One of our constant challenges for our creative department is coming up with new and fresh ideas for our clients and in-house activities. And sometimes under tight deadlines. So a daily dose of inspiration is very important to us and we strive to incorporate that in our daily activities, our workflow and environment. So, how can you ignite your inspiration?

I always advice that when looking for stimulus for a project try to avoid looking into sources of the same field of the project you are working on. This way you can be more creative and able to come up with something more unique. You also have less chances of becoming a copycat, something that in today’s creative world is very common.

Sources of inspiration

My personal favourite sources of inspiration is the collection of art books for games and movies. I also love books on design collections for web, branding and graphic design. Additionally I love being surrounded by toys, action figures and collectables as it is very important that our environment reflects fun and creativity. From Game studios to big Advertising agencies, many apply the “playground” approach in their offices. Therefore, it comes to no surprise that research suggests that how old you feel has a bigger impact on your productivity than your actual age. Eric Jaffe expands on this topic in a very interesting article here.

Inspiration will not just come to you while waiting and doing nothing. Neither by forcing it. It’s a matter of attitude, lifestyle, habits and workflow. You can’t control it but you can definitely create opportunities to attract it. And those opportunities can be different for each of us.

Suggestions to ignite your inspiration

As a web design expert, here are a few personal suggestions that will help you find inspiration in your daily routine:

  • Allow space in your daily schedule to follow and browse through various online inspiration galleries or blogs you enjoy. Catch up with what’s new and what’s trendy. I suggest Behance, Vimeo, Awwwards, FWA, Pinterest, and Dribbble.
  • Create an offline or online personal gallery of your most favourite inspiration resources. This can include images of artworks and designs, videos, websites, articles, etc. You can use your browser’s bookmarks to categorize and store any of your favourite online discoveries. Likewise Pinterest is a great source to gather visual inspiration to use as references and inspiration triggers.
  • Always take a step back from your work by taking short 5-10 minute breaks away from the screen. If you are stuck on something and you can afford to spare an hour then try to switch off from your project and return with a fresh mind. When your eyes and mind are clear you will be able to identify better solutions to your problem and what direction to take. Along the way inspiration will find you easier.
  • Exercise often, either by taking a walk or at the gym is very helpful too. A morning workout before work will help you be more productive for the rest of the day, and more open-minded for creativity and new ideas.
  • Attend or at least watch seminars and talks on various subjects that interests you. Even on subjects that have nothing to do with your field of practise. Expanding your knowledge and interests helps you expand your sources of inspiration. I will personally suggest to especially follow TED talks.
  • Discuss and brainstorm with your colleagues often for ideas. If you work alone there are online communities you can actively participate, or you can even chat about it with friends over a coffee. You never know when a conversation or random thought could spark something new.

Conclusion

In general, no matter what kind of methods you incorporate in your daily routine, often you will need to come up with a unique and creative idea for a project instantly. This can be challenging when working under a tight deadline. No matter what you do don’t just sit there and try to force the stirring up of your inspiration until it comes to you. Instantly start working on your project. You can either start by creating mock-ups or sketches, and eventually you will get there.

While you work your brain will start feeding all of the relevant information and resources you experienced daily. Sooner or later you will start discovering the right direction that you want to take. During this process you will also start finding references and visual triggers from all the resources you learned or gathered. So, before you know it you will find yourself starting to conceptualise your next big idea and your stimulus will be all fired up.