3 Tips on How to Come Up With Ideas

Have you ever been in class and you can’t think of any ideas for the assignment based on the prompt given? Coming up with ideas for a project can be really tough sometimes, but there are things to do to help come up with ideas. Here are a couple of them. 

1. Brainstorming 

2. Get inspiration from others

3. Let the idea sit for a while, then make a decision 

1. Brainstorming

The first tip for coming up with an idea for a project is brainstorming. I know that this is a common tip, but it can be really helpful to just throw random ideas out and see where you get. In my graphic design method class a couple semesters ago, one of the first projects we had was to make a composition of two things that had no relation. We then took that collage and had to make a logo based off of it. My collage was a tin of antique wax and Milano cookies. After doing the critique of the first part of the project, as a class, we wrote the two objects on the whiteboard, and everyone gave synonyms for both words(cookies and wax in my case). Here’s a photo of my notebook from that day in class.

After this, we combined different words and chose which combination we liked best, and then made a logo of it. I chose Aged Wafer, so I made a logo of an old, crumbly wafer cookie. I named him Albert, and he is one of my favorite things that I've made. All this to say, brainstorming is a great way to come up with ideas, especially in a group setting. 

2. Get inspiration from others 

Another way to come up with ideas is to look at examples of what you are trying to do and take inspiration from them to come up with your own idea. Obviously, don’t just copy it, but put your own spin on the thing you’re looking at. 

3. Let an idea sit for a while, then make a decision 

The last tip I have to do if you aren’t sure if an idea is good is to just sit with it for a little bit. Maybe walk away from whatever it is you are working on, take a break, and come back to it later. Sometimes you have to not think about it for a little bit and come back to it with fresh eyes. When you come back to the project, you can decide if you still like the idea or if you need a new one.

I hope that these tips were helpful and that you can now come up with ideas easily.

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