I'm in a session here at SXSW on finding design inspiration, headed up by Jason Santa Maria (Creative Dir, Happy Cog Studios), and Rob Weychert (Art Dir, Happy Cog Studios). Cameron Moll was on the panel but came down with the flue and was unable to attend.
They structured the presentation into 3 elements of design inspiration.
- Defining Inspiration
- Finding inspiration
- Maintaining Inspiration
They talked about typography and classical fonts. Looking at the historical context of the fonts to find and drawing meaning from them. They also looked at drawing inspiration from elements in the tactile world and bringing those into the digital world. Jason talked about how he used books/novels and different print materials to inspire his personal website (http://www.jasonsantamaria.com/).
So how do you keep your inspiration flowing? One idea, keep a sketch book. When you see something that peaks your interest put it down on paper. Another, when you’re working on your own personal projects, instead of giving yourself unlimited freedom (as a reaction to the ridged requirements client work imposes on you), impose restrictions on yourself. These can help to give you focus and fuel the design process.
All in all this was an inspiring session and helped me to get some ideas flowing.