Logo designers often encounter a creative block when they are not able to think of anything novel. They might wonder how they can boost their creativity or if they are creative at all. Many logo designers often wonder why they have to be creative in a field that is inherently technical.
If you are a logo designer, you need to understand that the second half of your job title contains the word ‘designer’, which is an alternate form of ‘creator’. Designers design and create things. A logo designer creates logos. Thus, a logo designer inherently depends on his or her creativity to earn money and sustain a lifestyle. In this article, let us take a look at how logo designers (or just about anyone else) can become creative and create things at a better pace.
We shall also discuss how to overcome creative blocks with the help of certain creativity boosting strategies that have been tried and tested by psychologists. These psychological tips will not only help you to boost creativity at logo designing but also in other spheres of life.
Make a pact to be creative
This might sound a bit childish but the fact is when we convince ourselves to do something, we usually do it. It is a psychological way of tricking ourselves into doing something. Many shrewd people often say “fake it till you make it” but there is an element of truth in it. When you fake that you are creative, you end up being creative.
“To fake” is a rather crude way of putting what we want to say across, but instead, we can say that one should convince oneself to be creative and make a pact to be creative. One must not doubt one’s own creativity and one must devote time to develop these abilities. Setting goals, meeting deadlines and writing a chart, which helps you to remain creative, are all very important.
Learn to be curious
There is nothing more important than being curious. When we are curious, we tend to attempt new things; and we cannot attempt to create new things until we try to emulate others’ creativity in a novel manner. Curiosity did not kill the cat but it taught the kitty how to be the master of the household while pretending to be a pet. Curiosity also has the ability to encourage people to learn new things and attempt to do things that they never have in the past. With that in mind, curiosity is one of the primary stepping stones to creativity.
Develop expertise in your niche
There is nothing more important than developing your own niche in an area that you have discovered to be your best. When you are an expert at something, you will usually know everything about the topic, which encourages you to think out of the box instead of beating around the bush or trying to look for answers where others have already found.
Novel and innovative solutions are what creativity is all about & they can come about only when you have an expertise over your own field. Try and become an expert in certain kinds of logos, prints, typography or even technology. That shall help you to become creative as well.
Be a risk taker
Creativity is all about taking risks as much as it is about being curious. When you are curious, you will arrive at possibilities. In order to choose those possibilities despite risks, you need to be a risk taker. A good professional always takes risks and tries to be innovative. Innovation does not come without risks.
When we try and become complacent or choose tried and tested methods, we risk becoming redundant. Redundancy is the opposite of creativity. Many great designers have often succumbed to redundancy because they felt they should not be taking risks to disappoint or shock their audience. The idea is to be aware of the risks and plan for the consequences, instead of not taking any risks at all.
Do not fear failure
One of the biggest hurdles to success and creativity is the fear of failure. No one is immune to the fear of failure but the most successful try and overcome their fears. Fears of failure, fears of being rejected, being redundant and of not being creative can all affect your creativity. If you fear that your logo is not going to be creative enough, it actually will not be creative. Do not fear negative outcomes when there are more possibilities of being appreciated for what you do. Thus, overcoming fears of failure can actually encourage an outburst of creativity that would help you to create logos that will be met with appreciation.
Engage in brainstorming
There is nothing more important than brainstorming. One can do this alone or with a bunch of colleagues. Make a list of logo idea, no matter how crazy they seem to be initially. Give yourself the freedom of being creative at least during a brainstorming session. This helps you to make sure that you are able to list down all the possible designs that might come to your mind. Eventually, you will be able to narrow down your options and create something that is good and effective for professional use. Always make sure that you suspend judging your brainstorming ideas and make sure that you are not self-critical. These negative habits kill your creativity and you will not create anything at the end of the day.
Seek inspiration from many sources
Being inspired by others work or what others have created is not the same as copying. Every artist in this world is inspired by another artist. Artists thrive on inspiration. If you are running short of ideas, take a look at various logos that others have created or just try to make sure that you read up on theories of design. These exercises can help you to become more creative and resourceful. Creativity does not come easily and when you are not able to think of novel things, at least use the time to observe what others have created. Exercises like these ensure that inspiration gets registered in your subconscious. Such subliminal information is usually saved in your memory and surfaces to your consciousness the next time you brainstorm.
Do not force yourself
Most people who are not able to come up with creative solutions try to force themselves to be creative. Creativity does not come with force and you cannot terrorize yourself into being creative. Try and take a break & stop working. Instead, go on a vacation, socialize, read a book that is not related to logo designing or do just about anything that will not remind you of logos. A good break will refresh you and recharge you & will help you to become creative again. It is not a difficult thing to do and can actually be very enjoyable.
Accept that there are going to be difficult days
Creativity like we mentioned cannot be forced. No one is creative through the day or month or year. Creativity comes in bursts and then stops. It is like a facet that begins to leak, gush and stop & then drip. You cannot force yourself to be creative on demand. It has a way of its own and you must sometimes just give it a break. When you are having a difficult day at creativity, tell yourself that it is okay to be uncreative. You do not have to be creative every single time. Being kind to yourself and taking a break can help you be creative more often than you actually realize.
These tips are not limited to logo designers alone and anyone can follow these tips. The idea of being creative is to be open to ideas, to inspiration and to failures as well. It is okay to fail sometimes because there is always another day to win; when we are kind to ourselves, a sense of calm sets in. That calmness acts like an incubation period during which your creative forces are rejuvenated making you ready to work and create logos all over again.
Thus, the next time you wish to be creative, try and carry out the exercises we mentioned above. If you are still not able to come up with a creative idea to create a logo, then just take a break and call it a day. You will be able to create something even better after sometime.
