I am confident that even if you have been a packaging designer for a short while, you will have had at some stage experienced “Designers Block”. For those that are not designers, or experienced this wonderful feeling, it is where you turn up to work, start a project brief with all the best intentions, sketch a million ideas, hate them all, bin them and then question “why did I ever choose this as a career?” Looking at the monitor for hours, using all your experience, knowledge, or previous projects to search in the dark corners of your mind for the smallest piece of inspiration. Pushing bits around on screen and ending up going home frustrated that a job, which should have taken two hours, ended up taking eight and is still not finished. What is worse though, is when you are self employed and quoted a price for the job and know the next day when you come in, your hourly rate has just halved.
Unfortunately, there will be days when this happens, that is part of being a designer and a career where you are not necessarily paid on how hard you work, but your ability to create. Being creative and paid to meet a deadline is a difficult balancing act, the closer the deadline gets, the more pressure you can feel and the more difficult it becomes to be creative or innovative. Now after twenty-five years, I would love to say it does not happen anymore, but it still does, however I have learned some techniques along the way that work for me and ease the pain somewhat.
The first one is recognising as soon as possible when it is not working and when it is going to be one of those days or projects. Watch for the early signs before you really start to lose time and then change your approach or tactics. If you have a long deadline, try a different project, and come back to it and see if it is just the one you are working on. However, if it is short, try breaking it down in to smaller sections for the larger tasks. When I am having a bad day, or plain tired, I try to work on the more basic, repetitive, or easier tasks, ones that you can check off and at least look back at the end of the day and feel you achieved something.
Many years ago, I think it was around four years into my career and I was freelancing at a packaging site, supporting a structural design department. I was stuck on a design brief, having spent most of the day, sketching ideas and just not getting anywhere. I was frustrated, annoyed, and stressed. Another more experienced designer within the department came by and asked what was wrong, I explained I just could not get anything to work and showed him my drawings. His advice has stuck with me and echoes in my mind whenever I feel this block happening. He said, “just make something”, it might sound obvious or even silly to some, but it is quite easy to just sit there and keep sketching, getting caught up in the task in front of you. I broke the sections of the design down and made simple structures, starting with the outer case and some basic rectangular fitments, then placed the product inside and it started to flow. I could then begin to see where components would fit together, where the blockers were and how to overcome them.
Whilst this technique may not work on every project, it was a great lesson to learn. Now whenever I become stuck on a design, I just start to cut and fold with whatever material I have, even using it in one of my most recent designs.
Another technique, if I am developing a new concept, without a particular product in mind, is to just start cutting some part of the design by hand from sample board and more recently, cutting quick miniatures from sheets of A4 card to verify the concept first. I find looking at a monitor and a two-dimensional design, just does not give the feedback of being able to feel and manipulate the board in front of your eyes. You can bend and arc the board into position, which you cannot recreate that easily in CAD. Sometimes, just by folding and manipulating the board in front of you, it can become inspiration and give you an idea for your design. I still hand cut most new innovations or concepts, it not only allows you this critical insight, but it also sharpens your focus and knowledge of allowances, as one critical cut or mismeasurement and an hour’s work can easily be gone.
A technique that is not so easy to utilise in the current global situation, is to share the project with a colleague or friend. Never underestimated the power of a fresh pair of eyes, or the creativity of two designers bouncing ideas off each other.
Another thing that I have found to help reduce “Designers Block” occurring in the first place, is by having the right environment setting, because the more relaxed I am, the more creative I can be. The perfect setting for me, is good music, dim lighting, refreshments to hand, clear and uncluttered space with plants. However, I will admit, most of my best designs are usually thought of when I am not sat in the office, they are just flashes in my mind when out walking, watching a film, driving in the car or when my mind is in a restful state.
This leads to probably the hardest one for me, taking five minutes out. Yes, even when you are busy and stressed, sometimes steeping away, and coming back with a fresh pair of eyes can be better for you. I am seriously not the best at this and sometimes must be told to step away, or physically dragged, resisting as much as possible, but it does work.
Design for me has never been a career, but a way of life and as mentioned above, it can be one of the most frustrating job roles if you cannot create when required, and yet, also one of the most rewarding when you have moments of inspiration.
One of the best packaging designs of my career, surprisingly only took 20 minutes to create, I drew it up in CAD and then the first sample off the table worked perfect. I have only probably ever experienced two occasions like this in 25 years, so just remember when times are tough. Hang in there, because just around the corner will be your next eureka moment and this will remind you why you always wanted to be a designer.
Recognition is the first step in beating Designers Block and the most important, but the next is to apply whatever technique works for you quickly without delay. The techniques I described above are my own, but you will develop ones that are personal to you, however, don’t be afraid to try different things and see what relaxes or inspires you.
