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Ways to Kickstart Your Creativity

From Jacci Howard Bear,
Your Guide to Desktop Publishing.
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Think creatively, brainstorm, and get inspiration

Stuck for an idea? Don't know where to start? Kickstart your brain and your desktop publishing projects with...

Thinking

Teach Yourself to Think Creatively
© J. Bear
Put yourself in a creative state of mind. We all have some level of creativity within us. As with other activities, you can teach yourself to be more creative. Sometimes creative thinking requires us to look at things from new perspectives. Learn to unleash your inventive genius by thinking backwards. Here is an appropriate acronym containing five steps to creative thinking -- S A E D I -- that's IDEAS backwards!

Books

Where do you get ideas? Where do you find inspiration? Whether you come up with your design ideas by looking at the work of others, studying how other designers approach the design process, or by looking at pictures or the world around you, one of these design creativity books is sure to provide just the right type of brainstorming and creativity boost you need.

Exercise

Use the Web to Find Creativity Exercises
© J. Bear
Sit up. Firmly grasp your graphics pen or mouse. Click your way through breathing exercises, idea workouts, mind-building routines, and inspiring brainstorming sessions with these design creativity exercises. Feel the burn, not the burnout.

Sketches

Do Thumbnail Sketches
© J. Bear
Put down the mouse. Step away from the graphics tablet. Now, pick up a pencil. Creating thumbnail sketches is a crucial part of the brainstorming aspect of your design work. Don't discount the value of this step in the design process.

Templates

Raw template and Ad Using Said Template
© J. Bear
Jumpstart your designs with a template. Use a template as a starting point, something to get you thinking about what goes where and how it should look.
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