Truly Inspired Inspiration Boards

One of my clients once sent me a picture of a dish towel, a cartoon, a chair, some fabric she found at her favorite store, and a ring she liked from Etsy. While these things may seem disconnected, she wanted to communicate her visual inspiration as I sat down to create a logo for her photography business. We had already talked about her values. We hashed out how she wanted to be perceived in her industry. She had shared her vision and growth plan. All of that helped me create a logo that was the perfect fit for her brand and her company.

I often tell my clients that I want them to send me points of inspiration. My brides send me pictures of lighting, receptions, swatches of bridesmaid dress fabric and linens. They tell me about their favorite pair of shoes and about how they met their fiance. Each of these bits of their story help inspire me when I’m designing stationery for their celebration.

Similarly, clients developing logos send me images that represent the values and personality of their brand. I get everything from cereal advertisements, pieces of clothing, and furniture, to drawings and landscape photographs. Each of these elements helps me to understand what images mean to them and how they want to express themselves and their brand.

In the world of wedding blogs, inspiration boards are all the rage. Bloggers choose a number of images that fit into a theme and present them together to inspire their readers. Some of my favorite inspiration boards include those from Green Wedding Shoes, Gloria McCune, and Inspired by This.

Here is a pink board from Green Wedding Shoes.

photo credits: top row - martha stewart, Chris Nicholls. next row: j crew dress, martha stewart, invitation by oh my deer via once wed. bottom row: duston todd, flickr, darling dexter, gourmet

Whether you are planning a wedding, starting a new business, or recreating yourself, an inspiration board can be a great place to begin. Gather images, textures, and ideas from lots of industries and mediums. While I love it when a bride comes with any visual stimuli, I think it is important to keep things personal. The more intentional you can be about your choices, the better end product will be. A pretty pink palette is wonderful but if it also tells part of your story and connects to who you are, it will be even more meaningful.

Don’t feel like you have to interpret the inspiration board. When you hire professionals, they should be able to pick out themes and patterns. Hopefully the inspiration board will be a jumping off point for your uniquely designed masterpieces.

If you’re having trouble, try scouring visually stimulating sites like flickr, Etsy, istockphoto, clipart.com, and Google image search. Be sure to look outside of your own industry or genre to expose yourself to a variety of ideas. Take your own pictures. Include sketches. Add images from art, fashion, interior design, and anything else that inspires you or tells part of your story.

Please keep in mind that I am not encouraging you to rip off the ideas of others. It is one thing to say that you like the imagery or emotion that a logo evokes. It is another to copy it.

What inspires your celebration or brand?

Design Inspiration: Books

Alright, I’ll admit it. I’m a book nerd. I love reading. To myself, to my husband, listening to other people read to me (seriously, sometimes I have friends come over to read to me). I get excited about books. My latest library find is Art Without Borders by Ben-Ami Scharfstein. Haven’t delved in yet but I can’t wait to read this “philosophical exporation of art and humanity.”

I must say, however, that I was attracted to it not only by its title and content. It was on the “New Book” shelf at the library. It was so shiny and perfect. In fact, I think I may the first person to have checked it out {happy sigh}. Somehow that knowledge makes the read more enjoyable. You might say that I’ve judged this book by its cover. And you would be right.

I’m unashamed about judging other books by their covers as well. Today’s Shoot from the Hip post inspired me. I will definitely become a regular visitor to The Book Cover Archive. Not only a place to see new titles (which I might actually read)… such good design inspiration too.

I was also stoked to see The Pelican Project at things magazine. This documentation of the chronology of Pelican book covers warmed my heart. Considering the countless hours I spent with a Penguin Classic paperback in college, I was glad to see documentation of the evolution of cover art. Books like these aren’t just parts of our culture and conversation, they hold a place in our collective aesthetic as well.

A snap of my own beloved collection.

Upward Inspiration

While I don’t usually look to cartoons for design inspiration, this morning I saw Disney & Pixar’s Up. …in 3D. Wow. Movies have to follow a lot of rules in order for me to like them. Up followed them all.

One: The Story
What a beautiful story that was so well crafted. They created an engaging, dynamic portrayal of a lifelong relationship and marriage with no dialog– that’s impressive. The images were so powerful and well-chosen. The story had so much impact. And didn’t need any more words than it had.

Two: The Setting
If you are going to tell me a story, it doesn’t necessarily have to have a happily ever after but I certainly want to see beautiful scenes, characters, and moments along the way. Up certainly delivered here.

Three: Plausibility
While I can’t really imagine someone actually traveling to South America (”its like America but south“) in a balloon-propelled house, it was at least consistent. The balloons did start to sag after a few days, he had more whiskers at the end of the movie than at the beginning…. they paid attention to the details. I like that.

So, I’m inspired to love my husband, remember that I’m on an adventure everyday, and design cool things. In fact, I think I might have to start designing an invitation based on a cloud motif… the wheels are turning.