
Three ways to deal with designer’s block
As a designer, I often come to a fork in the road (sometimes with infinite prongs) of how to tackle a problem or where to go with a design. It can be frustrating, and demotivating but ultimately it’s something that you’re going to have to deal with at one stage or another as you still need to do your job. Here are a couple of things that I think about when trying to overcome these feelings.
1. Be active
A quote I come back to time and time again to help frame the mentality I always try to have in my day to day work is this:
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” — Steven King
Going through Dribbble and other such websites for inspiration or direction can be helpful, but ultimately it will end up being more of a time sink as the deeper you dive trying to find something similar to what you need to produce, the more time you will waste and you will end up re-hashing someone else’s solution. Putting pen to paper is the fastest way to start solving your problems. Sketching will help you visualise the problem, even if it starts miles away from where you would want the solution to be, you are trying to solve more clearly as well as helping you frame your ideas in a way that will allow others to potentially come in and help you. Doing something is always better then just waiting for something to come to you.
2. Just ask
Firstly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Mental blocks are something all designers experience and are empathetic towards. Asking for some time from another team member to go through what you’re struggling with. The important thing to note when asking for help though is that you structure the time you have with the person or persons by having an agenda and a clear problem that you will be tackling. It can be frustrating for both parties if you just expect the solution to come from nowhere and having a manageable goal helps the other party feel like they are not just doing your job for you. Also try to make the session as interactive as possible. Bring lots of paper, pens and even try to make sure there is a white board in the room (great snacks also make all the difference).

3. Communication
A mantra that has been adopted at Founders Factory is momentum over perfection. Being paralysed by choice or uncertainty can be detrimental. Your team could be waiting for you to deliver something specific and having a mental block or not knowing where to take a design is usually not factored into a road map. This is unforeseen time that can lead to missed deadlines and opportunities. Communication here is key. Talk to your team, let them know what is going on, they are there for you as much as you are there for them. They will be able to draw from their own past experiences and potentially give you a direction that you were not even considering.
I think the most important thing to remember is that you’re never alone and that having uncertainty of any kind is a natural process. Even being comfortable with that knowledge might be enough for you to fight through and still get shit done.

