How do you come up with a design?

paranoidandroid · Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 317 Location: Lancashire

I am just about to redesign my current website, at the moment I am still at the stage where I am thinking through different concepts/ideas with nothing down on paper.

So where do you get ideas for web design and how do approach a new design?

Heres the way I tend to do it at the moment-

1. Write a few ideas down, maybe some very rough little layouts

2. This is ongoing - look at lots of different designs on sites such as www.cssvault.com

3. Make mock designs in Photoshop, this is the stage that I waste most time on, usualy ending up with loads of slightly different variations.

4. Try and get feedback from as many people as possible.

5. Do nothing for weeks and then almost give up.

6. Realise I need to get something done and spend a couple of days doing nothing else except getting a design up and working on the web.

Any different approaches, methods, techniques?

marbles · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 6:07 pm Post subject:

As you will no doubt be aware, I do not come from an artistic background and my limited skills are very much at an infant stage. But I suppose some of the things that i am learning at the moment are things that people like you and opticalparadox have either forgotton or take for granted what with being experienced etc...

One important thing, I think, is to appreciate the times when you are NOT inspired as much as when you are and know when to leave a project alone for a while. These periods of non-activity can be a very potent tool of the design process allowing your subconconscious to work while you are busy doing other things.

When you feel inspired to go back to your project, you will more often than not, be able to see it from a fresh angle and be able to apply new ideas that have developed through this 'down time'. Do you agree with this?

paranoidandroid · Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 317 Location: Lancashire

opticalparadox

It is a difficult question to answer. I'd say the creative process differs per individual and it takes time to develop your technique or method....

In art college, we were first forced to do loads of research on the subject of our brief. So basically collecting information, articles (much reading) which gradually spawned ideas which we would then depict in A3 design sheets. You had to come up with a few main ideas and then select one to focus on for the final design. This was a very long structured process but often yelded effective results.

I'd say nowadays, I have cut out the intermediate stages and often just come up with a design concept in my head after thinking about the project for a few hours (consciously or subconsciously) and then can realise it quite quickly using the design programs. This has only happened more recently after a few years of learning about graphic design, then a few years web design.

I still adopt some suggestions from NWSAD: one was to make a lever arch file full of design styles / adverts you have seen and appreciated and may want to immitate or adapt in future. Then when you are lacking in inspiration, you can flick through your file for design ideas. They also suggested buying a sunday paper regularly which is filled with photo-heavy magazines for this purpose.

At the moment, I am adding inspiring or informative sites to the artists resources page of the ad so that I and others can reference them later. And I have also started taking snapshots of web pages and putting them in a folder on my desktop.

When I start a project, I tend to collate all my material (images and text) in photoshop and experiement with layouts. I generally focus on using a strong image /s that 'wows' me and then build tag lines and a website around it. I think it is important to think of your USP - unique selling point and get that across to your audience. Not sure how I come up with the main design concept, it just seems to be a 'eureka' moment that comes from nowhere.... Idea

I agree in that sometimes you have to be patient for the creative juices to start flowing although sometimes if you persevere with whatever basic initial ideas you have for a while even when lacking in inspiration, you can sometimes come up with something by chance.

I'll probably have further thoughts on this subject....
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paranoidandroid · Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 317 Location: Lancashire

opticalparadox · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 9:56 pm Post subject: artistic integrity

paranoidandroid · Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 317 Location: Lancashire

marbles · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 11:21 pm Post subject:

That's nothing - I once used a wax crayon!

paranoidandroid · Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 317 Location: Lancashire

On the graphics course I did some work with shoe polish and chocolate, they gave up on that project in the end.

opticalparadox · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 11:32 pm Post subject: what is creativity?

Some wise words but cannot remember where I originally read them:

opticalparadox · Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:25 pm Post subject: horizontal scrolling

Found this....http://www.zoomerzine.co.uk/zoomerzine_fullnomenu.html - which I thought was quite a novel idea but anyone who hates horizontal scrolling will not be impressed. Inspiring to do something different to everyone else.
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Optical Paradox: design solutions - web design leeds, web design harrogate, web design barnsley | Artistic Directory & Forum - uk art directory, online portfolios, artists resources | Epiphany: Open your mind, Evolve as a human being