By Stephen Hay

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Great ideas don’t just happen

Creativity is a process, and you’ve got to find your own. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Use idea-stimulating techniques. Fantastic ideas might just come to some in the shower, but the rest of us can be helped along by using techniques like brainstorming. There are plenty of books on idea generation, and the rules of brainstorming are fairly well-known. Initially you should generate a large quantity of ideas. Your chances of coming up with a winning idea are usually directly proportionate to the number of ideas you generate. You can use the method of your choice. One effective technique, especially if you work alone, is to take a sheet of paper and write your problem or objective at the top. Then force yourself to quickly write or sketch twenty different ideas, and do not stop until you’ve got twenty. It will be difficult, but hey, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be called work. Here are some pointers:

• Don’t censor yourself. You’ll do that later. All ideas are welcome at this point, even (and sometimes especially) the crazy ones.

• Sketch quickly, write quickly. You’ll flesh out the best ideas later.

• Use symbols, metaphor, or theme. Some of the best concepts utilize recognizable symbols, as in Zeldman’s example. Use your life knowledge and experience. To get a feel for this, take the creativity test at Ron Reason’s site and study the test examples.

• Don’t design. You’ll do that later.

by Stephen Hay

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Direct the art

So you’ve presented your idea and the client loves it (and you). Now the site needs to be produced. Your job as an art director has just begun — now you’ve got to deal with the client, the programmers ,the designers, the project manager, and anyone else involved in the project. All of these people contribute their insight and talent, and it’s your job to make sure that the end result remains as closely related to your concept as possible. Here are some tips for the production phase:

1. Know your stuff. As an art director, you need to know what the technologies are and how they’re used. You need to know what everyone on your team does, and why. Leave the details up to them, but be sure you know what’s involved. It will gain you the respect of your team when they realize that you’re not working in a vacuum, and it will help you think up realistic ideas.

2. Keep the specialists in check. Being a team player is a good thing, but just because John the primadonna designer has a thing for bevelled buttons and 20-pixel drop shadows doesn’t mean you have to grant his wishes.

3. Be open to those “in the know.” John the primadonna designer might just have a point (in this case, probably not). Test your team members’ suggestions against your objective and your concept. If it fits and it’s okay for the budget, let them do it. They know their stuff, too.