If an idea is the seed that grows into a tree how can we as designers help to make sure that tree has all the things it needs to ensure ideal growth and a healthy lifecycle? It turns out that the tree analogy although perhaps a little overused, can be an apt one when thinking about the process and preparation behind the formulation of ideas. Not only does an average seed need fertile soil, it needs an optimal mixture of light, water, oxygen and temperature in order to germinate. If these things aren’t prioritized the life of a tree can be thwarted from the start. Formation of ideas are similar in their inception. Cultivating new, good ideas can take care on the part of the designer. Like botany you can do too much or not enough in varying degrees with a balancing approach being ideal.
Initially the creative process may require external stimulation to begin. Media can help get the creative juices flowing. As visual creators, imagery is typically the format of choice but not limited to. Finding images in a similar vein to the subject matter in question and compiling them in one easy place to access while on a project can be a simple and convenient approach which is sometimes called mood boards or idea boards. Many top designers utilize mood boards with great success, but it’s not a requirement. The board acts as an collage of ideas, references, emotions, history, etc. All of these can be used as though you would fertile soil, or ample light to help the idea to germinate and take shape without the misdirection of focus on old or outside thoughts.
When using mood boards one must be mindful not to stifle ideas by overthinking any one aspect. We find it best to stay loosely connected to the imagery while in the collecting phase in order to allow good resulting ideas to simmer. Find a picture but don’t spend too long with it before moving to the next. In this way you aren’t diverting focus. At the end of this session you’ll have a group of pictures to further narrow down to a smaller, consolidated core group which represents the feeling you’re after. The board can then be referenced throughout the project at any point.
There are many different software choices that will help with this process but we’d like to highlight a couple free options that have been particularly
useful. Google Slides is excellent for it’s quick and easy to use UI and cloud based storage making it easy to toggle between devices should the need arise. Another excellent choice is the software PureRef. Both options allow for drag and drop image storage but the latter is a standalone software . PureRef is a free software but accepts donations upon download and we believe it more than warrants a within- budget donation for how instrumental and seamless it becomes once implemented into the design workflow. The software seems to be developed with the designer in mind. Where it really shines is it’s compact size and even smaller resource requirements making it possible to be used on the go with a portable device like a phone or tablet.
"The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones."
-John Maynard Keynes
