Recharge Your Design Batteries

As a designer, if you find yourself going down the same route time and again, and feel in need of an injection of ideas, then Recharge Your Design Batteries will help shock you out of your complacency, inspire you to look in new directions for radical solutions, and invite you to hone entirely new skill sets. Tactics include: writing must-have lists and storytelling scenarios; compiling visual scrapbooks, drawing in sketchbooks and journaling daily; establishing a blog with a regular creative challenge; launching your own cute product line; collecting color and texture swatches and constructing atmospheric mood boards; experimenting with still and video cameras and recording experiences and environments; sourcing ephemera and found objects from flea-markets to build and display inspirational collections; volunteering and working pro-bono; and taking day trips and longer excursions to discover archival resources

As a designer, if you find yourself going down the same route time and again, and feel in need of an injection of ideas, then Recharge Your Design Batteries will help shock you out of your complacency, inspire you to look in new directions for radical solutions, and invite you to hone entirely new skill sets. Tactics include: writing must-have lists and storytelling scenarios; compiling visual scrapbooks, drawing in sketchbooks and journaling daily; establishing a blog with a regular creative challenge; launching your own cute product line; collecting color and texture swatches and constructing atmospheric mood boards; experimenting with still and video cameras and recording experiences and environments; sourcing ephemera and found objects from flea-markets to build and display inspirational collections; volunteering and working pro-bono; and taking day trips and longer excursions to discover archival resources

John O'Reilly is a copywriter, editor and writer of visual trend reports. He has worked on campaigns and brand development for clients including Getty Images Playstation and the British Council. He has been a regular contributor on art, music and media for the London broadsheet newspapers, an editor on Colors magazine, and writes regularly for Eye magazine.

Tony Linkson is a freelance multi-disciplinary creative. His projects include art director of Colors magazine, joint art director of the video installation that surrounded Times Square, New York City, during the New Year's Millennium celebrations, and designing and developing brand identities for Channel 4, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Playstation, and VH1.