The First Ideas Are Awkward

I caught myself looking in depth at the rough files of a recent

publication piece, a viewbook brochure, and the supplemental

takeaway sheets. As I attempted to reflect on my final solution and

look through my multi-stage creative process, I stumbled across an

important discovery. My starting points are rough, loosely structured

type and shape elements; they are awkward and hard to look at, much

less share with peers and professors. The layouts built from those

initial ideas become mocked-up digital roughs, looking to pursue a

higher level of sophistication. There’s hardly a framework of body

copy, the negative space is so horrendous-looking. I questioned why I

aligned such a raw, plastic green color in the small blocks of type

scattered about the page in such a strange pattern. These are the

awkward parts, the initial rough ideas that hit that daunting blank

page.

I discovered at times I try to rush through the sketching phase, and

the first mock-ups, to try arrive at something people could

automatically consider successful design. From this discovery I’ve

found that only after manipulating a layout seven times I feel

comfortable with my idea. Only after I’ve reconstructed those ugly

mishaps from initial ideation.

Continuing on through the scrapbook-like journey of my piece I see

the design evolve to a more complete idea. But the awkward first

attempts at ideation seem to act like paper scraps on a blank screen,

finessed by the hands of an eager child! More combinations of type

and image are introduced with colors and headings that orginially

came from a small, ugly-looking pencil drawn sketch. I’ve realized my

final piece is essentially an evolution of those first cringe-worthy cut

and paste content.

I turn right to a small, spiraled sketchbook and a pen and most of the

time to play with words. Those words turn into symbols then into

thumbnails and eventually digital mockups. Printed proof versions

inform more overlooked details of type-setting and image placement.

The designer must accept their ugly thumbnails, scribbled notes, and

awkward digital sketches. Practice is always essential and young

designers that use that cluttered sketchbook, work from uncomfortable

starting points, and can be handed an unfamiliar problem, will find the

process can become second nature.

We must not fear the awkward phases of ideation, it’s the brain’s

process of thinking through the problem, and manipulating it into

being this wondrous print product as the one I continue to reflect and

build upon.