Design NewsI have been a graphic designer since 2002, when I was already working for freelance clients as a student at university. In those years, I have often experienced times where I just didn’t know where to go with a design. Sometimes, I can be talking with a client and know exactly how the design will look before leaving the conference room. But, there are times when I just don’t have a clue where to go creatively. And, as a creative director, that’s my job! So, I thought I’d share how I approach creative projects where I am stumped and just simply lack the inspiration to create amazing work.
Word-Studies
One of my university professors taught me a trick that I still use today. A word-study is a technique used to place words that are similar or that evoke other words of more enhanced meaning on the page. These words can help a designer develop concepts that relate to the brand, product, or marketing campaign about to be created. Here’s an example. Let’s say that we were about to design a campaign for a bottled water company. The campaign would be about how their product is a higher quality and can be trusted to be more natural and clean than the competition because it comes directly from a little-known spring far, far away. A word study would place all words that are related to natural, clean, water, and fresh on the page. You might end up with 100 words. But, after a while, words like pure, flowing, clear, or unblemished might come up. These words evoke visuals in your mind. Now, in the design, you have more inspiration and clarity about your direction.
Research
Every time I begin a design, I make sure to research the industry and the competitors of my client. This is extremely important if you are trying to make your client look unique. But, it’s also a good opportunity to inspect their competition and find ways to improve on what they have done. Then, I look at other industries and find color schemes that I think work well with the client’s idea. Here’s a warning! Do not copy the work of others! Instead, use their “direction” and develop your own unique take on the idea. For instance, if you like the way they used blue and orange in a design, there is nothing wrong with using a blue and an orange. But, change the color values. Don’t use the colors in the same way. Don’t make orange buttons if they have orange buttons as well. The point is, you are using their work as an inspiration. Don’t copy their work!
Sketchbook
I always have my sketchbook handy when I’m lost for ideas. But, don’t think for a second that I ever use what I sketch. In fact, I see my sketchbook as a filter. When I sketch ideas, I literally make my way through all the bad ideas first. This process has helped me so many times. When I see all the bad ideas put on paper, I am thankful that none of them made it to the final design. But, a strange thing often happens. Every once in a while something from those rejected images pops out at me. And, a new idea appears like it was there the entire time.
