Being Creative…. A Starting Point PROMOTION Being Creative…. A Starting Point

As a tribute to the new President of the United States, you can find some poster designs here that are well-designed, moving or are just plain smart. The amazing thing is that many of these designers aren’t even American, but they believe in what Obama can bring to the American people so much that they’ve been moved to design. Source: www.printplace.com (Jan09)

INSPIRATION TIPS FOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

All designers go through designer’s block. You can’t be creative 24/7 All designers go through designer’s block. You can’t be creative 24/7. Here are some tips that will help you get inspired to design and hopefully let the creative river in your mind flow.

Watch a movie. This isn’t to zone out and hope something pops up subconsciously (although, sometimes that does happen – yay!). Watch a sci-fi or fantasy movie that includes a lot of outrageous scenes like The Lord of the Rings. Sometimes seeing architecture and paying close attention to the graphics of the movie, rather than the storyline, can give you some design ideas. It’d be best if you have seen the movie before so you can focus on the graphics and scenery.

Go to the zoo. It’s amazing what animals can do for us Go to the zoo. It’s amazing what animals can do for us. By relaxing at the zoo and seeing all the different stripes, spots and animal prints you are almost guaranteed to see something inspiring that could be turned into a great-looking poster or logo.

Go to a museum. This might seem obvious, but try going to a museum that you haven’t been to. Go to a children’s museum or an American Indian museum. Try going somewhere specific instead of your run-of-the-mill museum. Try going to a museum that you’re not sure you would like – getting out of your comfort zone wakes up parts of your brain that can lead to creativity.

Look through Flickr and stock photos sites Look through Flickr and stock photos sites. Real-life photos are often a source of inspiration for something drawn or painted. There’s no reason that inspiration can’t spill over to the computer.

Ask “What if. ” questions. What if dogs could talk Ask “What if?” questions. What if dogs could talk? What if we lived on Jupiter? What if all you could use was red in your design? Just thinking about questions like this that out of the ordinary can boost your creative flow.

Take a walk. If you can clear your mind as you walk, when you get back to the studio, your house or work, your brain will be like a blank canvas for you to draw on. Many times it’s not that we can’t think of creative ideas, it’s just that we are thinking of so many other things that we can’t concentrate.

Create an inspiration file Create an inspiration file. On the days when you see something in a magazine or online that catches your eye, file it away – either electronically or literally. Tear a page from a magazine or take a pic of a book’s illustration you really like. Then when your creativity well is dried up, you always have a place to go to replenish your well.

Now you have an IDEA You need to consider C O L O U R

If you choose the wrong colour for your marketing materials or Web site, it’s possible you could be turning potential clients/customers away before they even read a word. There’s much psychology behind color, and knowing how to use colors to get the feelings you want people to experience will help you get the marketing results you want.

Understanding Color All color comes from two basic colors: red and blue. Browns come from a mixture of both. Purple, indigo, green and others on that side of the color wheel come from blue. Orange, yellow and pink all stem from red tones. The eye focuses on blue colors in front of the retina, which means blue tones move away from the eye. This makes them seem non-threatening and can make people feel drowsy or relaxed. The eye focuses on red tones behind the retina, which means red tones move toward the eye. This makes red tones seem energetic, aggressive and excited.

As you can see, colours can mean all the difference in whether your marketing materials are read with an open calmness or a distrusted aggression. The right colour for your marketing materials depends on your brand message and what you want consumers to feel. There is no right colour for everyone, but there is a right colour for your brand and your product.

Inspiration for Creative Ads When it comes time to map out a new ad, whether for a billboard, brochures, a magazine spot or any other multitude of media, it’s hard to come up with something creative that people can just look at and instantly “get it.”

Look at these two examples – it is pretty easy to see what is being advertised

Challenge Yourself Your teacher will give you a project to complete drawing on the ideas we have looked at in this presentation.