Posted on January 31, 2007 in Web-Design, with 2 comments.

Let’s face it, we all have trouble getting inspired sometimes. It can be a deadly curse when deadlines are upcoming, and you haven’t even come up with a mock-up yet. So what do you do? Well these are all the things I do when feeling stuck, bored, or uninspired. They’re all easy, most free (if not cheap), and most of them are fun. Have an idea of your own? Post a comment and let everyone know!

Sketch Something

One of the hardest parts of a creative endevour is merely getting started. What I’ll do is just get my mind off the project at hand, and sketch a nearby object, the phone, the pencil holder, or the dog. It’s not really about the skill, or the artistry, but just putting ink to paper and creating something from nothing.

Effectiveness: Pretty Effective

Go On A Scouting Expedition

I’m working on a site for a friend of mine who just purchased a ranch home that she and her husband want to turn into a bed and breakfast. They asked if I could design them a website. After talking with them, the one word she could use best to describe the theme she wanted for the website was ‘rustic’.

As much as I understood what she wanted, I couldn’t help but get a little nervous as I’d never come up with anything like that before. Futuristic, clean, and professional I’ve done, but not ‘rustic’. So I went on a scouting expedition to a few local antique stores, and a large western store to get a feel for the theme. It worked, and before I knew it I had a very rustic looking theme to show her.

Effectiveness: Fairly effective, depends on locations

Make A Thought Cloud

I’m not sure if this is what it’s technically called, but in my very uninspired moods I’ll just sit down with a few sheets of blank paper and just start scribbling words, giving them each a surrounding circle, and connecting related ones.

I couldn’t tell you why, but in a tight spot, with deadlines rearing their ugly heads, this really does work more often than not.

Effectiveness: Limited, but very effective

Take A Picture

Photographs have always been an integral part of web design, and the very act of taking pictures can do wonders for your creative side. When I take pictures to try and get inspired, I concentrate mainly on composition. I try and take what the wold has to offer, and make it better, more beautiful. This usually helps me to see things more spacially, and specifically helps when coming up with a layout.

Effectiveness: Moderately effective, but good if you don’t like to draw

Pull Out Those Crayons

While some people have an innate talent for color, most of us (I inlcuded) have to learn, practice, and work at it. If I’m feeling stuck on color choices, I’ll stop by Barnes & Noble, and grab whatever coloring book seems interesting from the kids department. I’ll use either colored pencils, or crayons and just color for a bit, trying out different combonations that I can then use in a design.

Effectiveness: Hit or miss, depends on the designer

Review Others’ Sites

It seems there are a ton of web design forums out there, and most of them have a forum for reviewing other peoples’ sites, and having yours reviewed as well, so go participate.

This tends to help me out for a couple reasons. First, I get see that I’m not the only one having problems. When you freelance, it’s easy to get the sense that everyone else is so much more talented than you, and it’s too easy to get bogged down by it. By checking out the layouts, colors, and websites other folks are working on, you get chance to see what they are doing right (or wrong) and how they flesh out solutions.

Secondly, after reviewing a handful of sites, I usually feel like I’m good enough to at least come up with something comparable. It’s not that the other designers aren’t talented, it’s more of a little competitive spirit.

Effectiveness: Highly effective

Here are my favorite web design forums:

• SitePoint
• WDF
• DesignersTalk
• Webmaster World

Collect Print Clippings

Print design has been around a lot longer than web design, and there tends to be less amatuerish stuff out there, as printing is more time consuming, and much more expensive.

Just keep a folder of clippings (or rippings) of various ads from magazines, newspaper ads, photos, brochures, etc… Anything and everything you think looks: good, effective, or minutely interesting.

When you’re feeling less than inspired, you can either hunt the papers and the mags for new stuff, or just have a look over what you’ve collected.

Effectiveness: Slightly effective, but fun

Troll The Galleries

The reason this one is last, is because I think it’s too easy to just sit back and admire the handiwork of all the various designers out there, and still be uninspired at the end of the day. But, for some it can work.

I usually give myself a time limit, say half an hour, and a goal like “how have other designers used font-size effectively”. In essence I’m almost doing an analysis of the various good designs, to see what makes them good. If I’m feeling particularly disciplined, I’ll write myself a short report. “How Font Size Can Effect Tone” or something similar, and it can really be a great learning tool.

For me though, just mindlessly shuffling through hundreds of web sites that look better than mine, isn’t very inspirational.

Effectiveness: Moderately effective if not over-used

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