Top Tips for Design Creativity
July 29th, 2010 Posted in Inspiration, Various, Web Design
There are lots and lots of ways to get creativity for your own designs and in this article we’ll try to push you a bit in the right direction.
Picture by G & A Scholiers
It’s very common, normal actually, to sometimes feel completely lost or dried out when it comes to being creative. For some of us this only lasts for a couple of hours, whereas others can feel unable to be creative for rather long periods at a time. No matter which category you’re in, you’ll find some tips here that can help you get out of the creative desert – and enter the oasis!
Browsing designs from within your niche
Looking at the work of fellow designers can be a huge source of inspiration to any of us. There are lots of forums and galleries online where you can go ahead and browse what has been done by others. No matter the niche, there are so many talented designers out there – it’s amazing!
Other types of designs
Picture by Firoz11
Trends, colors and execution. Many things can be similar in various types of design. Remembering to look to other things than only what you’re doing yourself will be a huge asset in the process of getting inspired. There are websites, logos, illustrations, advertisements, business-cards and 3d art. And don’t forget other types of design that are a bit outside the whole digital stuff, like furniture designs, gadgets, cars, buildings, tools and so on. Some of the really great designs out there can be inspired by something completely different.
Portfolios
Who are the best ones out there? I’m sure you know some of the guys that are on top of the line. Go to their websites, browse their portfolios and get inspired by their creativity and the versatility you see in there. Only this point alone can give you hours and days of material to get inspired by! And for every single day that goes by, the number of designers and portfolios out there will be increasing.
Tutorials
One of my favorite ways to get inspired is reading up on tutorials related to the software I’m using. There are tons of great tutorials out there on Photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp, 3DS max, Inkscape and so on. By reading these tutorials you’ll be likely to pick up some new techniques and tricks. This could be what makes that winning design appear. And no matter what happens, you’ll get some great new experience.
Videos
Picture by Emre Nacigil
YouTube is in particular a great place to get all sorts of inspiration. There are many great tutorials available, commercials from all over the world, speed-paintings and so on. By starting searching for videos based on certain words you can relate to will reveal hundreds of hours of videos that you can enjoy. Watch other designers while they’re working, watch tutorials, look at inspirational stories or get a closer look at that TV commercial that gave you a good feeling.
Social Media
Personally I get a lot of my inspiration from article links that I find on Twitter. There are many accounts out there sharing the best of the best from all types of design. The same goes for other types of social media. You’ll be surprised of how many hits you get if you try searching for it.
Look around you
Picture by Subirpal
Looking around you, wherever you are, can truly inspire. There are colors, shapes and textures everywhere. Give yourself the task to make a sketch for your design using only colors found in your living-room or take lots of pictures of all kinds of stuff. Kick start your creativity without even being online! It’s definitely possible!
Newspapers and magazines
Look at illustrations, typography, layout and colors in printed media. Analyze what you see and look at what works and doesn’t work to get your attention. Try to recreate what you see or make your own magazine covers, simply to start getting creative.
Keep your mind open and dare to be different
The most important tip comes last. Keep your mind open for what you see! Try looking for different ways of doing things, think new and dare to be different. Don’t let yourself be bound by previous designs you’ve done. Go look for different ways of getting it done.
Picture by Nimalan Tharmalingam
Conclusion
All the inspiration you could possibly need is definitely out there! It’s all about thinking a bit different and going out there to look. If you just sit there feeling blue about your dry times, it’ll take you a lot longer to get back in the saddle. Check out these tips and go for it!
Finally, we’d love to hear your comments – and maybe you have some other great tips to share?
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:21 am
Great Article…