Designer’s Block
It’s when a designer struggles to come up with only the most creative of ideas. Despite our best efforts to ideate, innovate, collaborate, or whatever other verb you can think of: absolutely nothing gets done. So, with this post we’d like to express to you how designer’s block makes us feel and discuss our approaches to handling it. We promise that we (probably) won’t rant.
Theresa’s take:
Describe how designer’s block feels to you.
Designer’s block feels like being on a treadmill, and for reference, I do not enjoy treadmills. You’re going and going and trying to get somewhere, but it’s just not happening. Then it starts to feel a little pointless despite using up a lot of your energy.
What do you do when you have designers block?
When I have designer’s block, I need to get up and go. (Or get off that treadmill and take a run outside with some real sights) I try to focus on a different piece of work. One of the biggest things about designer’s block for me is that it makes me anxious because the more I’m stuck on one thing, the more aware I am of how much time is going by that I am not accomplishing anything. If I can take a break from what I’m working on to whittle down my to-do list, it gives me some peace of mind. Checking things off a list always feels good, and then I am able to go back to what I was stuck on feeling a little less stressed and hopefully a little more creative!
Describe a time where you overcame designer’s block.
During my senior year, our final project was to redesign Annual Reports and I was working on one for Home Depot. This is a 50 page book that begins to feel repetitive and I definitely got burned out working on it. I just hit a wall and wasn’t loving anything I was doing for it. First, I took a break to finish all of my other work as far into the future as I could. Then I went on a shopping trip to Home Depot with one of my friends, stopped for ice cream on the way home because ice cream is never a bad idea, and returned to the computer lab and began to crank out some ideas. Sometimes just taking a break is the best way to overcome designer’s block.
What currently inspires you?
Right now, I am LOVING the Adidas, Here to Create campaign. I am a big fan of sports and therefore gravitate to design and marketing campaigns revolving around sports. Adidas has recently been focusing on the “Create” theme as a brand and how important it is for athletes to be able to create, and how important creativity is to the sports’ world in general. Because it’s an idea that combines two of my favorite things, I get especially excited and inspired by what they’re doing.
What is currently playing in your music playlist?
Like right this second?? Well that’s an embarrassing one because despite it only being Wednesday, I’m listening to my “Fri-YAY (Country version)” playlist. So the last three songs I heard were:
1. Lawn Chair Lazy — James Barker Band
2. Pop a Top — Alan Jackson
3. Drinkin’ Bone — Tracy Byrd
Ann’s take:
Describe how designer’s block feels to you.
Designer’s block feels like the most uncomfortable conversation where you’re basically talking to the wall… but with yourself. You’re trying so hard and getting nowhere.
What do you do when you have designers block?
I usually take a break, get some coffee, look around for beautiful things, and work on something sort of clerical and mindless for a while to let my brain rest and work in the background.
Describe a time where you overcame designer’s block.
Well you may have noticed there was a LONG period where I didn’t make any UI Challenges… I was pretty blocked before I came back with Day 20 on December 6th and then ended up completing up to 25 by the next day. I’m not sure what did it exactly, but I think letting the right side of my brain rest for a little bit and recharge definitely helped. There are also times where I have to make myself get over perfectionism which frequently gets in the way of designing without second guessing every little piece.
What currently inspires you?
Travel! Going new places or even places I’ve been before but don’t get to often enough gives me a fresh perspective and a different culture to play with for a while. Anytime I go somewhere outside of my normal routine, I feel more creative and energized.
What is currently playing in your music playlist?
1. Spring (with Alice Wetterlund) — Gilmore Guys: A Gilmore Girls Podcast
2. Rise Up — Andra Day — Cheers To The Fall
3. Baby It’s Cold Outside (duet with Michael Bublé) — Idina Menzel, Michael Bublé — Holiday Wishes
Adaoha’s take:
Describe how designer’s block feels to you.
Designer’s block to me is like running inside a hamster ball, on a wheel, while simultaneously spinning on top a gyroscope. Confusing? Exactly. It’s a period of mental daze, staring at bunch of squares for so long, they start to look like circles.
What do you do when you have designers block?
Two simple steps. I walk away, and talk. Sometimes to myself, as crazy as that sounds, and sometimes to others. Taking a lap around never hurt! I’ve found that most times I have designer’s block, its from poor planning. So I also take the time to do what I should have done in the first place: talk to users, FULLY understand the requirements, and SKETCH! Sketching is one of the best ways to get the ideas out of your head! On a side note, when all else fails Google it! When looking for ideas, that’s another go-to. You never know where you’ll end up, Pinterest, Dribble, Behance, a blog, you name it!
Describe a time where you overcame designer’s block.
My sophomore year in college was when I’d say I had a MAJOR designer’s block. Well, one that really mattered. My team was given the task to redesign a dating website. You would think that a dating site would be fun and simple, right? Wrong. And as the UI person on the team, I had to come up with a couple of ideas! As if just one idea was not hard enough. At that moment, I followed the two simple steps mentioned earlier, and all went well with the world. I chatted with a few classmates and my professor, told them what my ideas were and bounced a few features off one another. Right after I started to sketch, all the ideas, good and “bad”. When everything was on paper I was then able to see what worked and what didn’t. That, paired with some GOOD user research, I was able to produce something that dropped the mic. Everyone liked it. Drop some color in there and BOOM! We received the highest score in the class and of course, I passed with an “A”!
What currently inspires you?
Many things inspire me, but my culture is number one. I think I always show that one way or another within my designs. I love patterns, bright colors, and symmetry. I like LOUD design, And what people consider conservative, that’s my norm.
What is currently playing in your music playlist?
A lot of afro-beats! It gets and keeps me pumped!
I’ve been listening to a new artist, Mr. Eazi, and his album is stuck on replay while I’m working.
The top three are:
1. Hollup — Mr. Eazi
2. Skin Tight — Mr — Eazi
3. Ogene — Zoro
Yasmine’s take:
Describe how designer’s block feels to you.
Designer’s block feels like being cocooned on a cold winter morning by that extra heavy goose feather duvet you got from that bourgeois department store.
What do you do when you have designers block?
Again, designer’s block is more a feeling of dismotivation. When I have to pull out of my cocoon or stop staring at my computer screen, I do three things.
1. Finesse myself a warm cup of coffee. (White chocolate mocha’s are my favorite!)
2. Find inspiration for my project. (Dribbble, pinterest, etc.)
3. Find a good playlist on Spotify. (Indie pop never fails me)
Describe a time where you overcame designer’s block.
Two things tend to happen, I fall deeper in to my cocoon or I get my ass to work. It really is self-discipline and the motivation to be in the top 15% of your industry one day. I highly recommend this book, it has helped aligned my longitudinal vision for my career and my everyday actions:
https://www.amazon.com/No-Excuses-Self-Discipline-Brian-Tracy/dp/1593156324
What currently inspires you?
Knowledge. 2016 was a great year for my growth as a designer and I’m just graduating and starting my career. Seeing all that I’ve learned throughout this past year and all that there is to learn excites me. It inspires me to get into a new book, start a new project, sign up for a workshop, etc. I’m a strong advocate for just DO. If you’re not sure if you’ll like something, do it, find out. If you’re not sure how to get better, do it, practice. However, it is important to have a good balance of open-mindedness and confidence. Open-mindedness in the sense that you are willing to take constructive criticism. But the confidence that you do not have to change that detail if that signifies you and your design style.
What is currently playing in your music playlist?
1. Nothing Without You — The Weeknd
2. Die For you — The Weeknd
3. I feel It Coming — The Weeknd, Draft Punk
(Clearly, I’m a fan of The Weeknd’s new album!)
My take:
Describe how designer’s block feels to you.
Have you ever known the answer to someone’s question but for some wicked reason your brain conveniently decides to “throw it out” right as you’re asked — still, though, allowing you to believe that it’s hanging out on the tip of your tongue for hours, maybe even days? That’s what designer’s block feels like to me. It’s like I know everything that I need to know and can’t figure out why I’ve suddenly forgotten it all.
What do you do when you have designers block?
In the early stages of my designer’s block, I will typically try to seek inspiration through research. Most of the time, that’ll consist of me scouring the internet for any and all content related to my problem. I’ll also often look at examples of work that I admire and try to figure out what specifically it is that I admire about them. If that all fails, I’ll do something that takes my mind off of the problem for a bit in the hopes that my subconscious will just take care of it.
Describe a time where you overcame designer’s block.
I try to come up with new ideas often, so I almost feel as though part of me experiences a perpetual designer’s block. I guess the good part about that is I have a lot of opportunities to overcome it. Most recently, I’ve been trying to come up with a name for a friend’s company. Should be simple, right? Eh. Aside from considering what that company does, I need to make sure that the name doesn’t limit my friend’s company geographically, or sound too plain, or too obscure, or too cliché — so yeah it could be going a little better. Did I say I overcame that one? I’ll let you know when I do…
What currently inspires you?
This is going to sound deep. But lately, I’ve been really inspired by the cinematic blend of nature, mankind, and architecture — though not in any particular order. I’ve been admiring videos that incorporate breathtaking landscapes with people looking off into the distance, beautiful waves surfed in far-away places, and gorgeous structures atop magnificent cliffs. All of these scenes carefully crafted, fabulously framed, and tied together with a serene natural sound and uplifting tone. It’s inspired me to create some of the same content — but with my own spin, of course.
What is currently playing in your music playlist?
Since I’ve sort of been all over the place since Christmas, I’ll leave you with a few of the classics from my spectacular holiday playlist:
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You — Mariah Carey
2. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays — *NSYNC
3. Last Christmas — Wham! (RIP George Michael)
We want to know how you overcome designer’s block. Comment on this post or share with us on Twitter with the hashtag #DesignPOK100.
Find us on the line at:
Theresa Hans — https://twitter.com/theresalhans
Ann Novelli — https://twitter.com/annnovelli
Adaoha Uzoho-Onyekwelu — https://twitter.com/iUmueke_Maiden
Yasmine El Garhi — https://twitter.com/yasssssss_mine
Kevin Bruckner — https://twitter.com/ibm_kevin
As always, our challenge submissions are all fictional and represent only our own, awesome views!
