Yeah…I’m Not Really Feelin’ It.
Have you ever been in that position where you’re required to design something that you really have no interest in? Well thats where I was this week. My place of employment wanted to create a special web page for a wedding magazine they are producing.
Seeing as I’m not really into the whole wedding scene, even though my girlfriend wishes I was, I had a hard time trying to create a meaningful and creative design. I wanted to outline the steps I took to help me get in the game and create a good design.
Step 1: Research, Research, Research -
Take a look at the competition or sites with similar content. You can get a lot of great ideas by seeing what other sites are doing. The point isn’t to just go out and steal someone else’s idea, but to get inspired by other great design. I personally believe you can never do enough research, the more you know the more you will succeed.
Step 2: Go crazy -
Sometimes the best way to come up with something original is to go in the complete opposite direction that you think you need to head. This is great starting point to generate ideas and layouts. It may not lead to the best design decisions for you project, but it will generate new and creative ideas.
Step 3: Ask for help -
Its hard sometimes, but asking for help is not a bad idea. I know I wish I had all the great ideas all the time, but thats is not realistic. Asking for help from another designer or non-designer can give you unique insight into how others perceive your design. It is important, however, to take all advice with a grain of salt though. You cant let your original vision be compromised by ideas from others, it is YOUR design and that can’t be forgotten.
So there it is, a few ideas I use for when I am stuck on a design problem. As with everything, these ideas don’t always work, but I’ve found these to be good go to techniques to generate ideas.
If anyone has any additional or different takes on this subject I’d love to hear them.