As a designer everyone has experiences a point where they just can no longer think of anything worth while. It’s in these situations you have to reevaluate your perception of what works and what doesn’t. Use the following 20 ways to avoid or get through a tough designer block.
1. TAKE PHOTOGRAPHY
Almost all graphic designers have a camera with them, so why not use it? Can’t find that perfect texture or color? That’s fine, go out and take a picture of what you need. You may find inspiration in a very uncommon place. Be sure to take plenty of pictures, not just a few, then return to your office and review them to recall special feelings or smells from that moment.
Flickr
The Stock Exchange
2. CALL A FRIEND
Sometimes all it takes is a friend to say something worthwhile. Call them and discuss past events to help you recall something enjoyable, being in the right set of mind is what it’s all about, and friends bring you out of the “working mode” and into a much more pleasant frame of mind. Remember not to call them and interrupt them from their work, it may work the opposite way in that case.
Skype
3. FLIP THROUGH DESIGN BOOKS
There are a ton of books out there that were made just for people that have designer’s block. The authors of most of the books have compiled huge amounts of design work into one comprehensive picture book. These are often sorted to help you find a specific idea or theme. Just don’t underestimate the power of books, even novels, comic books, and short stories can help get you out of slump.
4. READ TUTORIALS
Most tutorials are out there for people who want to learn the software, but for designers it can be used to brush up on an old technique or to see the newest trends. These sites also often contain links to samples of how the tutorial was used in context of a design piece. With the latest design suites, it’s often impossible to learn every new feature, tutorials can also help show you what is new and useful it might be with a software update.
PSDTuts
Adobe
Tutorialized
5. VISIT INSPIRATIONAL WEBSITES
As a designer, it’s almost a given that you know about a whole range of inspirational sites that you frequent for ideas. However, going into these sites is almost a guaranteed way to break a designer’s block. Also, don’t go to the same inspirational sites all the time, try and find new ones, as that process alone could spark the idea you were looking for.
Smashing Magazine
DeviantART
All Graphic D esign
6. CREATE ART FOR PERSONAL USE
The key is to staying sharp and up-to-date is to frequently produce art just for yourself. Practicing is really the key to perfection. Not only will you become more proficient with the software, but you will also come across new ways to do the same thing, in turn creating something entirely new and unique. Use these personal projects in your office to recreate those techniques for a client.
7. SPEAK WITH COLLEAGUES
Not everyone will be able to do this as some of you are freelancers. But if you are in an office environment, speak to colleagues when time permits and if they’re not busy. Often you can have small quick brainstorming sessions that may help you to open your mind to a new focus. Colleagues can also help to relieve a lot of tension and stress built from not being able to think about new designs ideas.
8. WATCH A FUNNY MOVIE OR VIDEO
Laughter is truly the best medicine. Whether it be in a group or by yourself, laughter will help relax you and stimulate parts of the brain that control a person’s artistic and cognitive abilities. Use this fact to your advantage, don’t be afraid to really let it out, a few chuckles is good, but good “knee-slapping” laughter is even better.
Youtube
Comedy Central
9. DOODLE IN A SKETCHBOOK
All designers doodle, it’s a habit and you have probably done it since you were in school, listening to teachers. Doodling can often help you focus and think freely; instead of trying to create something with a purpose, you simply let your mind create something. Forcing creativity can often drain a designer quickly of any good ideas they may have, sometimes it’s better to just let everything go and draw.
10. LISTEN TO MUSIC
Music is food for the soul, and also a designer’s mind. You may find that listening to certain types of music may cause you to design a certain way, whether it be hard rock to create a grunge design, or acoustic jams for those soft elegant designs. Use the mental “flow” you get from music to your advantage. It will set up your entire session. Something even better is if you are a musician, step away and play some music; all the same rules apply except that actually playing music sparks a creative part of your brain and will help get rid of that nasty block.
11. FIND A SEPARATE HOBBY
Being a computer all day long, everyday, can be excruciating. Don’t let it happen to you; find a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with design or being artistic. Hobbies such as fishing, camping, collecting, billiards, chess, or working out are great ways to relax your mind. Trying to be creative all day is too stressful and you will quickly burn-out. You need a way to completely step away sometimes.
12. TAKE A STEP OUTSIDE
Probably the most widely used method of trying to get rid of designer’s block is to just take a quick stroll outside. The problem lies in that most designers step outside expecting ideas to come to them. In other words, by doing that, you’re not taking a break. Just step outside, smells some fresh air, listen to the birds, and enjoy the feeling of just being with nature. Ignore everything except what you can see, smell, or hear. Then you can step back into your office and feel refreshed.
13. WRITE POETRY OR PROSE
Often as a designer you run across an idea or saying that can get stuck in your head. Use that! Write a short poem about it. Flex those verbal muscles; it’s a different part of the mind that thinks about words so you can work them hard and it will still let your design muscles rest. This way to get rid of designer’s block plays very nicely into the next method.
14. LOOK UP SYNONYMS OR ANTONYMS
In your quest to write an amazing piece of literature, you may find that you lack correct way to say something, use a thesaurus. Finding related words will often help you look at the same thing with a different spin, and finding antonyms can help you narrow your ideas. Maybe buy a “word-a-day” calendar, these are great for keeping your vocabulary fresh and they are also pretty good conversation pieces.
Thesaurus.com
15. GO FOR A DRIVE
If weather permits, go out to your car, roll down the windows (or sunroof), and just take a cruise around the countryside or within the heart of the city. Just try to drive somewhere you don’t normally go, find new back roads, or get lost somewhere. Listen to some music while you are driving as well, it’s a win-win situation really, but just make sure you don’t get too lost, you’ll eventually have to come back to the office.
MapQuest
Google Maps
16. VISIT THE LOCAL COFFEE SHOP
Yes, that means Starbucks, too. Coffee has caffeine, as everyone knows, caffeine can help stimulate the brain when used in small quantities. However, don’t sit inside the coffee shop, sit outside and enjoy the weather, bring a pencil and paper as well. Use the sights and sounds to help sketch out ideas. You’ll find you can think better if you are not really trying to think at all. In addition to all of that, the caffeine will focus your mind on a particlar thought. Just don’t drink caffeine in excess, it can lead to addiction with many nasty side-effects.
Starbucks
17. WORK IN PUZZLE BOOKS
These little workbooks are great; using them will increase your focus and help you process thoughts and ideas more effeciently. Solving problems is the job of a designer, so anything you can use to help with your problem solving abilities is a must. There are also puzzle books that will help with proof-reading and error-checking. Designers need to have the ability to check over their own work and notice small differences with shapes and colors, so keep these by your computer at all times.
18. SLEEP ON IT
Sleeping does many things: It increases energy, enhances focus, and helps memorization, just to name a few. It helps designers by allowing them to think about something without actually thinking about it. A lot of the time coming back to a design the next morning is the best way to look at something with fresh eyes. You will also find that you can judge your work much better, determining if it still portrays the message the way you wanted it to. Naps are also another way, just don’t nap all day, as this could hamper your design abilities.
19. LOOK FOR INTERESTING OR NEW FONTS
Finding fonts is pretty fun for most designers, it creates this sense of “What can I use this for?” in their mind. Fonts spark ideas for laying out a design based strictly around a certain font or theme of font. Also, most really creative fonts include design elements within the lettering and ligature that can be used in an entire layout as shapes and backgrounds. Make sure sure you have a good font management program as well, your collection can get pretty big.
1001 Free Fonts
Fonts.com
20. STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR OFFICE
Having a clean environment is very condusive to creativity. Clutter and such scattered across a desk is the same as cluttered thoughts. Organize your desk and your mind,–file away old projects, put together all doodles into one folder, keep hard-copies of all work on the wall or desk, and just get comfortable. Which brings up another point, working in an ergonomic environment. Try not to sit too far away, above, or below your keyboard and monitor, make sure your monitor has the correct refresh rates and resolution, your chair should have proper lumbar support as well as plenty of cushion, and you should have lighting other than flourescent bulbs.
Remember this, if you’re going to try any of these techniques, do not perform them expecting to be creative. The trick is to really let your mind wander in different directions, because if you are thinking about trying to be creative, it will never work. If you have any suggestions or additions to these, please feel free to leave a comment and I will try and put it in the article.
Blake Phillips || Art Director || Vibra Design
