Eivind Bårdsen | Graphic and logo design from the Sunshine Coast

In a previous post, I wrote about some idea generation techniques. In this post I want to let you know about another technique that I find especially helpful when coming up with design concepts.

When generating ideas for logos, websites or printed material there are always some obvious ideas that would be labelled a cliché or not creative.

That is why you have to ask yourself lots of questions when creating a concept

Creativity is about making new connections between things or ideas. Hopefully the new connection is a useful one, but at the idea generation stage anything goes. A ‘far out’ idea may lead to a useful idea later.

I did an assignment at the university, where we had to choose a theme, and then create 50 images using that theme. I chose to use lemons, and some of the questions I asked was:

What if we substituted tomatoes with lemons on a sandwich?

Looks like the sandwiches are a bit bitter today…

What is lemons were spaceships?

They came in lemons… huge lemons.

Don’t these street lamps have the shape of a lemon?

These lemon trees look rather unnatural.

What if lemons had a vicious enemy: the lime?

I may be green, but I have a huge knife!

What if lemons where huge construction elements?

Let

What if lemons were the tools of the revolution?

Enjoy washing the lemon-acid off your wall!

Other questions to ask are:

• What other uses do my subject have?
• Is my subject similar to something else?
• Where does my subject absolutely NOT belong?
• Who else can use my subject?
• Can a part of my subject be used separately?

It is often better to go through this process when sketching, as you spend less time on each idea. I also find it useful to have to come up with a certain number of ideas. That way I am forced to make creative connections.

So next time you are faced with a creative project, how about committing to come up with 50 or 100 or more ideas before you take it to the next stage?

How many different ideas do you usually generate when you start a new project?