Creative Block

At Wed, 30 May 2007 08:57:40 +1000, mindesign let h(is|er) monkeys type:

Hi all

well it has happened! I have to create a killer corporate brochure for a client and have hit a creative wall, big-time!

They are a true boutique home builder (as opposed to a small backyard firm that can’t grow because they’re tight arses) and make a stunning home.
Anyway, they asked if I could create their corp. brochure and I said yes, but added the caveat that I was extremely time-poor at the moment. They accepted that and we went ahead.

So, I have gone through my usual process – great design references – long walks – lots of navel gazing and all that – and just cannot get a handle on what to do for them. I know where the problem lies ….. I just do not warm to the owners of the firm ….. they are NOT nice people …. sounds unbelievably lame I know, but there it is…..

Let the flames begin I guess, but I would value any advice I can get to help break through this block. References to any designs you think are exceptional might help too

Thanks

Steve
(Australia)

No flames, wouldn’t know why.
Have you asked them what sites/brochures of competitors they’re partial to or particularly dislike? It may help finding a direction. And, probably stating the obvious, be careful about what you say about a customer, even on usenet. You never know who’s lurking.

Another way may be: invite some friends and have a everything-goes brainstorm session. For a coke and a slice of pizza people will do a lot to help you out!

Lastly, if you’re able to get into the right mindset, pretend you HAVE to come up with a couple of ideas in a day. Paper, crayons, magazine clippings, whatever, you envisage having to make a presentation tomorrow.

Good luck, may inspiration hit you soon. Sh.

—
Schraalhans Keukenmeester –
[Remove the lowercase part of Spamtrap to send me a message]

"strcmp(‘apples’,’oranges’) is -1"

Schraalhans Keukenmeester wrote:

At Wed, 30 May 2007 08:57:40 +1000, mindesign let h(is|er) monkeys type:

Hi all

well it has happened! I have to create a killer corporate brochure for a client and have hit a creative wall, big-time!

They are a true boutique home builder (as opposed to a small backyard firm that can’t grow because they’re tight arses) and make a stunning home.
Anyway, they asked if I could create their corp. brochure and I said yes, but added the caveat that I was extremely time-poor at the moment. They accepted that and we went ahead.

So, I have gone through my usual process – great design references – long walks – lots of navel gazing and all that – and just cannot get a handle on what to do for them. I know where the problem lies ….. I just do not warm to the owners of the firm ….. they are NOT nice people …. sounds unbelievably lame I know, but there it is…..

Let the flames begin I guess, but I would value any advice I can get to help break through this block. References to any designs you think are exceptional might help too

Thanks

Steve
(Australia)

No flames, wouldn’t know why.
Have you asked them what sites/brochures of competitors they’re partial to or particularly dislike? It may help finding a direction. And, probably stating the obvious, be careful about what you say about a customer, even on usenet. You never know who’s lurking.

Another way may be: invite some friends and have a everything-goes brainstorm session. For a coke and a slice of pizza people will do a lot to help you out!

Lastly, if you’re able to get into the right mindset, pretend you HAVE to come up with a couple of ideas in a day. Paper, crayons, magazine clippings, whatever, you envisage having to make a presentation tomorrow.
Good luck, may inspiration hit you soon. Sh.

I’ve done that before. It’s amazing what ideas people will come up with. One of the best I ever used came from a 10-year-old. Which doesn’t surprise me greatly…

GG

At Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:22:06 +1000, GordonG let h(is|er) monkeys type:

I’ve done that before. It’s amazing what ideas people will come up with. One of the best I ever used came from a 10-year-old. Which doesn’t surprise me greatly…

GG

Kids are great that way. They aren’t boxed in yet like grownups, and often blissfully unaware of any conventions. Too bad one can’t hire them per hour from the local kid-shoppe just for that purpose. Or do they come equipped with an on/off switch these days, in which case it’s worth considering buying one.

—
Schraalhans Keukenmeester –
[Remove the lowercase part of Spamtrap to send me a message]

"strcmp(‘apples’,’oranges’) < 0"

On Wed, 30 May 2007 08:57:40 +1000, "mindesign" wrote:

Let the flames begin I guess, but I would value any advice I can get to help break through this block. References to any designs you think are exceptional might help too

Lateral thinking is a good technique in these circumstances. There must be plenty of sites on the web about it. It
sounds hard but is easy.

Easy to use graphics effects:
http://www.ransen.com/

"mindesign" wrote in
message

Hi all

well it has happened! I have to create a killer corporate brochure for a client and have hit a creative wall, big-time!

They are a true boutique home builder (as opposed to a small backyard firm that can’t grow because they’re tight arses) and make a stunning home.
Anyway, they asked if I could create their corp. brochure and I said yes, but added the caveat that I was extremely time-poor at the moment. They accepted that and we went ahead.

So, I have gone through my usual process – great design references – long walks – lots of navel gazing and all that – and just cannot get a handle on what to do for them. I know where the problem lies ….. I just do not warm to the owners of the firm ….. they are NOT nice people …. sounds unbelievably lame I know, but there it is…..

Let the flames begin I guess, but I would value any advice I can get to help break through this block. References to any designs you think are exceptional might help too

Thanks

Steve
(Australia)

OK I have a weird maybe unhelpful comment
I can count on one hand the times I have had "Bad" feelings about a client but the few times I have ignored that feeling and worked for them I ALWAYS regretted taking the job
sometimes you should say no (despite the lure of the almightily $$) or farm it out to a contractor, you get some $$, they deal and design it

My other suggestion
go to the properties they built
go inside them >>what do you feel?
ask the people who live in them about their homes?

FWIW, a little time seems to work for me whether it’s a creative block or a problem-solving one.

Unfortunately, time is usually is very short supply!

You mentioned being already short on time when you discussed taking the assisgnment. Maybe strong concentration on the other jobs will allow your subconscious (?) to solve the creative problem.

When I had that kind of problem, I used to go fly an airplane.

In order to do it safely, it needs all of one’s attention. That sort of forces all that other stuff out of the picture for a few hours. When you come back to earth (so to speak) you may find that you are looking at the problem from a new perspective.

Flying worked for me. . . pick your own particular compulsion!

Katwoman had a good idea too. Go sit in a house and pretend you own it. Stay there for a few hours. Mentally walk through routine chores and see how it would feel to you.

Sigh! Good luck!

Thankyou all for your kind suggestions – what ultimately worked was a trip to the local library armed with some design books, some of those image-bank books and a notepad – I sat in the sun for a few hours ad just watched what was going on around me – eventually I grabbed the books and flicked through them. letting myself create commentaries on any loosely related images that took my fancy

I saw a box of crayons, so thought of the interior designer who works for them
I saw a cheetah running at full speed and thought of their absolute obsession with deadlines
I saw a pic of someone getting handed a book as a gift and thought of how they give their clients this hugely detailed dossier when they take possession of their new home

and so it went for around three hours

I also pondered how libraries have changed over the years to remain relevant and thought much about my own career path, and how dramatically it has changed/grown – I started out in the Air Force and to date have had more than 8 successful complete career changes (I am 49, so soon I will have some idea what I am talking about) – my next – reinvention – is to become a kitchen designer ,specialising in period-style kitchens. Of course, doing my corporate coaching/branding work will fund my kitchen passion……

fun fun fun

Katwoman, your suggestion about bad feelings is one I very much take on board – I know the feeling all too well and have made some horrendous balls-ups in that dept. These people are excellent payers, which is nice – but the owners seem to lack any evident compassion. It isn’t that they’re bad people….. I just relate to folks who truly have people at heart. But I decided to help them because they do produce the best product in their market and their staff are very decent and fair in the dealings with me. Also, the owners have almost nothing to do with the public nowadays, so I interface with others in the firm to get my insights……there’s no denying that my DI-connection with the owners was what caused the issues

Thanks again for the input – it is greatly appreciated

Steve
downunder-designer

"KatWoman" wrote in message

"mindesign" wrote in
message

Hi all

well it has happened! I have to create a killer corporate brochure for a client and have hit a creative wall, big-time!

They are a true boutique home builder (as opposed to a small backyard firm that can’t grow because they’re tight arses) and make a stunning home.

Anyway, they asked if I could create their corp. brochure and I said yes, but added the caveat that I was extremely time-poor at the moment. They accepted that and we went ahead.

So, I have gone through my usual process – great design references – long walks – lots of navel gazing and all that – and just cannot get a handle on what to do for them. I know where the problem lies ….. I just do not warm to the owners of the firm ….. they are NOT nice people …. sounds unbelievably lame I know, but there it is…..
Let the flames begin I guess, but I would value any advice I can get to help break through this block. References to any designs you think are exceptional might help too

Thanks

Steve
(Australia)

OK I have a weird maybe unhelpful comment
I can count on one hand the times I have had "Bad" feelings about a client but the few times I have ignored that feeling and worked for them I ALWAYS regretted taking the job
sometimes you should say no (despite the lure of the almightily $$) or farm it out to a contractor, you get some $$, they deal and design it
My other suggestion
go to the properties they built
go inside them >>what do you feel?
ask the people who live in them about their homes?

"mindesign" wrote in
message

Thankyou all for your kind suggestions – what ultimately worked was a trip to the local library armed with some design books, some of those image-bank books and a notepad – I sat in the sun for a few hours ad just watched what was going on around me – eventually I grabbed the books and flicked through them. letting myself create commentaries on any loosely related images that took my fancy

I saw a box of crayons, so thought of the interior designer who works for them
I saw a cheetah running at full speed and thought of their absolute obsession with deadlines
I saw a pic of someone getting handed a book as a gift and thought of how they give their clients this hugely detailed dossier when they take possession of their new home

and so it went for around three hours

I also pondered how libraries have changed over the years to remain relevant and thought much about my own career path, and how dramatically it has changed/grown – I started out in the Air Force and to date have had more than 8 successful complete career changes (I am 49, so soon I will have some idea what I am talking about) – my next – einvention – is to become a kitchen designer ,specialising in period-style kitchens. Of course, doing my corporate coaching/branding work will fund my kitchen passion……

fun fun fun

Katwoman, your suggestion about bad feelings is one I very much take on board – I know the feeling all too well and have made some horrendous balls-ups in that dept. These people are excellent payers, which is ice – but the owners seem to lack any evident compassion. It isn’t that they’re bad people….. I just relate to folks who truly have people at heart. But I decided to help them because they do produce the best product in their market and their staff are very decent and fair in the dealings with me. Also, the owners have almost nothing to do with the public nowadays, so I interface with others in the firm to get my insights……there’s no denying that my DI-connection with the owners was what caused the issues

Thanks again for the input – it is greatly appreciated

Steve
downunder-designer

such a pleasure to converse with polite, literate adults Steve
nice to meet you
happy you got back on track
"lack any evident compassion" <<< why they really need your ideas

"KatWoman" wrote in message

"mindesign" wrote in
message

Hi all

well it has happened! I have to create a killer corporate brochure for a client and have hit a creative wall, big-time!

They are a true boutique home builder (as opposed to a small backyard firm that can’t grow because they’re tight arses) and make a stunning home.

Anyway, they asked if I could create their corp. brochure and I said yes, but added the caveat that I was extremely time-poor at the moment. They accepted that and we went ahead.

So, I have gone through my usual process – great design references – long walks – lots of navel gazing and all that – and just cannot get a handle on what to do for them. I know where the problem lies ….. I just do not warm to the owners of the firm ….. they are NOT nice people …. sounds unbelievably lame I know, but there it is…..
Let the flames begin I guess, but I would value any advice I can get to help break through this block. References to any designs you think are exceptional might help too

Thanks

Steve
(Australia)

OK I have a weird maybe unhelpful comment
I can count on one hand the times I have had "Bad" feelings about a client
but the few times I have ignored that feeling and worked for them I ALWAYS regretted taking the job
sometimes you should say no (despite the lure of the almightily $$) or farm it out to a contractor, you get some $$, they deal and design it
My other suggestion
go to the properties they built
go inside them >>what do you feel?
ask the people who live in them about their homes?