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Make sure that you get advice and feedback from other people
This can go wrong if you ask the wrong people for advice, but so long as you are asking the right people then constructive criticism can really help you. Asking an inappropriate person to judge your work can really knock your confidence. If people are making vague comments about it,” just not looking right” then you will need to get another opinion. You want people who can give you specific feedback that will not only tell you about the problems, but also how to fix them. Don’t take any criticism personally.
See if you can find inspiration offline
During recent years there has been a rapid growth in the number of CSS galleries and design showcases websites available online. You will find that these are a great source for inspiration, but you can also get great ideas offline as well. Just walking down the street and looking in shops or opening up a magazine can be the source of some great ideas; even television can be a good resource. When you are doing your research, you should try and keep in mind the things that will be important to you later such as; element placement, typography, and color. Quiz yourself as to what you like about anything that appeals to you. Traditional media can be a great fountain of knowledge and ideas. It is possible to get many new insights from just looking at advertisements from the past.
You need to learn how to let go
Sometimes there will be parts of your design that you really love, but you will just have to get rid of. The fact that you could have spent a lot of time and effort on this part of the project will make letting go hard, but this is something you must do. Don’t consider your time wasted; maybe you will be able to use it in a later project.
Always design from the inside out
This really is good advice. Many designers begin with the header, but it’s usually the case that what is inside the page is what will makes everything look good, and the header is just a bonus. It is a good idea to start with focusing on the body of the page and come back to the header later; once the page looks more solid it will be easier to get everything else right. It is likely trying to fix your tie when you’re not wearing any clothes.
Take a break from the computer
If you are finding things are getting too much, then you need to take a break from the computer. A break is a good way to clear your mind and you will be able to return fresh and ready to go. Sometimes walking away can be an important part of the process and a break from your work can give you a better perspective about it; maybe you will come back and see that it is coming along nicely. Sometimes not taking a break can mean finishing and suddenly realizing that your work is nowhere as good as you believed it to be while working on it.
Absorb as many good things as you can
In order to create good art is important that you get good inspiration. Don’t steal the ideas of others but you can allow them to influence your work. You should start trying to identify why something pleases you; try and take it apart and see how it works. Ask yourself about how the textures work and what makes some items stand out.
Avoid becoming a one hit wonder
Don’t keep on using the same techniques repeatedly; just because these designs have worked well in the past does not mean that you should keep using them over and over again. You need to learn new design habit if you want your work to look fresh and avoid it looking repetitive. You should not only be trying to design great work, but also work unlike what you have done previously.
Try and sketch something
Your whiteboard will often be the thing that can save you, but you might also just use paper and pencil. Making little drawings is a great way of identifying the elements and where they are going to be placed. A bonus with these mockups is that you can get through ideas really rapidly; you can just sketch something and then scribble it out and after a while you will have something you can work with. Wireframe applications can also help with this, but whiteboards can be just as effective.
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Some nice ideas there to overcome creative block. I’d particularly highlight the need to get offline more often to find inspiration – there’s definitely a danger for web designers that we spend too much time just focusing on other websites for inspiration. Sure, there are some great sites out there, but we risk becoming too derivative if we only seek inspiration online.
One additional idea I’d throw into the mix. which is a creative scrapbook. I have a big “creative inspiration” book. Whenever I see something cool (and I base it very much off immediate gut reaction) in a magazine, or a flyer, or a newspaper, I tear it out and keep it. I stick everything in the book when I get the chance.
The idea is not to specifically *work* on the scrapbook, it’s something that grows organically. And it’s not organized in any way, it’s a jumble of interesting images, typography, designs etc. But it’s often invaluable, because I’ll flick through it at the start of every assignment and very often find some piece of inspiration that gives me a hook to hang the rest of my design ideas from.
The main piece of advice I would stress is finding content offline. It’s easy to sit on your computer for hours surfing Digg and Reddit and Google, but actually going outside and experiencing life with people is really where I get all of my inspiration for my sites.
Inside the Webb is right. You’ll just have to look for other means of information and inspiration when you’re experiencing creative block. A lot of resources are found on the net and even outside your house or cubicle so just be resourceful.
Robin, awesome idea, this is something that i will try… I always see design stuff I like and never do nothing about it…