As The Guardian and D&AD announce a partnership to create a global festival of creativity in London, we got thinking about our favourite ways to stimulate new ideas when it comes to branding, design, print and web for our clients. Whether you are a creative marketing type yourself who could use all the inspiration you can get, or you don’t see yourself as a ‘creative type’ at all, we hope these techniques will help you. Of course, if you get really stuck, you could always just give us a call…
1. Change your scene
Sitting in front of a screen may be where we do the work, but out and about is where we usually find our inspiration. Whether it’s going to an exhibition, going away for a weekend or just taking a stroll to your local high street or park. Sometimes simply sitting away from your screen can get you thinking differently…
2. Change your media
Which brings us to our second tip – change your media. When we are designing branding or websites for our clients, we usually sketch out ideas on paper before creating them on the screen. Research shows that when we work in this way – whether it’s using our hands to draw, create models or even mind-maps on a whiteboard – we access a more creative part of our brain.
3. Collaborate
You may want to collaborate formally with your target markets or stakeholders or perhaps you could simply chat through your challenges with family or friends. Or even your friendly local design, print and web team! Brainstorming doesn’t always deliver immediate solutions, but it does get us thinking outside the box and gets the ideas flowing. Having worked on many public sector initiatives we are used to incorporating multi-agency suggestions or consultation with communities into our creative work.
4. Collect
It is said that there’s no such thing as an original idea and that much of the best creative work comes from simply building on what’s gone before in one sense or another. We love it when our clients bring us mood-boards or point us in the direction of work that they love. It gives us a much better feel for what they would like their final design, print or web project to look like and provides us with instant inspiration.
5. Come see us!
Still feeling stuck in a creative rut? Why not combine all these things and come see us at our riverside studio? Whether you have an idea sketched on the back of a napkin or are out of ideas, our team of experienced creatives can help you. Call us on 0208 590 0922 or email us at info@marcomedia.co.uk