One thing that I have learned designing in what is mostly a solo environment is that inspiration is a very hard thing to find. If you work as a freelancer or in an environment devoid of other designers you know just as well as me that creativity is something that has to come from somewhere. Working in an environment with limited access to other designers can really make it hard to break out of design block if you are not aware of what works for you. With the large amount of web design I have been doing lately I have found that this medium suffers the most from group thought. So called “inspirational” sites are everywhere to be found however they only seem to perpetuate current trends, so where do I turn, here are a few tips that I personally use.
BEING A COLLECTOR
No one can remember everything they see or read so being a collector of things that are well designed can be a great way to ensure you don’t forget those great design ideas. You should think of this collection of designed materials as a set of visual notes, or as a reference. This is a great way to hang on to concepts or ideas that you may find interesting but that do not support the projects you are currently working on. Remember that you are not copying these items. Any Mac monkey can copy a layout, but it takes a designer to apply them in a new context. Luckily for you and me, most people are giving away these samples for free so this is a very economical way to find inspiration as well!
BECOME A VISUAL HISTORIAN
History is full of great visual vernacular that can be applied to your designs. From art deco all the way back to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics these elements can be applied to designs to add historical context or can be used to create modern revivals. Often times I find that it is the contemporary modifications that you make to these historical aesthetics that make them appealing and garner attention. Not only will you be wiser for learning about history, but you will begin to see a relationship between current design practices and the aesthetic choices of the past.
GO OUTSIDE THE PROBLEM AT HAND
For me inspiration comes from looking at the design of other mediums or formats. When I am working on a new website I tend to open up a copy of print or STEP and see what the latest articles are about, or review the pieces I have collected over the past couple of months. Usually by observing great design outside the medium I am focusing on I am able to apply design principles that are not like current trends and are still appealing. This also often helps take my mind off of the project, which is usually when I am able to find a great solution.
What are your tricks?
What do you do to avoid stealing sheep? How do you find inspiration, why not share it with the community?
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June 17th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Good article. I think too much designers tend to forget the visual history, so it’s a good thing to talk about. To find inspiration when I come to run out, I use to look around and to analyse the systems of perception people have for everything (for things like concepts, items, society, nature…). I discovered that we can find a large number of paradoxes, which are very inspirating.
June 17th, 2008 at 9:29 am
I usually find myself turning to books and magazines when I’m tapped out on a design.
I think simply getting away from the screen and even into another room helps to kick start your brain. I’ll flip through a magazine quickly to get an overall feel for what others have done to break up the space on a page. The faster the better, not to get caught up on a single layout (think Matrix ;). Loaded with all that mental imagery, I’ll get back to work and usually get pretty good results.
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June 17th, 2008 at 11:38 am
You are so right in your observations on the “inspiration websites,” Zinni! It seems these days that a million copies of whatever sites like Smashing Magazine say are awesome “designs” crop up right after the article is published.
I need to be a more vigilant collector. I have a very small trove of good design, especially things that have an interesting print aspect to them: diecuts, varnishes, foils, vellum, etc. I like hanging on to those as a reminder of how versatile print really is.
I also turn to the less popular form of *gasp* design magazines for inspiration and examples of good design, especially the Communication Arts annuals. Instead of taking in a design as a whole, I pick it apart: how did they use typography? How did they use the grid? What about the elements of design? That is what really helps me implement good design practices into my own work.
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June 17th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
@ LaurenMarie
I agree that annuals are a great place to find design inspiration and I do exactly the same thing you do. I do think that you see the same thing happen with them as well though. After an annual goes out, if some groundbreaking style is in it you tend to see that style repeated all over as well. Maybe this is a problem of time constrain or maybe so designers don’t know how to find inspiration without copying? I am not really sure, however I do know that as a rule of thumb I will not use more than 2 elements from any one piece I find particularly compelling. This forces me not to copy as it is easy to subconsciously have a design revert back to the inspirational piece after going through numerous rounds of adjustment.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:20 am
Personally, creativity is a source of inspiration. And I remember that one Art Director told me that once you’ve set yourself a limit, you will become more creative. This is because your are trying to find the other possible ways to look around at one problem in the quest to search for brilliant solution.
Well, perhaps this will answer your conversation between Jacob Cass on Do You Design Against Your Will.
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