Approaches to your design stimuli
Sources of inspiration
This jewellery project has taken inspiration from the shape and texture of sea urchins
Many designers find having a visual inspiration very helpful in developing the Relating to beauty and visual appearance. qualities of their design. When selecting your source of inspiration, consider the following:
- What is your design brief and what kind of inspiration is appropriate for it?
- What sources will give you the look you are after in terms of shape, form, pattern and colour scheme?
- Should your inspiration be from the natural world or the man-made world?
- If you like a particular designer's work, think about what inspired their ideas.
- How will you respond to the inspiration? Will you organise images digitally or in a sketch book?
- Is it important for you to work from primary sources? Is it more appropriate for you to work from secondary sources?
- Will you make drawings based on your source of inspiration? This can help you to explore the most important visual elements relating to your brief and develop more original ideas.
- Will you make sculptural forms based on your source of inspiration? This is like drawing in 3D and should help you to generate more imaginative and original ideas for 3D designs.