I've had many people say, "I could never do what you do." In all humbleness, they're probably right. A popular misconception is that creativity happens in a flash of inspiration; just the opposite is true. It's a way of thinking and approaching a problem. True creativity and originality is a time-consuming process. Imagination, a sense of curiosity, and analytical skills all play an integral part in it.

Lets take a closer look at the five main ingredients:

Time
True creativity isn't possible without sufficient time. Unfortunately it is the first thing to go when cost or a deadline is the leading criteria. It is like trying to build a house in a week when it really requires three months. There is little time to worry about quality or attention to detail. What you end up with is a poor foundation and a lot of last minute painting to dress it up.

Time allows the mind to explore different approaches, revise them, and develop them further.

Information
Information drives great design. It is collected through several means; questionnaires, interviews, marketing research, investigating industry trends, and collecting data on your competition.

Some key questions are: What is unique about what you sell? Who is your customer? What do they want? What will they want in the future? What do they think of you? What can be changed about your product or service to be more beneficial? What can you offer them that they currently don't have?

Analysis
After the information is collected and organized, it is distilled down to a core set of data. Creative thinking and analysis begins by writing down any initial thoughts and ideas. At this point quantity takes precedent over quality.

After a day or so, the material is reviewed again. The previous information inspires new thoughts and ideas and identifies the unusable ones. Over time, two or three directions begin to emerge and eventually it leads to one or two strong concepts.

Concept Development
Creativity is progressive by nature; new ideas inspire even newer ones. As the initial images and text develop, minor adjustments are made; a phrase can be reworded to have more impact or an image adjusted to add more interest. Creativity has no endpoint, so it's also important to know when enough is enough.

Execution
When a concept is agreed upon, the final production begins. The copy goes through final fact-checking and proof-reading, high resolution images are placed and any final adjustments to color and layout are made. A critical part of creativity is attention to detail. Ultimately it must be a strong solution to the original problem to be a success.

About the Author
Derald Schultz is the founder and principal of Mediarail Design, Inc. A design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia specializing in graphic design, web design, and commercial printing services. Mr. Schultz holds degrees in Printing & Publishing, and Visual Communications. He worked within the design and printing communities for over 25 years before launching his own firm. Mediarail Design serves a wide variety clients across the country.

© 2006-2008 Derald Schultz, Mediarail Design, Inc.