One of the biggest challenges in starting a project is the very beginning. The paper is blank, and you can take it in any direction you want. Once you have a plan, it becomes easier for everything else to fall in place.
But, what are the first steps in creating a project?
1. Draw it out.
A lot of designing, photography, video production, and other projects can easily be done mostly on computer software. One of the best ways to start a project is to get out a piece of paper and a pencil and to draw it; working on software alone might limit your creative ideas.
Drawing on paper can help you work though the idea stage of a project. Draw sketches and change them, create story boards, or just draw doodles and see where it takes you!
It can also help to start a project in only black and white. Focus on the shape, type, and other factors that will make up your design or project and then, after you’ve established those points, start to research what colors would work, put some color on it and keep experimenting.
2. Make more than one option.
An easy route to starting a project is to start designing one idea and then sticking with it, but this might not really be the best route. One thing to do to make sure that you are not limiting yourself is to create different options. If you are designing a poster, maybe you could create four different poster designs that are all somehow different from each other, then you can get feedback from those you are working with. You might end up going with one of your designs, making a a completely new one, or combining your different ideas into one project!
3. Create a mood board.
This can be your best friend when it comes to starting a project. A mood board is a page or more of images that make you think of what you are designing; inspiration can come from photos, drawings, words, textures or anything else you can think of. Making a mood board will make you focus on the different elements of what you want your project to be, and also get you started on how you will want your project to look.
Check out some finished projects that all started out as a blank page at www.michigancreative.com!
– Siobhan Findlay