Archive for category Website design

How time flies. It’s nearly the end of 2010 and once again our thoughts are turning to what might be in store for next year and how we might optimise our chances of success – both professionally and personally.

We’re not usually fans of those typical New Year’s resolutions that are likely to be broken by January 3 – you know the kind: give up smoking, always be respectful to family members, learn how to sky dive. So instead, we have tried  to come up with some that shouldn’t be too difficult to stick to, and that you might even enjoy. So here goes.

1/Step out of your comfort zone: If you normally do web design, try your hand at print. If you are at home with old media, it’s really past time to check out the new. While design principles are fundamentally the same across platforms, the amount you can learn from working in a different medium is invaluable. And who knows, you might like it so much that you want to include it in the services you offer to clients or your employers. That can only be a win-win.

2/Work with the clients you like: As opposed to the clients that are nothing but a pain in the you-know-what. And that goes double for in-house designers that have constant clashes with the lawyers and accountants that run the show.  If your client (or boss) thinks they can do a better job than you, why not let them? I know, I know, we all need money to live, but there are always other opportunities out there, you just have to get off your bum and look for them.

3/ Step away from the computer: Read a book, go for a walk. We are all guilty of sometimes getting so absorbed in work that hours go by before we even stop for bodily functions. This is especially true for people, such as designers, whose work means doing what they love. It doesn’t really feel like work so it mustn’t be work. Right? Wrong. It’s time to find that elusive work/life balance. Not only is it good for mental and physical health, it might also help get the creative juices flowing.

4/ Network in real life: We all hear so much about social networking these days that we sometimes forget that there are actually real people put there in the world. Join a professional association, and actually attend the functions and the professional development courses. Check out where other designers/marketers/communications professionals like to hang out and join them. Why not start by getting to know your neighbours?

5/Get organised: Ok, so there’s one boring, bog-standard, run-of-the mill resolution on the list. But just think about how great it will feel with all your receipts and invoices properly filed and your workspace cleared of clutter. While we’re at it, we might even find a file-naming convention that works – and stick to it.

We hope these ideas help you with your own resolutions for 2011 – and we’d love for you to share any other ideas. Happy New Year!

Every designer knows the feeling. You have spoken to the client, you know what they want, you’ve created a clear brief, you know exactly what you need to do, but you just can’t come up with an idea. Instead you find yourself surfing through endless design portfolios looking for inspiration that never comes.

You have a creative block!

Well, here are ten methods that I have used to clear a creative block, starting at my least favourite

10: Exercise.
Get outside, breathe some air, go for a jog, or a long walk. Take at least an hour outside in the fresh air doing something that gets the heart pumping and the blood flowing.

9: Go for a swim and see how far you can swim underwater.
This is a technique that athletes sometimes use to clear toxins from their muscles, and is just as effective at clearing all the coffee residue from your gluteus maximus after sitting in front of the computer for 50 hours straight.

When you hold your breath at the same time as exerting yourself, your body quickly uses up all of the oxygen in your muscles. When you finally come up for air, the new clean oxyginated blood is quickly pumped through your muscles which also clears out a lot of toxins. It’s a bit like an oil change.

8. Clean your desk.
It’s a well established fact that it is harder to concentrate when you are working in a clutter. If your desk is too messy to deal with, get everything off it and put it behind you so you can’t see it. Give your self a nice clear shiny empty desk to make yourself feel like you are organised, professional and ready to create a brilliant design.

7. Feng Shui your office.
This is a step further than clearing your desk, but it can make a huge difference to your state of mind, and the process of thinking about how your office should be arranged is in itself a great creative stimulator. Check out some ideas here: http://www.thespiritualfengshui.com/office-feng-shui.php

6. Eat some fruit salad.
How long since you had a really healthy meal? Treat your body to some vitamin and natural sugar. The brain is driven by the same sugar that is found naturally in oranges and other fruit. It’s a great way to kickstart your cerebral cortex and clear that block.

5. Meditation.
One of the best lectures I ever had at university involved lying on the floor, with my arms by my side, and imagining that I was floating on a cloud. (I fell asleep, but felt great when I woke up). You can find heaps of cheap meditation cds around the place, but basically;

1. Lye down straight on the floor.
2. Flex your toes, then relax them. Imagine that they are sinking into the floor.
3. Flex your feet, then relax them. Imagine that they are sinking into the floor.
4. continue with your ankles, calves, knees etc until your whole body has been relaxed and is sinking into the floor.

4. Practice your life drawing.
Go and find some paper, and a pencil. (Just in case you’ve forgotten what a pencil is… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil), sit down in front of something, anything doesn’t matter, and draw it. Do some of the old drawing techniques you might have learnt in art class. Don’t look at the paper, just at the object, do a sketch without taking your pencil off the paper, try just drawing the negative space. You might find that the creative part of your brain kicks in while you are concentrating on the sketch. Try changing hands to engage both sides of your brain.

3. Smoke some drugs. .. just joking… drugs are bad. Don’t do drugs!

3. Music.
Lye down for half an hour in a quiet room with your headphones, and listen to your favourite inspirational, feel good play list. If you don’t have a favourite inspirational, feel good playlist, make one. Find 10 songs in your music collection that makes you feel happy and motivated. Keep these songs in a play list handy for next time you need to pick yourself up. (Le Miserables is pretty good)

2. Talk about it.
Go and find someone to talk to about the project. Bounce some ideas around. Even if the person you speak to doesn’t have any ideas, just talking about it can often break the mental blockage and get things moving.

1. And my very favourite, Crayons!
Get a big piece of paper, and some colourful crayons and start brain storming. Write down all the words that relate to the project, sketch all the icons that go with the words. Make it big and messy, and use lots of paper, and eat chocolate cookies with a glass of milk.

Note that none of these solutions revolve around your computer. The first thing to do in any creative block crisis is to stand up from your desk, and walk away from your screen.

Have you got some other ideas that work for you? We would love to hear them. Leave us a comment.