Truths about Creativity

This article is taken from Yanko Design:

Applies to everyone! READ!



I have been thinking about the relationship between creativity vs. design vs. where does it come from. I have also thought and wondered why some people, yet alone designers, are more creative than others? Here are some thoughts on creativity that may help you understand what it is and how to get it going for you.
Image by: Dalydose


1) Creativity does not exist in a vacuum.

The thing about creativity is that it cannot exist without a baseline, starting point, trigger or input. In other words you will not be able to come up with a design or a design solution if you do not set the parameters or boundaries first. A good clear brief and/or design strategy is always required to start the ball rolling as it gets everyone excited. Therefore I am a strong believer that nothing beats the freedom that comes from a tight brief. The trick here is to ensure the boundaries are set wide enough so that it gives designers enough space to maneuver.


2) Creativity is free, work is where the value is.

I highly believe that everyone is creative in his or her own way. Given the right conditions and stimuli, great ideas can rise to the surface. Therefore I find ideas are overrated as almost everyone can come up with some, often without much effort. The problem is when you have to make this creativity work or turn an idea into reality. This is the hard part. So hard that it does pay to do it well. The genius sketch is an urban myth, the real heroes are the designers in the trenches that realize it and make it happen.


3) Creativity is better shared.

One nice thing about creativity is that an idea can somehow grow into much more powerful idea if it gets shared. Bouncing ideas around with each other or in your creative community really works. I always look, with sadness at close-minded individuals who refuse to share or overly competitive design students hiding in their holes. They do not know what they are missing. This goes back to Point 2: Ideas are cheap, execution is the key.


4) Creativity can be fostered.

If you want to be better at being creative, you can. All you need is know how and practice. When you start out in design, getting a designer’s block is a very common thing. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get a design right, or out of your head. A small part of this is confidence, but is all about practice. As you get better in design or when you do it more frequently creativity seems to flow a lot better. Getting into a mental state of design readiness also helps keeping you from getting rusty. At the end of the day, you need to use it or lose it and a busy designer is never stuck.


5) Creativity is not Design

I find people who look at a product or sometimes a piece of art and say “even I could do it” are pretty naive to think so. My usual response is “why didn’t you?”. That’s the thing, while having creativity is a prerequisite of a designer, being creative does not equate to being a good designer. There are a certain mix of elements that make a great designer. Some of these skills include having the right training, story telling, EQ skills, people management, analytical thinking, synthesizing ability, perseverance etc., the list goes on and I’m sure you can come up with more. Being creative is a good start, but I have never heard of successful designers that are creative and lazy.


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Brian is a multidisciplinary industrial design leader that goes under the pseudonym of “The Design Translator”. He muses about the art of design leadership and the business of strategic industrial design over at his website Design Sojourn. He often laments the lack of good soy mochas and Italian Pizzas (with Rocket and shredded Parma ham) in Asia.




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