, I could explore multiple concepts, reject the weak ones, and move on without overthinking.

→ My layouts became more intentional. The early posters were mostly a car placed in the centre with a background. Later, I started experimenting with depth, layering, asymmetry, and negative space because repeating the same layout wasn't interesting anymore.

→ I got bored, and that turned out to be the best part. Somewhere after the halfway mark, I stopped opening Illustrator first and started sketching with a pen. Many of the later posters began on paper instead of a screen. Boredom pushed me to think differently instead of just decorating.

→ I stopped chasing perfect. Some of the posters I spent the most time on were honestly weaker than the ones I finished quickly. I realised perfectionism was slowing me down more than it was improving the work.

The biggest lesson wasn't about vintage cars.

It was about having someone who gives you the right challenge. A good mentor doesn't just teach software or techniques. They give you a constraint that forces you to make decisions, stay consistent, and keep creating even when the excitement wears off.

If you're early in your design career, find someone who'll give you that kind of brief. It will teach you more than any course ever could.

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