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Creative ideas/thoughts
Good day to all,
My questions are, where does your design inspiration come from? Does it come for ideas from the web, and if so what sites do you recommend? Are there websites that would help with basic design layouts? Do you get ideas from other things that you may have seen on TV?
I ask these question to help futher the look I can give my spots. I am for the most part a long form/storyteller editor, who has over 19 years experience with shows such as America’s Most Wanted and ABC News. So, I am well versed in this part of my craft, but now that I do a lot more spot work, I am looking for any tips or help to futher my design skills.
Thanks to all who may answer!
John
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4 Replies
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Having a spot of editor’s block? Don’t worry, just stay simple, simple, simple.
For the past couple of years, I’ve been back to the “art imitating life” concept. HGTV promo-meets-Jonathan Ive kinda stuff. Clean lines, real images suggesting other ideas. I used to be very, VERY into the Digital Juice Jump Backs, but that fad died quick. Most producers I work with have come to regard that type of imagery as too “newsie” or “cheesy industrial marketing video crap”.
Here’s what works for me – if I were sitting in a bar/lounge that had the program/promo/whatever playing on the TV with no sound on, would the design of the visuals help the story, hinder it, or be confusing the point because it’s “over-designed” (like when folks who make graphics for print-media venture into the TV world)?
So, I guess my answer is to look to your own forsight for design ideas. For actual inspiration of imagery, brainstorm three words that you think describe the emotional image of your project and do a Google Image search. Or… do what Spielberg did for the spaceship design of Close Encounters: do some ludes, lay on the hood of your car staring (upside-down) at the city of L.A. and draw what you see.
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\`(=)`/…Pixel Monkey
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Well, it’s obvious to look at what everybody else does, to watch commercials on adcritic, to peruse magazines from Graphis to Computer Arts to HOW to whatever. Lots of times two different things you see will cross-pollinate in your head and give you something new. But if you only ever copy or deconstruct things others have done first, it’s like driving a car using only the rear-view mirror to navigate. What you want is to go forward with something truly out of your own skull.
When I burn-out on ideas, I look for ways to change where my head is at. Go walk somewhere you’ve never walked, or just walk around somewhere familiar, but look at the world thru a cardboard tube that crops your vision way down to a detail level. Or make up a few customized cardboard sheets with different shaped slits cut in them, some with scraps of old rosco gels on them, to re-section your view. Go thru an entire color magazine with a huge magnifier, just drag it randomly around each page. Doodle without looking at the paper, while listening to music or something with headphones on. Stop by the craft store and check out all the custom papers and bits they sell for scrapbooking projects. Play with magnetic poetry tiles. Google “creativity exercises” and see if anything interesting pops up.
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I love http://www.good-tutorials.com. It is a great place to learn tutorials for creative ways to work in Photoshop. If you haven’t used Photoshop, getting involved is a good way to start flexing creative muscles. I have to do my own graphics now… almost exclusively mine now in my spot work. I did a lot more long form work for training and the like, where most of the graphical challenges involved not throwing up from the clients multi colored powerpoints =) However, making that switch can really suck you in. I use Photoshop for almost EVERYTHING except video and animation… I also like looking at different websites to see color schemes, etc to see how they tie all the pages and fonts together… Also, dig out some of your favorite tunes while you do these. It’s better if you have good positive vibe.
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I forgot this inspirational site:
excellent photoshop contests, look them over carefully.
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