Saving the Spark: Developing Creative Ideas

Ideas. They’re at the heart of every creative process. However, almost no really good ideas are flashes of inspiration. They may start that way—a single glimmer of something special—but in order to work, they need to be honed. Like a really good cheese, they need to mature. Indeed, the “flash of inspiration” idea—the Eureka moment—is only part of a longer process that, if ignored, will see most ideas simply fizzle out.

So, how do you “have” ideas? Sit about and wait for them to pop into your head? If only most of us had the luxury to do so. No, for most of us, ideas have to be squeezed out of us every day. To stand up to this challenge, you need to arm yourself with some good tools.

Rules.
Following attendee introductions and revealing the idea brief, the facilitator lays down the law. The rules of brainstorming are important for keeping everything running smoothly during the session. They are:

1. All ideas are equal
2. We’re here to have lots of ideas
3. No judging
4. Analyze the ideas later
5. Everyone’s equal (no pulling rank)
6. Have fun
7. Keep to time
8. One idea at a time

Loads of great ideas, what now?
The facilitator will record all the ideas on a single sheet of paper. After the session is finished, the facilitator will go through all of the ideas one by one and the group will rate them by the Passionometer (a fancy name for some stickers). One sticker for “not feeling it,” and three for “wow, this is great.”

The most highly rated ideas are shortlisted and then enter the next phase of development. That next stage could involve other ideas sessions, but more focused around one idea. The aim is to focus the idea down to specific, actionable problems or statements that allow a development team to take that idea and follow it through.

Jumpola.com is my personal bookmarks page too!

What Chuck Green has to say "Jumpola.com is my personal bookmarks page. At least it started out that way. It lists my favorite sources for communication designers. Where do the links come from? If you find the list helpful please recommend it to others. Enjoy"

I accidentally landed while browsing for graphic design resources. I bet it's a good resource. Though many good designers already knew many of the sites listed here. But nothing wrong in re-iterating.

Do visit here http://www.jumpola.com/

Why Work as an In-House Designer?

Why Work as an In-House Designer?
There are many advantages to working as an in-house designer:

• The in-house designer is usually provided with increased opportunities and benefits as an employee of a larger organization.
• The values of the organization can be inspirational, offering the designer a real sense of community and fulfillment.
• Working for a larger organization provides a sense of prestige and pride, especially if the designer plays a real part in creating the public face of the group
• As an employee (as opposed to owning your own company), the in-house designer is likely to enjoy more structure, a regular paycheck, and a more predictable schedule. (Many in-house designers report that this is less and less true today however, as companies downsize and try to squeeze more and more work out of fewer and fewer employees.)
• The in-house designer is able to develop a more focused specialization/subject expertise.
  An in-house designer, if utilized properly, is often more cost-effective for the employer.
• The constant attention provided by an in-house creative or team benefits the larger organization by building and maintaining a consistent message.
• The designer has a vested interest in the long-term success of the organization.
• There is no need to constantly be out beating the bushes for more work, as independent design firms must do to stay afloat.
• The in-house designer is likely to have more long-term friendships and beneficial business relationships as the result of his or her extended contact with the organization

Likely, you may think of other advantages that are specific to your situation. But there is no debating that there are many benefits to working as an in-house designer, to you and the organization. Of course, there are cons as well:

• Even though the organization hired you, it may not perceive that it needs help, change, or even design at all. It may confuse simple production issues with actual design.
• The organization’s structure often causes the wheels of change to move very slowly.
  The organization’s efficiencies often work against creativity—as in, “Just change the date/color/ headline and run it again.”
• The in-house designer can outgrow the challenges of the organization and become frustrated or burnt out.
• In-house creatives are often pulled in many different directions simultaneously.
  While you wouldn’t dream of storming into the accounting department to suggest a new payroll plan or telling the shipping department about how you think they should package goods, it’s likely that everyone in your organization has an opinion about design and is happy to share it with you.
• The organization’s product, service, or overall philosophy may be dry, conservative, or otherwise challenging creatively.
• While the in-house designer doesn’t have to constantly be out in search of new business, he or she does almost constantly have to “sell” ideas to co-workers. And sometimes, of course, the sale is not made

Graphic Design: What it is

A graphic designer is a communicator: someone who takes ideas and gives them visual form so that others can understand them. The designer uses images, symbols, type (fonts), color, and material.

Graphic design, as an industry, is a cousin to advertising, both of which came into existence couple of centuries ago (1800)

Is cricket killing other sports in India?

"YES, cricket is indeed killing other sports in India. People of India treat cricket as their fifth Veda or fourth Religion after Hinduism, Islam & Christianity. Cricket is not our national game, but it is celebrated as a festival, thanks to our Board, Government, sponsors and the media.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss2724/stories/20040612009908200.htm"

I am just responding to the regular question posed by the other sports lovers. I would say it's not just about cricket. Any sport would get that charm, craze, fame if it proves it's mettle.

If you take the example of boxing, current olympic bronze winner. Now everybody talks about them. Just a matter of proving the game. People will definetely follow that sport.

Anyone can comment on your design

Any Tom, Dick and Harry can comment on your design. Many a times rip-a-part your work. They don't even know about the basics of design, yet comments are inevitable. Because you are selling your design are asked to design for them.

It's your baby, you must have spent alot of time in visualising and making it final.