Keep Your Creative Ideas Even with Design Limitations
Being a web designer means thinking about the end users, but in some cases, you need to take into account both the users and the client. The ideal situation is to deliver a final design that leaves everyone happy — you, your client and the end users. However, due to the differences in opinions and the client’s personal preferences, it may be difficult to find a balance. It’s likely that you will have several conversations with the client when doing drafts and finalizing the decision.
So, what can you do when the client already has a fixed design idea? First, you must evaluate the idea and see how it adds value to the final design. All this must be discussed with the client so that they also understand your point of view.
Inspiration is also another factor that affects the design. There are usually several limitations such as time, budget and the design itself, either because there is a defined graphic line or because the client has some references that they would like to use and see implemented in your work as well. It’s no wonder then that you may feel a little uninspired by the work in front of you. So, what can you do to get that spark of creativity back even when you don’t have much say in the design?
Look for inspiration in unconventional media
One of the first actions you can take once you are aware of all the limitations that your next project has is to go search for inspiration. Visit websites that feature great designs. You can also perform a simple Google search with the type of design you’re about to do in mind and check the results.
But you can also go in search for inspiration to other media, outside web design. For example, you can review covers of books and magazines, packaging design, invitations, personal cards, posters for movies, etc. There are plenty of sources where you can find inspiration, all related to printed design; and although this differs from web design, you can learn important lessons about layout, use of fonts, hierarchy, colors, and other important design concepts.
Learn new skills
Studying and learning about new topics and putting skills you have just learned into practice can be an excellent activity to enhance your creativity. After all, learning new skills helps you observe things from a different point of view and, as you know, different perspectives are a great addition to any project where creativity is involved.
Of course, learning about a new topic can fill you with anguish and you may not see immediate results. If you are working on a project you may not have enough time to study either. However, it’s not necessary to learn about complex subjects when you can learn to perform specific techniques. For example, learn about a new type of editing effect in Photoshop or try to create icons in a style you are not familiar with.
Include other activities in your daily routine
If you work as a freelancer and already have some free time as a freelance designer, then you must know the importance of effectively managing your tasks and schedule. It’s essential to have an established schedule and a list of tasks that you must complete every day to ensure that you can deliver the projects on time. Being productive also means making some time for yourself. Activities that make you happy and help you relax also improve your creativity.
Ask for opinions and constructive criticism about your work
Comments are always necessary for every design project. Often, positive comments encourage you to keep creating and can be a great motivator. On the other hand, negative comments are also constructive, as you learn about room for improvement.
However, the comments alone, although they can serve as motivation, don’t exactly help improve your current project. Therefore, don’t hesitate to seek constructive criticism in this case. Fellow designers can spot which specific elements work in the design and which don’t. You don’t have to limit yourself to other designers either. You can ask your friends who may not work in the same profession as you but still have a creative eye about the overall impression they get from your design project. These comments can be very useful as they allow you to get another perspective that, consequently, helps you be more creative.
These are just some ideas you can keep in mind for your next project where you may not have as much creative freedom as you’d like. It’s possible that you’ll find other strategies to overcome the creative block in this particular case, so don’t let creative limitations overwhelm and disappoint you. In the end, it’s all about knowing yourself and your creative process, so that you can know exactly how to maximize your creative potential.
