Original and eye-catching ideas, campaigns and designs are an important part of any business, but sometimes it’s easy to get stuck behind a wall that stops your creativity flowing.
Don’t worry, creative block happens to the most successful minds from time to time! Below are five tips and ideas to help kickstart your creativity the next time you get stuck in a creative rut. Whether you’re designing a new website, rebranding and need a new business logo or are coming up with the next case-study-worthy social media strategy, these are a great way to get started.
Go back to basics: Being at a computer all day can be stifling, so why not get up, grab a paintbrush and go to town on a big bit of paper? Getting back to basics with paint, pencils and a blank canvas tacked to the wall can remind you of why you got into this creative biz in the first place, and spark a flame of ideas. Where there’s fire there’s smoke, right?
Get outside: Stepping away from the workplace and going for a walk on the beach, up a hill to a beautiful view point or through the woods is a fool-proof way to clear your head of any clutter. Occupying a part of your brain with a walk and the sights around you makes space for new ideas, as well as different surroundings giving you new inspiration. Take a camera and a sketchpad so you can document any thoughts or snap anything that may come in handy when you make it back to your desk.
Remember that no idea is a bad idea: Guy Garvey, frontman of Elbow, said on finding inspiration to “Just start scribbling. The first draft is never your last.” It’s worth remembering this as you delete, re-start and delete again. Bad ideas are the stem of the great ones – knowing where you went wrong and what you or your client didn’t like are great stepping stones to the final destination.
Look outside for inspiration: This doesn’t mean staring out of the window whilst you’re in a team brainstorming meeting. Rather, if you usually browse the internet for ideas and inspiration, pick up a magazine or a book instead. Stepping away from your normal channels are a sure way to bring fresh ideas to the table (and also stop you being distracted by Facebook every 10 minutes!)
Let someone else do the hard work!: It can sometimes take an outsider to see the wood from the trees – bringing in an outsider or hiring a creative agency to help channel your ideas may be what you or your company needs. An outside agency will be able to show you first hand how the public view you as well as what strengths to show off to the world.
If you would like further advice with website design, please call us at Bob Design & Marketing on 0117 973 9326 or contact us here.