Incestuous design
Friday, November 7th, 2008
Ok, I admit — it’s a title that could turn some people off. It’s going to be a nightmare searching for it on google. But dammit, if nothing else, it’s original.
Whether we’d like to admit it or not, we’ve all done it. Inadvertently or perhaps blatantly. The ultimate design sin — we’ve created something that’s altogether unoriginal. If you want to kid yourself, fine, but while it’s an ugly part of design, it happens all the time.
In creative fields, this is probably one of the more obvious pitfalls, given that being creative or a ‘creator’ by definition is to be an originator of something. But being ‘original’ in the year 2008 is tough work. Hell, it was tough in 2007 too. Why? Because ideas don’t just come out of thin air anymore.
The clone wars
You know how they say there are only really a dozen or so different types of story — and how every single movie or book of fairytale follows one of these archetypes? This is kind of true in the design world as well. People have amazing ideas and concepts all the time, sure, but if you look hard enough you can probably find that idea’s parents, and, no doubt grandparents. So if you can source the work that inspired the ‘new idea’, is it still original? Well, this is a tricky question, but it has a bit to do with how far the apple has fallen from the tree.
“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”
Albert Einstein
Really smart guy
I read an interesting article last week by Kyle Meyer. Kyle argues that there are no trends in design, just the illusion of trends. The reason? Because there’s a large group of people who Kyle calls “stylists”, who “simply find something that’s ‘cool’ at the time and reproduce a spin-off of it”. I have to agree. You only need to look through site design galleries to see pages and pages of sites that are more or less copying one another. But I would argue that it’s not entirely due to a lack of understanding of the design process as Kyle suggests.
For the most part, these “stylists” have got the right idea. They’re technically proficient and they probably have an ok understanding of the medium. They’re simply looking in the wrong places for ideas.
Inbreeding
As a general rule, when you draw only from the same field or medium you’re working in for inspiration, the result probably won’t be all that original. It’s not likely to have your peers asking ‘where in the world did you get that idea from!?’ That’s because sadly, you were too busy looking in your own backyard to see the amazing world beyond.
By all means, be influenced by those in your field. Learn from others’ work — their successes and mistakes — to better understand the medium. But don’t be so desperate to fit right in. Sure, it’s safe. And it might have clients really impressed, but what they’ll eventually come to realise is that their site/logo/poster sadly looks just like a bunch of others.
Yeh.
Dipping your hand into the pool of design to inspire your designs can only ever result in more of the same. Except it’s probably weaker, more watered down. The same holds true for genetics. Spread the genes and they’ll be strong. By only looking to your own field for inspiration, it’s kind of like you’re kissing your sister. And unless your name’s Jake Gyllenhaal, that’s a bad thing.
Don’t forget to soak it all up
All people, to a certain extent, absorb the world around them. Perhaps we could say people who are considered ‘creative’ are a little more absorbent than most. They filter what they absorb and choose what type of ’sponge’ they’ll be. Most importantly, they have the ability to then draw on the things they’ve absorbed and use them in new and exciting ways. Sounds great doesn’t it?
Good designers try to be good sponges and absorb a vast array of stimuli. Unfortunately, a profession that involves hours of staring at a computer screen is not ideal for this absorption. But if that’s what you do for a living, all the more reason to get out there and see the world when you’ve got a spare minute.
So here’s the secret to being original: if you want to set the design world on fire, throw some things in from left field. And now you’re asking “where is this ‘left field’ you speak of, what’s its URL?”. Go to the theatre, read a book on deep-sea diving, go deep-sea diving, fly a kite. These are the seeds of great ideas. And when you have these experiences, keep your current work projects in the back of your mind — look for connections your brain might make, as illogical as it may seem.
You’re already pretty original — one of a kind. Congratulations. Your brain is already uniquely wired to make original associations and connections with different things. Even if what you’re doing is really hard to relate to your work, your brain can’t help but be creative if you try to make that link. Soak up these experiences and let them rinse out in your work. You’ll be amazed at what may spill out.
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23 Comments
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Great article Rob. I’d contribute were it not for my now overwhelming desire to have that ‘meh’ diagram on a t-shirt. If u were selling em via CafePress I’d buy one now!
Spotted a spelling mistake in there too - where it is shall remain a mystery.
;)
1 Wayde ChristieReply
November 7th, 2008 at 1:35 pmIts exactly as you said. You walk around city and ideas pops up in your mind inspired by ….actually everything. Traffic, buildings, people, cloths, cars, animals. I often need to take the iphone out and make a note otherwise I would forget. Being inspired by other people websites can help, if you choose the best designers and try to practice techniques they use but the ideas must be original.
2 lewroReply
November 7th, 2008 at 6:46 pmIm inspired by this site. It looks great.
3 GraemeReply
November 7th, 2008 at 7:27 pm@Wayde: Meh.
@Graeme: Thanks mate. Now go fly a kite… ;)
4 Rob MorrisReply
November 8th, 2008 at 10:46 amMy friend Quique always said: “Inspiration comes from everything around you. In my case Britney Spears is an inspirational source of what I don’t want to do in my life”
5 ETReply
November 8th, 2008 at 1:19 pm@ET: Yay!
6 Wayde ChristieReply
November 11th, 2008 at 4:32 pm@Rob: Interesting entry - nice comment links. ;)
7 justin@pixelbloom.comReply
November 11th, 2008 at 4:46 pmI was little confused about that layout. That two column thing works fine when you have images on the right hand, but this made me confused. Maybe it is just strong convention…
Anyway, very nice site and interesting article!
8 AnttiReply
November 12th, 2008 at 4:13 pm@Antti: Cheers. I promise you if you come back and read another article, it’ll be less weird. ;)
9 Rob MorrisReply
November 12th, 2008 at 4:23 pmVery interesting read and true in lotsa cases. I infact thought your site looked a lot like http://www.hugeinc.com/, comes back to your point of how there are only few different kinds of concepts anyway.
10 ValReply
November 13th, 2008 at 3:02 amgreat site rob,..we have posted it on australianedge.net.
Did you build it yourself as well as design it?
11 ClaytonReply
November 13th, 2008 at 8:49 pm@Clayton: Indeed I did. Cheers for the kind words.
12 Rob MorrisReply
November 13th, 2008 at 9:27 pmI like the design looks like the apple.com website design but better good luck
13 ChristopherReply
November 14th, 2008 at 2:57 pm@Rob: Here I am, waiting for new articles :)
14 AnttiReply
November 16th, 2008 at 2:45 am@Val:
Yep, being from New York City, I noticed that right off the bat.
And so I quote his article…
It’s not likely to have your peers asking ‘where in the world did you get that idea from!?’
15 Sam TaylorReply
November 20th, 2008 at 2:07 amGreat Read! I’m a CS major in college trying to do graphic work on the side. You’re right. It is hard to find REAL inspiration from looking at a screen all day!
Those were some great tips. I am going to try to carry a small notepad around with me to jot ideas.
Nice comment boxes by the way. It’s a cool format. It seems more like a conversation and less like a list.
I’ll be visiting this site regularly :)
16 ChipReply
November 25th, 2008 at 7:20 amGreat post. I like that you write with a passion and that the content isn’t over edited, but it’s educated and personable. I’ve really enjoyed your site and have found all of your work to be extremely inspiring. I’m a fan :)
17 Laura StaffordReply
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:38 pmDiscovery channel, especially the nature ones are a great place for inspiration!
You realize nothing under the sun is new. Just, how you go about making the design and using’em that makes it different
18 kdReply
December 6th, 2008 at 5:13 amThe thing that I’ve been trying to figure out awhile now is how to translate my experiences into designs for my clients whether it be a website or a online ad campaign. Coming up with the idea can prove a lot easier than coming up with an original look for that idea. If I ever figure this one out I’ll be a great designer because I’m full of ideas, it’s creating that fresh look that proves difficult.
19 AddamReply
December 7th, 2008 at 9:32 am@Addam: You’re not wrong. I think there are two paths to being really original in a field. One is to be completely on the ball and know everything that’s out there so you have a massive field of reference. The other is the opposite - to completely put your head in the sand and not follow anyone or anything. This kind of isolation can be a great way to be original.
20 Rob MorrisReply
December 7th, 2008 at 11:12 amHow do you really become creative? How are some more creative than others? I think Rob has found that in the most simplest form – experiences…but how to maximize your experiences? The “getting out there” I think is what some people have a hard time with. Things like Ambition. Will-Power. Challenge. A lot of people talk the big game, but how many actually get out there and achieve it? DO IT. GO SEE THE WORLD - and get that experience. You’ll love yourself for doing so.
21 Murad BReply
December 8th, 2008 at 4:07 amHi,
Love the css site - inspiring.
Luke
22 LukeReply
December 8th, 2008 at 10:35 pmI had exactly the same thoughts Rob…
more seriously though… it’s not hard to be inspired…
what’s hard is to grab a pen paper and make that note, or to get off your arse and use it in the short time it has swam around the frontal lobe. I’m inspired constantly throughout each day… I just don’t have much direction for most of it and so it goes back in the pot… inspiration I got, I just need a machine to make more time.
23 TonyReply
January 7th, 2009 at 1:52 am