233 TIPS Graphics and Visu De al sign 233 TIPS ON GRAPHICS AND VISUAL DESIGN Thirty Tips on Finding Inspiration and Nurturing Creativity Find inspiration in your most successful design projects. Ask yourself what worked and why. Use those same concepts to create something new. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every design; instead, rely on methods that you know work. Charlotte Morris, Pepco Holdings If you’re a designer collaborating with an SME or client and they’re stuck somewhere in the storyboarding or script phase, sometimes finding a new and inspiring digital asset can help lead the way into the progression of course development. For example, let’s say your project is committed to microlearning, but the content provided is still short of what learners truly need to understand. The obvious choice is to include just a little bit more—but what if your SME has no more? What if the storyboard abruptly ends? As a designer, you’re most likely stimulated by graphics that are cool and new. Find an inspiring graphic or image in a repository and show it to the SME or client to see if it sparks additional commentary for their course. Sometimes an exciting graphic begs the question “How can you add me to your course?” and ideas for content abound again. Assuming the graphic fits the theme of other digital assets, be sure to take a step back and ask if it still fits within the context of the project. Isaiah Adona, Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity Glean inspiration from everything! I once had to design a one-page handout for an event at work, and I was struggling with a layout. I scrolled through Facebook for a moment, and I found a post from ESPN that had a beautiful design. I used the NFL-related social media post to get inspiration for a layout for the work handout. Nick Elkins, Guru eLearning Immerse yourself in the principles of design by: reading books; looking at design magazines like HOW and Creative Arts; viewing documentaries like Helvetica (available through Netflix); looking at websites not for content, but for design; and talking to graphic designers about how they work. Look for good and bad design everywhere, including billboards, magazines, TV, and movies. Looking at other people’s work is also motivating and can be a starting point for your project. Sometimes I look at over 100 designs before settling on one that works for me and my client. Jodi Hinkle, SandRidge Energy 10 www.eLearningGuild.com