This weeks vidcast is a break from the normal structure, and is focused on the topic of inspiration, and where we find it outside of the normal design resources we see, and use.

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I tend to fall on one of my favorite hobbies for inspiration when I get that creative block, which is photography. I’ll grab my camera and walk or drive around until I see something that looks interesting and makes me want to get a closer look at it. You would be surprised at the many different colors and color combos you notice as well as the shapes things form unintentionally. Looking through a lens definitely makes you see things differently.

If I’m a little more pressed for time walking around and scoping out the shelves at Border’s Books is always great. I try to stay away from the design sections as much as possible. It’s like looking for inspiration on the web many times. Magazines are great. I love looking at all the different layout designs used in various magazines.

~Veronica
@ronicadesign

Great Vidcast man. Im so glad you brought this topic up today! Sitting in on the Chat Creative and hearing the guys from Obox say that I think really hit everyone hard.

Just this morning I hopped on the bus heading to downtown Portland from some breakfast, prayer and much needed alone time. While sitting in a coffee shop, overlooking the Friday hustle and bustle, I challenged myself to just observe my surroundings and really get a grasp of all the possibilities of inspiration.

It’s so amazing and uplifting to see how quickly you can pull ideas, inspiration & creativeness from everyday objects you see almost every day. One truly inspiring thing I found was to simply look at the people. There are so many things you can draw from while seeing a bunch of different people living their very different lives in very different ways. From their clothing, to their movements, to their voices, to their shapes, sizes, colors, etc…

While sitting their I didn’t just observe but I jotted down any thoughts I had and or brief ideas or things that stood out. Despite my notebook looking like a disoriented disaster, I can now take that home with me as a refresher to what I saw this morning. I have no idea what to expect when interpreting this into my design process but to me that is the most exciting thing about it!

-Josh
@joshhemsley

Music—ever look at a song in a spectrum analyzer? Download the trial for Adobe Audition, toss your favorite songs into it, switch to the “Spectral Frequency Display” and zoom in and out. This works especially well with electronic music and other highly rhythmic genres as they tend to create more interesting visual patterns. Aphex Twin, anyone? You can find some real treats in Richard David James music…pop open Equation off the Windowlicker EP and take a look at that!

Math! Snag something like Apophysis (at Apophysis.org) and toy around with fractals. Just tinker and see what shapes and colors you can come up with. Heck, you might even generate an image you want to use in your design…
.-= ´s last blog ..RE:ality – The Future of Live Content Delivery and Emergency Response =-.

Good video blog. I totally agree with you regarding inspiration. I try to do my own thing and not what everyone else is doing. I find inspiration in being present in the now. I can go outside look at the trees and find inspiration. I can read poetry and find inspiration. Basically being quiet and just listening to the universe is the best source of creativity for me.

Thanks for letting me express myself.

Namaste,
Talya

http://abduzeedo.com/inspiration-skateboard-graphics-book-giveaway

Some other ideas from which to draw inspiration: Music album art, Movie credit art, Old books and book cover design, Art at Disneyland (its phenomenal), Disney movies in general…
.-= ´s last blog ..Interviewing Jina Bolton =-.