Things to consider, resources and techniques to employ to get the most out of your brainstorming sessions

No doubt you have heard the word “brainstorming” many times, but it can be used for all types of business and concept in a wide range of industries. It is certainly not a secret technique exclusive to the ‘creative art types’ or those ‘designers’ which, again, encompass all kinds of people and professions, who create the concepts that change our lives in some way. This article is written with motion graphics designers in mind and those who want to develop VFX shots, script ideas for television, video, and film, or graphic channel branding, and the list goes on. Of course, all the techniques and tips here can be applied to anyone who wishes to develop their ideas individually or with others in any constructive way.

What do you need

All you really need is a place to brainstorm, a relaxed and quiet place, yourself, some friends or colleagues, maybe the client or others. Some paper and pens, tea, coffee, and water round out the essentials, but there are all sorts of gadgets that can help inspire, speed up, record, and document your brainstorming session. An internet-connected laptop is obviously great for getting references and examples brought up during the meeting, but make sure you have a fast internet connection, there’s nothing more likely to bog down your inspiration and flow of ideas than having to wait for more than a few seconds to start smoothly streaming a vimeo clip. A music reference may be needed, so make sure everyone can hear the music properly, ideally through decent speakers. You might also consider a camera or your phone’s camera, even a video camera to document the meeting for later reference. Similarly, an audio recorder could be used if images are not needed, a microphone is less intrusive than a camera, and the important part of brainstorming, the voice, is clearly captured.

what you don’t need

You don’t need your mobile phone to ring: put phones on silent mode or turn them off, a call will always interrupt the process. You should also try to avoid any other ringing phones or disturbing noise, headphones are a no-no when people are trying to converse in a group, negativity should be left at the door, every idea that is expressed should be heard even if it is rubbish.

It is best to abandon superiority or hierarchy in the meeting to ensure that no one feels shy about expressing their thoughts. Food or cigarettes don’t help the process either, focus and collective thinking are the key to start the process of your finished masterpiece. The longer you can hold the group’s focus, or your own concentration, the more developed your ideas will become.

Who to brainstorm with

Brainstorm with anyone you think can help in the process, anyone whose opinion you respect or with whom you feel compelled to work. An initial brainstorm with your clients or co-workers can go so far, but consider many smaller brainstorming sessions with your target audience and people with a different take on an idea, other designers, children, your mother. , whoever. If the client does not attend the meeting, it would be wise to select someone to think about the client’s vision in terms of branding, image and the like.

In a brainstorming session, encourage others to want to contribute to show their knowledge and understanding. Make others feel involved and passionate. Don’t let one person dominate the meeting and encourage everyone not to be afraid to look stupid and let the ideas flow.

working on your own

When you’re alone, try to create a nice relaxed environment for reading books or magazines, surfing the internet where you can focus on the task at hand, and try not to get distracted by anything else online. Often the best way to develop an initial idea if you can’t share ideas with your colleagues is to just start working, draw, write, shoot, Photoshop, flash or after effects, whatever you’re using, while creating, your mind continually focuses on how to improve and develop the idea. You can always ask other people’s opinion online by posting your images in a safe place.

Keep the summary in mind

Always make sure you have a copy of the summary on hand and use a list of highlighted keywords from the summary to refer to, so you don’t stray too far from what the customer really wants. Show your brainstorming partners any client references at the start of the session, look at company branding, logo, colors and fonts. Keep your ideas within the confines of what is possible for the format and budget you are working with, determine if the result is for television, film or the web, as this will also shape your ideas to best suit in the middle.

tips and sharing

Use a camera or camera phone to take sketches or notes that others make during the brainstorming session, and take pictures or videos you find online and save them to a memory card. Use your camera wherever you go for inspiration. On your way home from the meeting, you might see the side of a bus or a sign on the subway platform that catches your eye or seems relevant in some way. Browse new and old books and magazines for inspiration, scan the pictures, or take photos with your phone’s camera. Collect all your photos and scanned images and put them in a cloud storage folder using Dropbox or another file-sharing service, then invite all your collaborators and brainstorming colleagues to share the folder, so everyone can browse and upload your own stuff. Create another folder with developing artwork, script drafts, or whatever is relevant to you.

Inspiration sources

Everything around you is a source of inspiration for something, so let your mind wander when you’re out and about. When you’re focused on sourcing material and looking for style references, look at the work of other designers and studios, check out vintage posters, movie titles, animations, images, and old movies, check out sites like Vimeo, Motionographer, and Stash. Keep your sketchbook and camera with you at all times and document anything you find interesting that you can use in your current or future projects.

Other techniques

Think of opposites or mirrors and see if other ideas materialize. Try to think of an idea from the opinion of a different person, gender, race, animal or being, someone very big or very small, young or old. Always look for angles from your main idea, but keep your central theme intact.

Summary

Key points to keep in mind before brainstorming a new brief:

Find a nice quiet place to brainstorm
Have your pen, paper and devices to document
Use all the inspirational resources available to you
Look at the brief of the client, product or company brand and any supplied reference material.
Encourage all participants to get involved and contribute ideas no matter how silly they seem to say them
Keep your mind open to new ideas even after the brainstorming session is over and continue to develop the strongest concepts while they are fresh in mind
Collect all the material and share it online with others to continue development.