Unlocking The Idea
Written by Jamie Mageau, Senior Art Director.
This is a follow-up to our last article, How Do You Create Creativity? which focuses on divergent and convergent thinking. The process of ideation, for me, begins with casting a wide exploratory net to identify ideas, then going through the process of filtering, and finally funnelling those ideas through the briefing checklist until you get down to the idea(s) that check off the most boxes.
But where do the ideas come from? Where do I even start? Let me start by stating that anything being said here is completely subjective and an opinion of one. I may contradict what are deemed to be standard practices and processes. Ultimately the takeaway from this is that whatever works for you is the best solution. But what if you’re stuck or don’t know where to even start? Well, I hope that you find some new ways to generate ideas.
Get outside your comfort zone
Literally, leave the space that you’re currently working in. Now that we’ve been held up in our at-home makeshift work environments for the past two years, this is more important than ever. But even when working in an office was the norm, my partner and I often left the building whenever we started working on a new project. One reason was to dodge the constant interruptions and side conversations that were impossible to avoid, especially in an open-concept work environment. Even finding a private room to work in failed to help as these exclusive spaces needed to be booked well in advance and it still didn’t prevent someone from walking in and interrupting the flow. Idea generation is about finding that flow. Getting to a place where you can clear your mind and permit your thoughts to wander, but once that idea enters the stream of consciousness you need a period of uninterrupted time to develop, talk about and see where this new idea leads to.
Coffee shops have always been a go-to place for many people to work, and there’s a reason why. There’s been research into why the coffee shop environment is so conducive to unlocking creativity and has something to do with the noise level. Researchers have found that an ambient noise level of about 70 decibels is the sweet spot to think more creatively. For me, even though I do love coffee, my local bar or pub is where I find myself working more often than not. But there’s a caveat: don’t partake in alcoholic beverages until AFTER the work is done. This usually means building a relationship with the bar staff ahead of time so that they allow you to use their space without the need to always order food or drink. BUT if you were to indulge in a beverage as you work, it can sometimes also get you to creative places that you wouldn’t normally explore. Fewer inhibitions or something more scientific? There also have been studies on the effect of alcohol on the creative process.
Good news! Coffee shops really do inspire creativity. Here’s why.
Brainstorming
The Expectation: More People = More Ideas Quicker
The Reality: This can be a good kick-off to some projects and should be treated as such: a starting point.
The brainstorming session usually happens after a period of initial creative exploration by the dedicated creative(s) but for one reason or another those ideas aren’t resonating with the decision-makers (which could be the client, a creative director or project lead). This is probably the most used technique to generate ideas, and in my opinion, should be treated as a creative kick-off versus trying to find the answer. These sessions usually include a pretty diverse group of people, bringing in as many viewpoints and opinions as possible. In my agency experience, it’s a cross-section of office employees and never a group of copywriters, art directors or designers, in order to avoid any pre-established biases or existing marketing savvy. This group is then given a distilled version of the brief or problem to solve as a moderator and then runs through a series of creative exercises, with the sole task being to unearth the elusive creative insight. Time is usually the limiting factor during these sessions. I find that while thinking in the moment and off the cuff is the intention, at times most people aren’t accustomed to letting down their guard and are often uncomfortable sharing ideas that they may feel are uninspiring or (in their minds) dumb/silly.
Daydreaming
The Expectation: The idea will come to me when I’m not thinking about it.
The Reality: For me, daydreaming is tried and true, but is often seen as “wasting time” or “procrastinating.” I guess Sir Isaac Newton was wasting time when he sat under that apple tree? Mic drop! (Courtesy of gravity)
Quite literally, let your mind wander. Now we’re getting somewhere, and this is what has proven to work for me time and time again. Stop thinking about what you need to do. Stop thinking about the logo, script, or campaign. The best thing you could do after getting the client brief is to do nothing. Okay, maybe not nothing, but something else, anything else. Go for a walk, have a coffee, or watch some online videos. Anything other than sitting down to start working on the brief. Sounds like procrastination but for me, it’s really about letting the information settle before I start to unpack it in more manageable chunks. It allows time for objective thinking about all the information you were given, what’s important and what’s missing. Of course, this step at times has to be expedited depending on the timeline that you’re working against. But give yourself the time to not think of ideas. But the trick is that when those ideas start coming, allow your mind to continue roaming and see where it goes. The worst thing you could do at this point is to measure these thought babies up against the brief. You’ll get to that point, but this stage is about the volume of ideas and not the quality of those ideas.
Steal
The Expectation: Ideas have to be new and original
The Reality: As everyone is used to hearing “nothing is new or original,” why waste time trying to invent something when the best solution is to reinvent something that already works?
Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery — celebrate it if you feel like it.
(The preceding paragraph was stolen from Paul Arden’s book, “Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite”.)
And remember, “It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to." This was also stolen from Paul Arden, who stole it from Jim Jarmusch, who stole it from Jean-Luc Godard.
Some of my favourite resources:
FFFFOUND! was a daily favourite of mine for many years. It featured a curated mix of graphic design, product and packaging design, and photography. Unfortunately, the site closed its doors on May 15, 2017, but you can still scroll for days thanks to the folks at Designspiration.
Or if you prefer a more authentic experience, jump back in time with the Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
Paul Arden’s books can be found on Amazon.
Aaron Draplin is a Portland, OR designer most famously known for his Field Notes notebooks. I love his simplified approach to design by practising divergent thinking as he demonstrates his logo design process: Aaron Draplin - Takes On a Logo Design Challenge