May

21

Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

Post Category: Creativity, Marketing 


(a Creative Chaos installment)

I was in Starbucks this morning when I saw a display for their new iced coffee drinks. The colors and layout jumped out at me and I grabbed my moleskine and started sketching away. I had been running into a mental roadblock on a web design project I’m working on until inspiration hit. Eureka!

I find inspiration for my writings and designs everywhere. I’ve almost gotten into accidents because I was looking at creative designs on billboards. Sometimes I thumb through magazines without reading a single word, just looking at fonts, colors and photos. I just picked up a copy of the Lürzer’s ARCHIVE magazine and have flipped through it at least a dozen times.

I suppose there are some artists who can sit down with a blank canvas/paper/screen and come up with brilliant art but most designers I know spend hours geaning new ideas and inspiration from other designers. I’m not talking about copying someone’s work entirely. There’s enough design plagiarism out there. But sometimes the smallest thing can make a light bulb go off in your head and remove a mental roadblock. For example, I just discovered this font on this site that I’m going to use as a redesign for another site I’m working on.

What inspires you? Where do you go, what do you read, what do you do to find inspiration?

Comments

11 Responses to “Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?”

  1. Jason Ruggles on May 21st, 2008 9:51 am

    I’m so glad you linked to Starbucks site. Just this morning, I was driving past there, and was like, “Shoot! What is there website? Is it .com or .org… is the s in starbucks capitalized?” But then I read your blog, and you conveniently post the link, seemingly just for me. So thank you.

  2. Brad Ruggles on May 21st, 2008 10:05 am

    Blame it on my wikipedia tendency. :-)

    - Brad

  3. brad cooper on May 21st, 2008 11:16 am

    Random places…. but i see a lot of what inspires me via illustration in sociology… people watching (as long as it’s not creepy sketchy stalker’ish) really allows me to objectively observe and gain traction with an audience… but that’s just me…

    brad coopers last blog post..We’re Fat….

  4. CJ Mills on May 21st, 2008 6:01 pm

    I don’t do a lot in the realm of graphic design (just a little). My focus in creativity and inspiration is more towards visual media and film. I was actually discussing this topic with with a friend two nights ago and we both talked about commercials and music videos as our source for recent inspiration. I can get more out of a 30 second commercial than I can a movie.

    CJ Millss last blog post..Sending Jadyn Home

  5. tam on May 21st, 2008 6:59 pm

    I get inspiration from music. Being a writer it just takes one good hook line to take me in a completer other direction. I love it when that happens!

    But oddly enough - I get inspired mostly when I’m doing absolutely nothing at all or a mundane task. It’s when my brain is on a “take 5″ that something has a chance to pop in their and say “HELLO there!”

    tams last blog post..Search Terms…Make me blush

  6. Abbey on May 21st, 2008 9:31 pm

    I agree with both Tam and Brad C. My inspiration comes from random places, and it most often comes at the times when I am the most still. It is these during these quiet times that I am “struck with inspiration”, as the saying goes (in my own words, an idea wallops me over the head). =)

  7. Coni Andress on May 21st, 2008 11:09 pm

    Lately i find a lot of inspiration on this person’s blog. Christainlovestories.com
    This couple is going through such heart ache right now and yet their love for Jesus and their assurance of His love for them inspires me beyond words. God is sooo good.

    Coni Andresss last blog post..Experience, strength and hope

  8. Tyler on May 22nd, 2008 11:18 am

    I get inspiration when I have time just to listen to music, go to a concert, or play music in a silent room.

    Tylers last blog post..We the Purple .1

  9. jason on May 22nd, 2008 11:49 am

    I’m big on plagiarism! I’m convinced there isn’t an original idea out there, just people putting their own spin on an inspiration.

    jasons last blog post..A beautiful idea…

  10. kim on May 22nd, 2008 1:52 pm

    i find greatest inspiration in random snippets of ideas i hear (from other people, from media, wherever) that lead to an idea that’s really worth pursuing. A great idea will grab a hold of me, pester me, and will not be dismissed, which is good. because the medium-great ideas get lost in my everyday family-and-work chaos. for me, inspiration is always in concept…word…thought. never pictures.

    kims last blog post..Interactive Worship for Students

  11. spatulahandle on June 18th, 2008 9:57 pm

    A lot of different things inspire me…it depends on what I am working on and who I am doing it for, what they like. A few days ago I started working on a scrapbook in memory of my uncle who passed away a week ago. I really didn’t know where to start with it, but looking through all of the pictures made me feel closer to him and that inspired me. Music and colors are both big inspirations for me too.

    spatulahandles last blog post..Kids Are Quick

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