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Sources of inspiration

Many designers find having a visual inspiration very helpful in developing the aesthetic 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.

Using design works as stimuli

Designers who work in your chosen area and whose ideas and techniques you are interested in can be a good source for stimulus.

Choose key designers who can also influence your own practical work. Analyse their techniques. This work can be presented in a number of different ways:

• in your sketchbook
• in a jotter
• as a presentation on sheets of paper of card
• on the computer using software of your choice
• as a blog

You should consider how the designers' approaches might influence your own work. Think about:

• Key visual elements and how they are used.
• Style and how this is achieved.
  • Do they belong to a particular design movement?
  • What are its characteristics?
• Social and cultural influences that have impacted on the designs and how they have done this.
• Techniques and use of technology.

Market research

Market research involves looking at existing works in your design area and learning from them.

When carrying out market research for a design piece you should ensure that:

• it is relevant to your design brief.
• you do not copy any of the designs that you find
• you collate and present your market research in an effective way