10 New Year’s Resolutions Every Web Designer Will Definitely Break

It’s New Year and that special time when we vow to become better versions of ourselves—only to realize by January 15th that, well, that ain’t happening.

Web designers are no exception. Sure, we make resolutions, but let’s face it, most of them are just elaborate lies we tell ourselves while pretending we have our lives together.

Let’s dive into 10 New Year’s resolutions that every web designer promises to keep… and why we’ll all hilariously fail.

1. “This Year, I’ll Keep My Files Organized!”

Let’s be honest: file organization is a universal pain point. January starts strong with neatly labeled folders like “Client A > Homepage Mockup > Final Draft.” But by February, it’s all downhill.

Suddenly, you’ve got a file called “homepage_final_v3_actuallyFinal_REALfinal.psd,” buried in a folder named “Stuff.” And when you’re frantically searching for that one image you swore you saved last week? Forget it. You’re creating it all over again because “efficiency” is just a dream at this point.

2. “I’ll Use Fewer Fonts in My Designs.”

The year always begins with noble intentions: “Two fonts. That’s all I need. Simple. Minimalist.” But then, somewhere around your third project, you’re knee-deep in Google Fonts with 23 tabs open. “Wait… what if I combined Montserrat, Lora, and something edgy like Bebas Neue?”

By March, your design system is basically a chaotic party of mismatched fonts, and no one’s leaving until the client approves.

3. “I’ll Finally Learn That Cool New Framework.”

Every year, you tell yourself: “This is the year I’ll finally master that framework everyone’s raving about!” You even open up a YouTube tutorial, full of optimism and coffee.

Fast forward to three hours later: you’re frustrated, watching cat videos, and back to using the same stack you’ve relied on for years. Who needs new frameworks anyway? They’ll be outdated by June.

4. “I’ll Spend Less Time on Dribbble and Behance.”

You’ve promised yourself: “This year, I’ll stop doom-scrolling other designers’ portfolios and comparing myself to their genius hover animations.”

But let’s be real. You’ll lose an entire afternoon ogling someone’s 3D navigation concept and wondering why your own projects look like they were designed by a potato. Productive? No. But inspiring? Definitely.

5. “I’ll Stop Complaining About Clients.”

Ah, the dream. “This year, I’ll be patient and understanding with all my clients. No complaints, no passive-aggressive tweets.”

But then, the first email of the year lands in your inbox: “Can we move the text 0.02px to the left? Also, I sent another round of feedback, just FYI!”

And just like that, your resolution is out the window. Time to dust off that meme folder and tweet through the pain.

6. “I’ll Take Breaks and Avoid Burnout.”

We’ve all been there: “This year, I’ll set boundaries, take breaks, and stop working late nights.” It’s a great plan… until you’re three deadlines deep and trying to figure out why a button won’t align properly at 3 AM.

Next thing you know, it’s 2025, and your “breaks” have consisted of quick trips to refill your coffee.

7. “I’ll Stop Obsessing Over Pixel Perfection.”

Every designer swears they’ll let go of their perfectionist tendencies. “Good enough is good enough,” right? Wrong.

You’ll spot one tiny div that’s 2px off-center, and suddenly you’re in a spiral of adjusting margins and padding until your eyeballs hurt. Did anyone notice? No. Did you lose an entire evening fixing it? Absolutely.

8. “I’ll Stay Up-to-Date with Design Trends.”

The year starts with grand ambitions: “This time, I’ll actually read all those articles on the latest design trends!”

But here’s the thing: trends move faster than your internet connection. One minute, you’re learning about brutalism, and the next, everyone’s raving about skeuomorphic neobrutalist claymation interfaces with AI-generated gradients. It’s exhausting just typing that.

9. “I’ll Stop Saying ‘Just One More Tweak.’”

Oh, the classic. You promise yourself—and your team—that this version is final. And then you find one tiny thing that could be better. And another. And another.

By the time you’re done tweaking, it’s been a month, your client has stopped replying to emails, and your resolution is as dead as Flash.

10. “I’ll Finally Build My Own Portfolio Website.”

This one’s a rite of passage for web designers. Every year, we tell ourselves: “This is the year I’ll finally launch my portfolio!” Spoiler alert: You won’t.

Sure, you’ll spend a solid weekend brainstorming ideas and maybe even start a draft in Webflow or Figma. But then a paying client comes along, and suddenly your portfolio is back to being “Coming Soon.”

Some things never change.

It’s a wrap!

New Year’s resolutions for web designers are like lorem ipsum—nice placeholders that never make it to the final draft.

But hey, that’s okay. We thrive in chaos, live for late-night coffee runs, and wouldn’t trade this weird, wonderful profession for anything else.

So here’s to another year of missed deadlines, creative breakthroughs, and answering the eternal question: *“Can you move the text just a *little* more to the left?”*

Happy New Year! 🎉

Simon Sterne

Simon Sterne is a staff writer at WebdesignerDepot. He’s interested in technology, WordPress, and all things UX. In his spare time he enjoys photography.