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Graphic Design Inspiration: How to Keep Your Creativity Flowing

BBM.BlogBanner.GraphicDesignInspiration.03-29-19

Everyone has felt it at some point in their lives, whether you're a designer or not – the moment when you hit a roadblock and feel as though you are running out of ideas for whatever it is you are working on, whether that is a design, piece of writing, artwork, or other project. Your mind begins to get bombarded with deadlines, requests from clients, worry, and stress, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and at a loss for inspiration.

For graphic designers, a few things need to be addressed before trying to find inspiration and getting your creative juices flowing:

  • What is the purpose/goal of the graphic?
  • What message does the graphic need to convey?
  • Who is the audience?
  • Will the graphic be printed or is it digital?
  • Is this a large, more conceptual project, or a more basic, quick project?
  • What is the client's vision? Is there anything graphically that they like/do not like?
  • Are there any restrictions laid out in the brand's style guide that need to be addressed?

Considering these questions and answering what you can will set a foundation to build from. This will help to set a focus and eliminate any possibilities that will not work, making the job less daunting. After figuring out what not to do, there are several ways you can gain back inspiration.

Find inspiration online.

This is probably the go-to for many people: Google searching for inspiration is instant and easy. However, not all Google searches are accurate. For example, if you do an image search for a certain artists' work, be aware that the images that show up will not always be from that artist. Sometimes you may need to do some further research by visiting an artist's website. You can also visit different websites of design studios, marketing firms, or websites with articles about graphic and web design trends. The possibilities are endless.

Social media is a great source of inspiration as well. There are many evolving artists and creative ideas that can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. These image and video-based apps can help you be inspired by spectacular design work, hand lettering, videography, photography, color schemes, and other visuals.

Though going online is a great and quick method of finding inspiration, the designer must also be careful to not just simply copy what they see online, or anywhere for that matter, as this is unethical and is considered plagiarism.

Experience printed materials.

While online inspiration is instant and easy, printed materials such as books, magazines, and packaging provide something the internet cannot – a work's physical form, and how one interacts with it. In other words, each printed piece is an experience – how the thick pages of a book may crack when you turn the page or how smooth and easy it is to open a well-designed piece of packaging. When looking through these pieces, be sure to observe:

  • Color palettes used
  • Photographs – their style and what the subjects are
  • How the text is laid out
  • Graphic trends
  • How all the design elements are composed
  • The type of paper used – is it thick? Thin? Textured? Glossy? Smooth?
  • Special printing methods such as raised text, spot-gloss (certain areas that are glossed over), die-cuts (pieces that are cut out from the paper), and special folding methods
  • When you open packaging, ask yourself if you enjoyed opening it or if it was difficult, and how it can be improved

Being organized and using bookmarks will aid in referring to certain spots that especially inspired you. For printed materials, you can:

  • Pull out the pages of a magazine that inspire you and keep them organized in a scrapbook
  • Put bookmarks in the pages that inspire you
  • Keep a collection of packaging neatly stored away in a box

Get away from the digital world and be inspired by the real world.
Turn off your computer. Close your laptop. Step out of the office – take a walk outside! Instead of mindlessly rushing past everything around you each day, walk slower, and take a moment to really see. Often, we separate ourselves from the earth, in a sense, and forget our surroundings. When you slow down, you may be surprised at the details you notice – from the way a few pebbles are arranged on the ground to different hidden patterns in the brickwork of a building. Use your imagination – are those patterns in the bricks simply just cracks? Or are they inspiration for a new design with abstract tree branches curving in an interesting way? Are those pebbles just broken rocks laying around? Or can it be the base of a composition in your next design? The key is to not see the world as it is. Rather, envision the possibilities of what it could be.

Take a break.
If you still feel stuck after having done all these suggestions, perhaps it is best to take a break. Get some emotional distance from your work. If you are at work and cannot leave, focus on something that is more straightforward and doesn't require as much higher-level thinking. At the end of the day, going home from work and sleeping for the night might just do the trick. Something in a dream may trigger creativity in you or waking up feeling rested may jolt your creativity back into play. Then, you can begin working on the project with a fresh pair of eyes and a refreshed mind.