Brainstorming and Analysis Exercises

Each of these exercises asks that you make observations of material around you — junk mail, books, brochures, Web pages, signs, and other printed or electronic communications. The examples given and the questions asked are meant as idea-starters and a means of helping you come to your own conclusions about good and bad design and what works and doesn't work in different situations. Each exercise is part of one or more "learning tracks" depending on where you first accessed this material. Use the learning track links at the bottom of each page to return to this index or to the place (other than via search) that brought you to these exercises.

These tasks and examples are from "Daily Goals" posted in the DTP Classroom forum in connection with the Never Stop Learning Plan for 2003. They are presented here in a dual role as exercises for learning design and brainstorming material for developing new designs.