This chapter discusses generating graphic design ideas through brainstorming techniques. It recommends establishing a comfortable working environment to unleash creativity and explore many ideas without rushing. Various brainstorming techniques are presented, such as random word association and visual montages that combine images to form new meanings. Thumbnails allow designers to quickly get initial ideas on paper by keeping them simple, rough, and separated from details. The chapter emphasizes exploring a wide variety of ideas through different techniques before identifying the most promising to pursue and refine. The assignment is to create visual montages combining images from two random words to form new meanings.

1. Guide to Graphic Design: Cha pter 5
G E N E R A T I N G I D E A S

2. N L E A S H
Creativity

3. CRE AT IV E W OR K
E NV IRONM E NT
Messy
Cl u t t e r e d
Cl e an

4. DON’T BE SATICFIED with your FIRST IDEA!
DON’T RUSH into production phase!
There is NO “MAGICAL BURST”
“I’ve never thought
of myself as getting
an idea. I always
discover it.“
George Lois
“Make it happen
& let it happen.“
George Tscherny

5. BRAIN
STORMING

6. KEEP IT SIMPLE
SIZE: 2in x 3 in
USE PEN OR SHARPIE
EXPLORE
HAVE FUN!
THUMB
NAILS
“The greatest
freedom
comes from
the greatest
stricness.“
- Paul Valéry
FAST, ROUGH
AND DIRTY.
SEPERATE CONCPET
FROM DETAIL
GET YOUR FIRST
IDEA OUT AND
MOVE ON

7. VISUAL RHETORIC
T E C H I N Q U E S

8. RANDOM WORD
ASSOCIATION
EXAMPLE RAT & KEY
RAT
>> TINY >> SNEAKY >> FAST >> DIRTY >> CUTE >> SNITCH
KEY
>> HOUSE >> SOLUTION >> ANSWER >> HOLE >> OPEN >> LOCK >> SAFETY

9. Get Crakin’ Campaign

10. SOME TOYS NEVER DIE
Grey Group Singapore

11. VISUAL MONTAGE
EYE
+
WATER
=
TWO WORDS OR IMAGES 1 IMAGE
WEEPING

12. OTHER TECHNIQUES
COMPARISON
OPPOSITS
METAPHORES

13. OVERVIEW
Coming up with ideas takes an extraordinary amount of work.
You need a strong concept to carry an idea across a campaign.
Establish a comfortable working environment. Make it your own.
Brain storming allows you to think past the obvious ideas and requires a variety of techniques.
Thumbnails allow you to get your ideas out quickly.
Use word association techniques to think about an idea from different perspectives:
i.e. Random Word Associations, Visual Montage, Metaphores etc.
Accidents = Unexpected solutions
Identify, weigh and catagorize which ideas are worth pursuing and refining.

14. ASSIGNMENT
Create 5 Different Montage’s
Choose 2 random words (completely unrelated) explore their
meaning, definition, synonyms.
Combine the images representing each word to make one meaning
Write a paragraph about the meaning.