Motivation for Creation

Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself  and come up with new concepts after your initial concepts have been rejected. I like to see it as a challenge and that is what motivates me to keep designing. I am ultra competitive and I think most designers who have been in this field for a decent amount of time are as well. I think you have to be in order to compete in this world of talented designers. I find it even more difficult to carry out a design that has been altered to the point where your concept is not longer recognizable. At this point you don’t feel like it’s your design any more and everything you worked for has been crushed. Situations like this can sometimes be avoided by taking early action. Here is what I like to do:

• Only present your best concepts. Go for quality and not quantity. Don’t show the dog in the bunch. If there is one design that you’re not sure about, but you include it because you feel it’s the safe choice – you’re asking for trouble because you know they will choose that one.
  
• Support your ideas. Practice what you’re going to say and prepare yourself for the uncomfortable questions that may come up in your presentation. (ex. “Why does the man have grass growing out of his ears?” “Why are there two different typefaces?” etc.)
• Don’t argue with your client. The client is never the problem and arguing will only makes things worse. Try saying, “You make a good point there. What if we used that and did this with it.” It makes them feel like they are still in control, but it’s really your concept they are continuing to use.

If you have other methods or if you have stories of failure or success, we would love for you to share them here.