INTRODUCTION
BY LOOKING TO THE WORLD OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND DRAWING FROM INSPIRATIONS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO US, WE HAVE AN INSPIRATION POOL THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN REPLICATE.
Writing a book is a long, hard slog, but the rewards are many. Being able to reconnect with the many amazing designers I have met over the years is the main reward. To hear them passionately describe their own creative journeys has inspired me anew.
I have been lucky enough in my career to work with hundreds of designers from all over the world. They all share one thing in common: the desire to do something cool, original, and memorable. But over the past few years, I’ve increasingly noticed that the well that many designers go to for original ideas comprises annuals, magazines, and the Web. Designers have always been inspired from the work of others. The danger now is that because of the availability of creative work that others have done, the sole place they get their inspiration is the work of others. There is a difference between inspiration, influence, and imitation.
Inspiration has always been an important part of the designer’s journey. Watching and learning from others inspires us to think and create in new ways. Influence happens many times as we work with someone more experienced and we learn from that person, being influenced by his or her way of thinking and expression. But imitation is looking at the work someone else has done and re-creating it with a twist to make it our own. Inspiration and influence is the way we grow and learn as designers. Imitation is taking an unoriginal shortcut and feeding off someone else’s inspiration.
If designers look only to each other for inspiration, we will eventually be feeding on ourselves and will turn into an inbred creative family looking increasingly homogenous. We all have a well of creativity that we need to fill. If we fill that well with the work of others, we run the risk of being derivative, as all the inspiration we draw from is derived from others.
We need outside creative inspiration to keep us fresh. And that comes from looking outside our design community and tapping into life. By looking to the world of personal experiences and drawing from inspirations that are unique to us, we have an inspiration pool that no one else can replicate.
I love talking to designers and hearing about what they do outside of work. One is a preacher, many are musicians or fine artists, some are parents, and others race bikes or sing opera or spend many hours on humanitarian causes. All of these outside pursuits are rich areas to mine for inspiration. Bringing your life into your work is a good thing. It will spark ideas that are unique because they come from your unique experiences.
I’m excited to share with you the work of some amazing designers who inspire me. They will take us through their process and how they went from the inspiration that sparked their “idea,” through the struggle of making sense of that idea, to the work of sketching and bringing that idea to life, to the refinement and resolution of the final product.
If I’ve learned one thing from writing this book, it’s that inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. Although traveling to London, Tokyo, or New York City is certainly inspirational, you can find the inspiration for your design problem by taking a stroll around the block in your hometown. So, after you’ve read a few pages go out for a walk and keep your eyes wide open. You’ll know it when you see it.
