ARTICLE SUMMARY: Here you are working on a project like there’s no tomorrow, cranking along on all eight cylinders, and then bam, you hit a speed bump. It’s a small speed bump, not the kind that rattles your teeth, but in the back of your head you know something just isn’t right. You’re not going to stop now, you’ve come too far. You have committed yourself to an idea, a look, a concept and the last thing you want to do is go back to the starting line.
We know when we get that little voice saying something isn’t right we should listen. Let’s face it, there are times that against our better judgement we don’t listen and end up paying a price in lost time and creative energy spent, all for nought.
“Doing Away With Bad Design Ideas” by Addison Duvall looks at what to do in this particular situation and the strategy we need to avoid this design pitfall. His strategy covers
- Listening to that little voice
- Act with speed
- Use a sharp blade
The longer we wait to reassess the situation and change course the greater the pain.
Once you start over you will notice your work flows more smoothly, and you begin making interesting connections you couldn’t before. You will gain clarity and insight that will help you move on quicker than trying to reinvent the wheel.
Addison Duvall concludes by reminding us that “We creatives can be stubborn, refusing to listen to our intuitive voices of reason when they attempt to steer us back on the right path with our work. We insist we can fix what’s not working not by removing it, but by working it to death, forcing it to bend to our almighty will.
This is almost always a terrible idea. The sooner you can learn to face facts and be honest with yourself, the smoother your workflow will be,
As designers we need to be reminded that all ideas sound great in theory, but when it comes to practice sometimes we just need to cut and run. This article shows us know how.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
