How to create a culture of curiosity
Why is curiosity important to designers?
(Especially for client-side creative teams.)
Creative block hits every designer. No matter how seasoned you might be or how much experience you have, there comes a time when ideas seem to dry up. I have spent a majority of my design career on the client-side. And when you are an in-house designer and you have been working with the same brand guidelines for years on end, it’s hard to think of new and innovative ideas. When you have been staring at the same project for days / weeks / months on end, it’s easy to fall into a creative plateau.
The challenge is that many designers don’t feel they have the freedom to think differently. We are constantly being pressed to squeeze more work out of each week. It often feels like we don’t have the permission to take time to explore, to experiment, and to be curious. But this is a critical skill that must be developed if you are responsible for innovation and creativity inside your company.
Curiosity triggers something in the brain that allows you to break the way you’ve historically thought about things.
So where do you start?
Figure out what inspires you
Identify 3-4 places where you get inspiration. Do you love seeing the latest work on Behance? Is there an awesome letter artist on Instagram? Maybe going on a walk in the woods helps clear your head. That stack of architectural magazines is always good for skimming. I’ll often start with some of my favorite illustrators (Invisible Creature and DKNG Studios) to see what they’re up to and go from there. (Warning: Don’t aimlessly scroll through Instagram. That’s wasting your time. Make your exploration count. Look for something that makes you say, “wow.” Don’t catch up on the Kardashians.)
Be intentional with your time
“I don’t have time,” is a lame excuse. Build this exercise into your calendar. Don’t “try to get to it,” because you will absolutely fill that time with projects and deadlines. Block this time on your calendar and keep it sacred. That rescheduled, weekly-campaign call can manage without you.
Let your team know it’s ok
Say it to them. Out loud. Let your team know that it’s ok to carve out an hour each week to be curious. Better yet, lead by example. If you’re blocking your calendar for that time, chances are they’ll do the same. (PS You need to know it’s ok too.)
Practical steps to encourage curiosity
Here are a couple ideas that I’ve used with my team to encourage creativity.
1) Weekly creative sync
Once a week, the team gets together for show-n-tell. The objective is to search the interwebs for design and creative inspiration. It doesn’t matter what it is. An interesting photography exhibit. A website with great interaction design. Perfectly kerned typography. A beautifully illustrated infographic. There are no rules here. You just have to be inspired and be able to explain why. (Side benefit: it gets your team presenting to a group on a regular basis and pushes them to articulate the details of why the design works.) I find this particular exercise important when leading a remote team. Communication and connection amongst a remote team can be challenging. Carving out time where we get together and put all our current projects (and stress) aside allows us to connect in a different way.
2) Sketch Fridays
Or Monday, or Thursday. Sketching is a lifelong skill for designers that needs to be constantly practiced. Even if you’ve been a designer for 40 years, you need a sketchbook. Sketching is the fastest way to get an idea from your head into fruition. Nobody can read your mind, so your sketchbook becomes a powerful tool.
“But I’m not good at sketching.”
Sketching is not about straight lines and perfect shading. It’s about ideas and the starting point for innovation. This also becomes the fastest way to iterate on an idea until you get to the Build phase. Those that can clearly communicate an idea on a sketchbook, napkin, or whiteboard are the ones that will lead.