At a design agency, Creative exercises revolve around innovation and idea generation which are creative activities. These could lead to poor concepts. Certain activities of a creative advertising agency are designed to generate as many ideas as possible but people get exhausted thinking about ideas and start developing the first idea that comes to their mind and forget that those ideas are conventional. A creative ad agency has still got to throw itself into depth analysis where a few highly creative people are required to sit and brainstorm to guide and lead ahead. You should never fear or suppress your thoughts because it is ridiculed. But if you need to learn and understand your flaws, you need to express yourself irrespective of the consequences. At the same time, one shouldn’t criticize any ideas as its demoralizing, instead, it should be improved upon. Brainstorming alone is of not the best concern. There are two approaches that can be used. It could be a tag-team approach (group) to creativity or like to fly solo (alone). It depends on each one’s comfort. But brainstorming is the key factor. Brainstorming as a team means tossing of ideas, mixing and merging ideas which give a lot of scope to improve and learn. It’s then that ideas are put together and turn out into great concepts.
At a creative agency brainstorming alone would bring in fewer ideas, but those ideas would be far more creative, as the obvious ideas would be rejected. Pushing yourself and compelling yourself to think of new and different ideas will help in going in-depth of concepts leading to the development of new and fresh concepts. Frame a challenge that pushes you to think unconventionally Allow yourself to re-frame and define the solution in your ideas. Common ideas are too easy, avoid them. Be analytical and criticize your own idea at the same time try defending your ideas too. As you might just, realize something new and exceptional. Your self-analysis should be outrageous and extreme to bring out the best in you.
There are a few ways in which a design studio comes up with unique ideas. Those aren’t really planned or thought about, they just come up in the mind, all you got to do is think of it in all the terms possible and be ready for the idea to randomly pop up. Simple concepts like just doing the reverse of the usual. Doing and thinking of activities that are usually done, “the other way around.” For example: instead of you watering the plant is watering you. Or the plant is eating and you are in taking the sunlight.
Make a feature disappear or give it a new name or concept. Create a statement that creates curiosity in the minds of the reader. (Your escape statement: “Cell phones don’t have keyboards.” Where having a keyboard is an essential feature in the cellphone. Preferably another example.) Use quality as the focus point. To emphasize it, it should be visually “not normal” as that would be eye-catching. The quality could be really large or tinnier than the normal font. People often think that a tiny font is ignored or is not important, but that’s not true, if it’s a little tinnier then the regular people will want to read what is said. Using concepts that make you happy or just “feel good” ideas work really well. Imagine a wish become a reality: “Wouldn’t it be nice to get paid for being lethargic?”
Doing the opposite can really do wonders, as a monotonous schedule can really get your mind mechanical and to think fresh your mind needs a break and needs to do something completely contradictory to the usual. Most of your creative time should be spent in the outdoors if you spend most of your time in the office and vice-versa. Being active arouses the blood flow to the brain and decreases stress. This could be as simple as taking a walk or a run. Doing something proactive rejuvenates your mind. Change is always good, as routine makes the mind think linear and not peripheral.
Once in a while mingling with people and just talking to them and having discussions around the concept helps get different approaches. Try finding a link between two very different approaches with the determination that you can come out with something new. You’ll be stunned what you are capable of thinking just over lunch or “chill-out time.”
CREATIVITY IN THE BLOOD!
You are required to be creative and unconventional at every step of the idea generation process, from defining challenges that encourage thinking to the generation of ideas. The better you become at emulating this process the better you become at being exceptionally creative.
CONCLUSION
This article only marks the surface of creativity. The concepts should be more developed. You should ask for feedback and ask your audience to comment. They should know that their thoughts are valued on the topic. There should be a request tone of need. “Please share them with me!”