233 TIPS ON GRAPHICS AND VISUAL DESIGN Use your smartphone to quickly capture something you see for later reference. You can take a picture of a sign, scene, poster, location, your laptop or computer screen, or what you are viewing on your phone or tablet. On an iOS product, hold down the Home and Power keys to save a screengrab. The latest version of Android also supports screengrabs. Check your phone settings to learn how to capture quickly. Nick Floro, Sealworks Interactive Studios The book Thinkertoys is an excellent resource for developing your creativity and brainstorming skills. It’s chock-full of fun and engaging exercises and techniques to help you generate innovative, original ideas. Exercises are appropriate for individuals or as team-building activities. Theresa Decker, Samaritan’s Purse Have a critical eye when looking at contemporary work. See what works for you and what does not work. A recent idea, for example, can be seen on a popular TV news show, The Rachel Maddow Show: They highlight whole paragraphs by using an inverted translucent gray triangle to point from a key word on a page of text to an overlaid, enlarged version of the text of interest. Dave Faldasz, ViaSat Inspiration is all around us if we pause long enough to recognize it, in everything from user experiences to interaction and visual designs. The simplest place to find inspiration is where you spend most of your time. If you are like me, that time is spent on websites and mobile apps. My tip is to look at sites and apps not directly related to your work or even your industry. Do you have a favorite mobile app, game, or website? What do you like about the graphics and visual layouts? What do you like about the interface? Pause a moment to study those aspects of design, and you’ll quickly begin to recognize many inspirational opportunities. You can take the same approach to magazines, the messaging and marketing of TV ads, and interacting with physical objects. To nurture creativity, you must be willing to invest time and practice. Regardless of having the ideas to express your inner creativity, the act of doing or making is genuine therapy. Deep thought and relaxation occurs when we’re creating—planting, building, painting, carving, knitting, drawing, and endless other creative outlets. Find what you love to do, practice by nurturing the passion to create, and then make it your own. Kevin Thorn, NuggetHead Studioz Listen to the “ask” of the project. Then research what has been done and what can be done better, and look for ways to present the content so that it is in line with the client’s brand and values. Doug Belding, SweetRush You can find a lot of great ideas while watching game shows and reality competitions on TV. I’ve noticed how certain visual elements keep the viewers engaged, and I think of ways to incorporate those elements into my training solutions. Richard Butler, AT&T 14 www.eLearningGuild.com