Load your chamber by continuously exposing yourself to new ideas. Read, travel, learn about anything that catches your interest, especially outside your field. Leave your comfort zone. Build an archive of knowledge that you can harvest.
When creating concepts, dig deep. Don't fall in love with your first idea. Have many ideas. With a loaded chamber you can fire at will.
Use your left and right brain. Good designers can move back and forth fluidly. Some exercises for getting the process going:
- word association
- mind mapping
- charting (Put 6 pertinent words across the top and 6 more words across the side. Fill in each square. Then roll a die 6 times to select the concepts you will work with.)
- Venn diagrams (where do the main concepts overlap?)
- before–during–after (identity where your audience is before, during, and after using you client's product or service)
- force yourself into another point of view
- concept equation (blank + blank = blank)
- slang
- shape association
- letterforms
- negative space
Design is becoming a commodity. To stay alive in this business you will have to be intelligent and creative. You will have to offer something more than production.
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