I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been assigned a project and had no idea what I was going to do to solve the problem the given project presented. Actually maybe I can. Were I to count the number of projects I’ve ever had, that would probably be the number of times I’ve been stumped on finding a concept or topic to use.
For example, last year in my first visual media course, we each had to create a brochure for any company or organization we wanted. I wanted to create my own ogranization but I wasn’t entirely sure what the company would do, what they stand for, how to brand them, etc. And thus began a massive brainstorm. My concept eventually winded down to a theft reduction agency which I named pickpocket who wanted to increase the awareness of wallet theft. From there I had to formulate the content I wanted to present in the brochure, and how the visual presentation would work out. I ended up making the brochure itself resemble a wallet with the information including different facts on wallet theft, steps to prevent theft, and what to do if it happened to you.
This is a simple example, but like any project especially dealing with branding identity or conveying a message for or about an organization or their products, it’s easy to get stumped. So, here are some tips to keep in mind as your attempting to formulate your next big idea.
1. Place a method behind your madness. Writing exercises are some of the most well-known ways of getting your ideas flowing. As a designer, you’re occupation is no exception. Ryan Hembree, author of The Complete Graphic Designer shared that “The more literate and articulate the designer, the more prolific he will be in producing original ideas…” he even goes on to say that some of the top art directors and graphic designers were at on point involved in copy writing, journalism or another area of professional writing.
Two of the most effective idea incubation writing exercises are free association and idea trees.
Free association is where the designer writes down any word that comes to mind when thinking about the project or task at hand. Many design agencies will hold meetings after a client assigns a project just to bounce off agency members through free association. They’ll place large sheets of paper across the walls and have a scribe write every word or idea listed off in the meeting. After a break or adjourning the meeting, the list will be revised by the project manager, art director and some assistants to eliminate any of the unusable ideas and circle up the ideas with greatest potential or promise. Even after this process all of the rejected ideas aren’t discarded. Many of them are still considered usable for future projects and are filed as such.
On your own, you can also practice this method and keep a record of all your ideas as potential candidates for future projects.
Idea trees are much like the word trees your teachers had you draw in middle school before starting an essay. With this method you start with an initial thought in the form of one word and create connecting lines to other related thoughts to show a logical thought process in a web like stucture. Using this method can help create a specific direction in what you want to accomplish for a project.
2. Spend a couple hours with Dictionary.com. Words are a priceless commodity when trying to formulate a strong direction for your project topic. By just weaving your way through the thesaurus tab, you may find the word that embodies an exact idea you want to convey. The Complete Designers Guide suggests that “Due to their descriptive nature, word definitions give the designer visual clues for possible solutions…the dictionary is an indispensable tool for translating written ideas into visual symbols and metaphors.”
3. Seek inspiration. You’ll be surprised at how much watching a video, reading a book, or surfing some design sites will help get the gears in you head to start cranking. Find designers online whose work speaks to you, listen to music, catch a show, have conversations. Inspiration can come from so many places, so find venues to involve yourself in. Exploit areas that will give you some momentum to start a plan. And really this is different for everyone. Some people find inspiration in driving, exercising, sleeping, eating, you name it. Find a source for inspiration.
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