This is one of the hardest things sometimes as artists and designers. We are constantly expected to come up with new ideas and concepts. We are expected to think outside of the box and really knock everyone’s socks off. We all tend to work well under pressure and tight deadlines, or chances are, that we won’t go far or make much money in this business. Designer’s block is difficult to fight once we encounter it, and we have to try our best to combat it at all costs. It is difficult to keep our ideas fresh, so I have come up with a few things to recommend that might help to get the creative juices flowing.
Thumbnail flurry- Sometimes the ideas are in our head, we simply have to wade through the mediocrity to get to the innovative concepts. A great way to churn through dozens, if not hundreds of concepts is to sit down and just start thumbnail sketching anything and everything that comes to mind related to your product or client. Do these very small, maybe 1in x 1in, or less, don’t worry about detail and buzz through them. Make notes as you see fit, and when something starts to sound good, makes notes so you can come back to it. out of 100 tiny sketches, you are bound to find something that works. Also, keep these in a sketchbook at your desk or in your travel bag. Looking at these thumbnails can often spark an idea later.
Brainstorming- Write down related words, created cloud diagrams, group words together, and write down every word that comes to mind when thinking about your subject. Most of the time doing this will help you to make connections between words or concepts that you wouldn’t normally think about simply sitting there pondering your subject. Getting your ideas on paper can really help.
Create a list of inspiration web sites- This can include museum web sites, art sites, abstract and 3D animation sites, sites about typography, art, and design, as well as anything else that might help. Looking at different sites and other art styles can really help you to think in ways that you might not normally go. Look at African/tribal art, sketches, paintings, rubbings/etchings, pastels, oil, acrylic, impasto, conte, and any other style of traditional art. Look at motion design to give your design movement abstract artwork, impressionism, etc.
Google your subject and begin to mass-pile sites, examples and information about your subject or product, its history, the overall history of the industry, the people who use it, demographics, other companies and what they have done and aren’t doing. Looking at your competition and what has been done already can give you an idea of where to take your product. It is like that old saying “You can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” If you don’t know what has been done, then you don’t know what hasn’t been done already.
Connect with colleagues. Sometimes, talking with other colleagues via telephone, social network, or email can spark an idea. Set up a brainstorming session with co-workers to get ideas flowing. Sometimes talking your way through it and throwing out random ideas can spark an idea of your own, or give you that “aha!” moment that we all love so much.
Look at nature. I know it might sound corny, but design, colors, and structure all play a role in nature, and sometimes can really help simply things. Naturally occurring color combinations are naturally beautiful, and imitation those can really giving you a winning look. The Fibonacci sequence naturally occurs in nature, making nature and organic things naturally beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Talk a walk- Sometimes, we push ourselves too hard for that new, amazing concept. Sometimes pushing ourselves too hard can interrupt our natural flow of thinking. Dropping your current task and finding something else to do, and coming back to it later can really help. Sometimes not thinking about it at all helps, because your brain will naturally make the connections that you need and an idea will simply pop into your head. Taking a walk or leaving for lunch and coming back to it can help, because you will come back with a fresh head and many times you will either see or think of something that you didn’t think of before.
I hope this helps, as these are ideas that help me to get things flowing when my brain gets stopped up. Thinking too much, or constantly pushing yourself can really burn you out sometimes. It is always good to stop and do these things to help you think out of the box and give you that creative edge over other designers, as well as keep you from mediocrity.
