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A methodology for creating new ideas

This is a post is intended to give people a methodology for creating new ideas.
I have won awards for illustrations using this method ie “How To Manage Brilliant People” -2009 National Azbee Awards Gold and Bronze

A lot of the time when I create an editorial illustration an idea just pops into my head … but sometimes this does not happen, so I have this little methodology for creating new ideas that has helped me time and time again.

The idea behind this methodology is similar to writing a song. There are only a few musical notes, but by rearranging their order, length and speed you can create an infinite amount of songs.

Step 1 – Important Words

Try and think of the most important words related to your project … usually 2 to 4 words.

So for this project the creative brief was rather easy because it basically spelled it out:

Empowering Teachers with Technology

… but from experience it’s usually not too hard to think of 2 or 3 words.

So we now have our words: Empower, Teacher, Technology

Step 2 – Word Association

Next, for each of these 3 words .. think of other things associated with them  … if you need help with this you can consult a  Thesaurus or see what images are associated by searching Google Images or Flickr. These are the “notes” you will rearrange into “songs” … or ideas.

Empower Teachers/Education Technology
  • Bridge
  • Helping Hand
  • Ladder
  • Crane
  • Super Hero/Cape
  • Power
  • Electricity
  • Motor
  • Spark
  • Ignite
  • Teacher
  • Desk
  • Books
  • Brain
  • Chalk Board
  • World Map
  • Apple
  • Class room
  • Graduation Cap
  • Diploma
  • Computer
  • Computer Chip
  • Satellite
  • Space Travel
  • Math Formulas
  • Schematics
  • Rockets
  • Molecules
  • DNA
  • Petri Dishes
  • Telescopes
  • Microscopes
  • Light Bulb

Step 3 – “make a song”

Now that you have your “notes” think of ways you can rearrange  them to convey  meaning. Pick a word from each column and see if you can create an interesting idea.  There are a number of ways to do this … change their size, their physical relationship to one another, their properties/material (metal=strong, ice=cold), etc.

Let’s see … what can we do? Maybe …

  • A crane driven by a teacher lowering a light-bulb into a student’s head.
  • A student climbing a DNA ladder to draw a light-bulb on a chalkboard
  • Students and a teacher crossing a bridge of computers to the moon
  • etc

r4

“A Bridge to places out of this world”
Students and a teacher crossing a bridge of computers to the moon

r4

“Ride The Brain Train”
The teacher’s brain is a vehicle that takes students to new places via technology/computer

r4

“Knowledge Explosion”
leveraging the window/portal metaphor

r4

“Super Teacher”
Teacher in a heroric position (foot on computer) a cape inspiring students

Here is the idea the client decided to go with …

final

I would love to hear if you have any methods for creating ideas???  Please post in comments below :)

Related Links:

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Thanks!

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  • http://www.nasaworks.com.ar/ nasa

    thanx for share nate!
    you are genius!
    seeyou

  • http://www.nasaworks.com.ar nasa

    thanx for share nate!
    you are genius!
    seeyou

  • http://www.katcameron.com/ Kat Cameron

    wow fantastic, I had a project like this a while back, it’s so cool to see how you solve the topic. Wish i had known about this then. :) I love the crane idea by the way. I think that many people working in the editorial field can benefit from this, not only illustrators.

  • http://www.katcameron.com Kat Cameron

    wow fantastic, I had a project like this a while back, it’s so cool to see how you solve the topic. Wish i had known about this then. :) I love the crane idea by the way. I think that many people working in the editorial field can benefit from this, not only illustrators.

  • http://www.kenlaidlaw.com/ Ken Laidlaw

    These are the same methods I have used for many years Nate. I read through and try to find most important words which sum up the article, look for any obviously descriptive words and make a list of all the graphic elements and objects that I can work with. Then I use my imagination to invent a scenario using a selection of these elements.

    Some academic articles with paragraphs of waffle can be challenging but generally there’s usually at least one concrete element around which to develop an image.

  • http://www.kenlaidlaw.com Ken Laidlaw

    These are the same methods I have used for many years Nate. I read through and try to find most important words which sum up the article, look for any obviously descriptive words and make a list of all the graphic elements and objects that I can work with. Then I use my imagination to invent a scenario using a selection of these elements.

    Some academic articles with paragraphs of waffle can be challenging but generally there’s usually at least one concrete element around which to develop an image.

  • http://www.ascottillustration.com/ Alan Scott

    I use a similar method but doodling mindlessly plays a big part. The mindless bit is very important. Getting your conscious mind out of the way to let ideas bubble up from that primeval all seeing super brain that exists in the subconscious. Its amazing what pops out and is related to the problem – sometimes admittedly in weird ways.

    I also collect strictly useful links on delicious to help my students. My collection of links to websites covering methods to be creative is here at http://delicious.com/rawstudio/creativity

    Cheers All

  • http://www.ascottillustration.com Alan Scott

    I use a similar method but doodling mindlessly plays a big part. The mindless bit is very important. Getting your conscious mind out of the way to let ideas bubble up from that primeval all seeing super brain that exists in the subconscious. Its amazing what pops out and is related to the problem – sometimes admittedly in weird ways.

    I also collect strictly useful links on delicious to help my students. My collection of links to websites covering methods to be creative is here at http://delicious.com/rawstudio/creativity

    Cheers All

  • http://thatartpamreagan.com/ Pam Reagan

    Brilliant! love your method and it’s inspirational to me! as well as your art…. keep it up..thanks for sharing.

  • http://thatartpamreagan.com Pam Reagan

    Brilliant! love your method and it’s inspirational to me! as well as your art…. keep it up..thanks for sharing.

  • http://howardebaker.com/ howard baker

    Even without a block, this is a fun method. Great work!

  • http://howardebaker.com howard baker

    Even without a block, this is a fun method. Great work!

  • dickie chikago

    nice one nate! Thanks.

  • dickie chikago

    nice one nate! Thanks.

  • S.J. Hummer

    Nate,

    I never needed to create ideas I feel you just need to remember the ones you have already had sometimes and that reaction you felt when they sparked your noodle. In this remeberance I find myself (day or sleep) dreaming through these ideas making them visual for me.

    I also like to think of a time and place then look for relevant words in a dictionary. Time and place gives me a setting like writing a play. For example I began writing a miedieval play set in a valley for liesure and wrote on seperate pages words that I loved to visualize so that I could reference them later. You should be good at that since you toss words around on canvas. Creating the setting is a good starting point since it sets the mood & is a tool to change or manipulate the mood.

    I could go on and on in just ideas on how to have ideas. We should talk more. I love your art. Thanks for the emails.

  • S.J. Hummer

    Nate,

    I never needed to create ideas I feel you just need to remember the ones you have already had sometimes and that reaction you felt when they sparked your noodle. In this remeberance I find myself (day or sleep) dreaming through these ideas making them visual for me.

    I also like to think of a time and place then look for relevant words in a dictionary. Time and place gives me a setting like writing a play. For example I began writing a miedieval play set in a valley for liesure and wrote on seperate pages words that I loved to visualize so that I could reference them later. You should be good at that since you toss words around on canvas. Creating the setting is a good starting point since it sets the mood & is a tool to change or manipulate the mood.

    I could go on and on in just ideas on how to have ideas. We should talk more. I love your art. Thanks for the emails.

  • http://www.peteman.net Peteman

    Hi Nate, been reading stuff on your site for the past 2 hours. I now have widescreen eyes! I still haven’t finished!!
    I’m a graphic designer and thinking about going back to really what inspired me which was pencil & paper, so been trawling the net during breaks for material and info etc etc… and came across your Illustration Career page. You could charge people to read these pages ‘seriously good stuff’!

    Thank you very, very, very much!

    Peteman

  • http://www.peteman.net Peteman

    Hi Nate, been reading stuff on your site for the past 2 hours. I now have widescreen eyes! I still haven’t finished!!
    I’m a graphic designer and thinking about going back to really what inspired me which was pencil & paper, so been trawling the net during breaks for material and info etc etc… and came across your Illustration Career page. You could charge people to read these pages ‘seriously good stuff’!

    Thank you very, very, very much!

    Peteman

  • http://happychinchilla.wordpress.com/ happy chinchilla

    Thank you so much for sharing your method. Its always great to see how people deal with a project.
    The links you posted are also wonderful.
    Thanks again.

  • http://happychinchilla.wordpress.com/ happy chinchilla

    Thank you so much for sharing your method. Its always great to see how people deal with a project.
    The links you posted are also wonderful.
    Thanks again.

  • http://www.borumbara.com/ Mar Ballesteros

    I think my work method is more simple. I just note in my sketchbook all the daily things which call my atteption. Sometimes they are stupid things, but, when you have to create an idea, these things can change and are the beginning of inspiration.
    However, you method is very interesting for me, and I think I will check it.
    Than you for sharing it with all us.
    Mar Ballesteros
    http://www.borumbara.blogspot.com

  • http://www.cmykimaging.co.uk/ Giclee Printing

    Thank you for this brilliant method to apply.
    Photo Printing

  • http://umgraphics.com/ Annita

    I find that if I “think” about it, my ideas come out to complicated in the sense that most people just don't get the visual. So, I try and stop thinking words and try and do strictly visuals… get a little day dream/mental animation going. I try and keep words out of it. Once I get to seeing something good, as weird as it often is… its often a more understandable or at least more appealing result than I would have had with words.
    …do like your method… will try it as I sometimes see the same daydream between projects.. and that's not too helpful! Thanks, great art, great site, excellent instruction

  • andreaebert

    Nate,
    thank you very much!!!
    Andrea Ebert

  • LavenderField

    Thank you Nate, these are brilliant ideas, which I passed on to my daugher who's studying marketing and advertising. :)

    http://www.lavenderfield.etsy.com

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  • kindness

    thanks for your Tips

  • Barbara Leary

    your idea gave me some good ideas and maybe i can do my assignment now and get it right.
    Thanks for the advice and keep up the good work.

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  • Lascaux

    My favorite is a “round-robin” approach, because it’s more dialogical than monological. You pass a beginning idea around a circle, each adding a quick fragment onto the last. Yes there are issues of trust, control and attachment; but if all you ever do is work alone those never get challenged.

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