From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Ideas, Concepts, and Form

Ideas, concepts, and form in graphic design

From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Ideas, Concepts, and Form

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Ideas, concepts, and form in graphic design

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- The most common question I'm asked is, Where do you find your inspiration? For years I thought this was related to recharging the creative spark. And perhaps it is. But at its core, the question is about ideas. Where do you find your ideas? Everything we design starts with an idea. This is what separates a dynamic and meaningful solution from simply a layout of images. And when handled well, that idea can engage the viewer and create a strong communication. Alternatively, a solution can have no concept, and simply be a collection of images thrown together in the hopes someone may notice it. That typically isn't a good idea. Hi, I'm Sean Adams. I'm a designer, and I've spent over two decades designing, teaching, speaking at conferences and working with designers. In this course we'll cover different types of concepts and ideas. We'll look at a range of different approaches to convey an idea. Symbols, visual metaphors, typographic solutions that do the work of the headline and the image. And combining imagery in smart and clear ways to convey a more complex issue. I'll also share processes to generate ideas that help you to think with the other side of your brain. I find this to work wonderfully when I feel like I'm just pulling solutions out of my bag of tricks. We'll look at the underused approach of humor in design. It's a great way to communicate something that may be hard to explain, and reach the viewer with a positive and uplifting concept. I find that most people respond well to a little happiness in design. I'm excited to explore the idea of visual sampling and appropriation in design. This is a great way to reach the audience with surgical precision. And finally, I'll show examples of different ways to execute an idea beyond the expected. Ideas are the cornerstone of our work as designers. Clients expect us to do more than layout and a nice page. They want smart solutions that communicate the message to the right audience. And the audience responds to words and images that make them think and provide a sense of discovery and delight. A good concept is the gateway to that response. Welcome to this course on creating ideas and concepts.

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