Words for Winners: build talent and find inspiration

By Peter Vukovic on April 4, 2012 in Design Tips and esources

For the next few weeks, Words for Winners will cover five important strategies that will make YOU a more successful designer on 99designs. Part one focuses on the understanding of where inspiration comes from, how to get it when ou!re stuck and how to "rainstorm strategicall so ou can compete with the "est. #o sit "ack, relax, read and win$

From %ona &isa to map making and machine design, he did it all ' in great detail, precision and "eaut . %ost people will agree that &eonardo (a )inci was a talented individual "ut few of them can explain what talent actuall is. *s it a"out knowing how to draw+ *t is, to a degree. *s it a"out having great ideas+ ,ertainl "ut ou need more than ideas. *s it a"out working hard+ Yes, "ut it!s also a"out working smart. -alent is comprised of man different properties, each influencing creative capa"ilities of an individual. .lthough it!s hard to give a foolproof /talent recipe,0 there are some core ingredients which cannot "e removed or replaced if ou want to "ecome a highl valued and productive designer. &et!s see what the are.

1. Focus on brilliant executions

.s creative people, we are ver fond of ideas, "oth of our own and of other individuals. 1ut there is one harsh fact of life2 great execution "eats great ideas. *t!s simple when ou think a"out it ' the ke difference "etween a great and average designer is not in their a"ilit to come up with good ideas, "ut in their a"ilit to execute them. Professional designers are skilled craftsmen ' the know how to com"ine the colors, pick and tweak the t pograph , achieve a particular effect and set a specific mood so the can "ring an idea to life in a convincing wa .

*f ou had a limited "udget to "uild a tower, would ou pa for the "est idea3 or the "est construction compan + #imilarl , ou can spot amateurs a mile awa ' their ideas will alwa s have some merit, "ut their designs simpl don!t look polished and professional. -herefore, to compete with the "est, ou need to put 456 of our efforts on "uilding our design skill set. -he "est wa to do this is to regularl follow high 7ualit graphic design tutorials on sites like ."du8eedo and-utsplus, and sta on top of latest design thinking "logs such as #mashing %aga8ine. What a"out our ideas+ (on!t worr , ou!ll never run out of those.

2. Design something every day

9reat talent comes onl when ou com"ine creativit and productivit . *n other words, the onl wa to increase the amount of great work is to increase the amount of work itself "ecause no"od ever managed to get ever pro:ect right. Just consider these historical facts: ;instein is well<known for his theor of relativit "ut he pu"lished =>4 other papers 1ach wrote a cantata ever week, even when he felt ill %o8art produced more than ?55 musical pieces "ut onl a do8en are world famous

Design something every day. Period.

3. Think in an organized way

%ost design pro:ects are actuall pro"lem solving tasks ' great designers are great visual pro"lem solvers. @owever, solving pro"lems isn!t that eas . You will often get stuck, feeling helpless and without ideas. Fortunatel , there are simple, proven and effective techni7ues of creative thinking which can "e used to assist ou in this process. Use them as tools to get inspiration, ideas and avenues to explore in our designs.

4.

e o!en minded and curious

,reativit cannot survive without variet . Your mind uses our experiences to create new connections and new ideas ' the more repetitive and monotonous our dail routine is, the less creative ou!ll "e. For example, (a )inci explored painting, sculpting, architecture, music, science, mathematics, engineering, anatom , geolog , cartograph and "otan . Over the top, we agree "ut ou don!t have to go this far ' :ust tr some new things ever da 2 meet new people, read maga8ines ou normall don!t, tr some exotic food3 the list could go on and on. You will "ecome a "etter, more creative and more motivated designer.

Organized thinking is about focusing on a specific approach during design problem solving.

Think inside the box. #et two to three design limitations ou have to work with, then tr to come up with a design solution. For example2 /(esign a logo without rounded edges, swooshes and gradient effects.0 -his techni7ue works "ecause we are pro"lem solvers " nature ' our creative :uices start flowing as soon as we spot a challenge to "e solved. Think outside the box. 9o "e ond o"vious and expected and come up with an uni7ue solution. For example, if ou!re designing a we"site ask ourself2 /@ow would this we"site look if * wanted to surprise people+0 .nother useful approach is to "orrow a mindset2 /What would &ad 9aga do+0 ompare. ,ompare our pro:ect to a person, o":ect or "rand ou know well. .sk ourself, /What is this product or compan like, unlike+0 Auestions like these help ou form analogies and similes which, more often than not, give ou a clear idea of the design direction to follow. !andom "ord. Pick a random word and list all our associations on a piece of paper. -hink how to appl some of these associations to our pro:ect. 1ecause our "rain is a self<organi8ing s stem, it!s ver good at making connections ' ou!ll "e surprised how helpful this is. #mprove. When ou!re totall stuck, leave our work for a while then come "ack and calml "uild a list of things ou could do to improve the design. -r to look at it from a neutral point of view ' "e our own mentor and guide. %ore often than not ou!ll come up with an entirel different solution :ust " going through this process. $dapt. 1rowse our pro:ect archive and see how ou can put our previous ideas to new uses. *f ou!re an active designer, ou!ll often spot real design gems ou entirel forgot a"out. Bote that ou should never su"mit old designs to new contests without making necessar changes first. #mport. .ll designers /import0 work from each other ' that!s how ou get design trends. Feel free to find inspiration from specific details such as "uttons, shapes and textures "ut B;);C directl cop others designs ' that!s called plagiarism and it!s "ad for ou. %erge. Find two different designs ou like, then think how to marr them successfull . -his works "est when ou com"ine different design epochs, such as D9th centur illustration with modern t pograph . ;xplore freel . $nchor. Pick a random visual idea which is suita"le for our design, then think how to "uild a whole design solution around it. For example, if ou!re designing a "rochure for a pet products compan , ou might start with a photo of a dog ou like then find a wa to "uild a design around it

-he techni7ues listed a"ove are great for graphic design "ut ou can find man more in -hinkerto s "ook or " 9oogling creative techni7ues.