Graphic Design: Design, Creativity, and Ideation

Name: Graphic Design: Design, Creativity, and Ideation
Author: Joe Tury

Understanding the message and putting it all together

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Course: On-Demand

In this lesson, you will learn how to overcome creative block with brainstorming. Every professional designer at many times in a career has had moments where the creative process seems to escape them. No matter how experienced a designer is, it becomes impossible to continue a project because the creativity has run dry. You too will encounter this at one point or another, especially as a beginner designer, but take care, there is a way to get back on track. Brainstorming is used just for this purpose. Brainstorming is a group problem solving technique that can be quite enjoyable. The idea is to gather a group together to help generate ideas. No idea is considered to be of lesser value than the other and not every idea is considered to be the ideal solution. In brainstorming, ideas are meant to generate new ideas, form different paths to explore and trigger new ways of thinking to get over design hurdles. There are many methods to brainstorming, but I will highlight a few that work very well. All of the methods involve four techniques. Come up with a large quantity of creative ideas. Critique and discuss, not criticize and dismiss. Choose which ideas to follow up and combine and improve the ideas that are presented. Method one involves everyone in the group writing their ideas down on paper anonymously. Ideas are then stacked into a pile and read one by one. This is a great strategy for a couple of reasons. One, it gives quieter individuals a private platform for their voice which may not be heard over more enthusiastic teammates. Secondly, the ideas tend to be much more unique from each other as there will be no influence from verbal discussion, at least in the beginning stage. The Starburst method is another popular way to brainstorm. The design problem is tackled by asking who, what, when, where, and why? An example would be who is the intended audience? What is the message? When will the message be delivered? Where will the message be seen? And why will the audience choose to listen? For best results, construct multiple questions beginning with each of the categories. Next, discuss possible answers as a group for each of the questions. You will be surprised at the creative solutions that a brainstorming team will arrive to. Sometimes the questions themselves will reflect the answers. Rapid ideation can be an exciting and entertaining form of brainstorming. With this method, answers are timed. Each member is given a set amount of time to generate as many ideas as possible. Ideas can be one word or sentences. This fast-paced method will surely cause laughter and a lot of noise. A game-like atmosphere can loosen up tension and bring the designer results of a solution. The last method I would like to highlight is the SWOT method. It is very tactical in nature. SWOT is an analytical approach. S stands for strength. What are the strengths of the message? W equals weakness. What are the weaknesses of the design and message? O equals opportunities. What opportunities can be taken advantage of in order to achieve the widest reach for the message? T equals threats. What are the challenges that can prevent the message from reaching its intended audience? Discussing these four topics can propel the design by giving the designer new ideas on which to focus creativity. in the creative world can be very enjoyable and helps with team bonding. The more brainstorming is used, the more comfortable a team will become with each other and the easier it will become to generate ideas. In the next lesson, you will learn about revising and editing your creative designs.

Beginner Provider : Joe Tury 3 Lessons · 12m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

After studying and learning the principles and theories of design, you have reached the point where it is time to put it all into practice. Part of design is spent learning software while more time is dedicated to learning the craft. But sometimes you’ll encounter problems and circumstances that cannot be taught with application software or through art theory: the human factor.

In these lessons, you will learn to overcome creative blocks by using brainstorming to spark new ideas. We’ll also go over some frustrations common to the revising and editing process, and how to combat them by embracing the challenge and understanding the reasoning behind it. You will also learn how to focus your design skills into intentional and purposeful messages.

What You'll Learn

Apply brainstorming techniques to overcome creative blocks and spark new ideas
Recognize editing and revisions as a necessary part of the design process
Understand the reasoning behind the revising and editing process to combat common frustrations
Focus your design skills into intentional and purposeful messages
Design with intent by being deliberate in your design decisions

Key Takeaways

Some design challenges stem from the human factor and cannot be solved through application software or art theory alone.
Brainstorming is a tool for sparking new ideas and overcoming creative blocks.
Revising and editing are a necessary part of the design process, and understanding the reasoning behind them helps combat related frustrations.
Effective design involves focusing your skills to create intentional and purposeful messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this course?

You will learn brainstorming techniques to overcome creative blocks, recognize editing and revisions as a necessary part of the process, and understand how to focus your skills and be intentional in your design decisions.

What topics does this course cover?

The course covers three lessons: Brainstorming, Revising and Editing, and Design with Intent.

Who is this course for?

It is designed for those who have already studied the principles and theories of design and are ready to put them into practice, particularly addressing the human factor that cannot be taught through application software or art theory.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will build skills in brainstorming, creative design, creative problem solving, creative thinking, design thinking, and graphic design.