Experimentation in any kind of design is an integral part of the process. As designers, it is our inherent duty to continue exploring and to push against the limitations imposed upon us, even within boundaries. It isn’t just about trying new things; it’s a mindset, a methodology, and a philosophy that generally forms excellence in this field. However, it’s not surprising to get it knocked off our minds under the pressure of deadlines, rules and grammar, and so on.
I would gladly like to share a few ways of experimentation I do in my day-to-day life of creative design.
But first, a little bit about myself-
As a designer coming from a Fine Arts background, I was always encouraged to experiment and be free with my processes. In fact, in an art degree- it’s the most important part since it’s only the context that gives it a deeper meaning.
Even now, as a designer, I find that my art education continues to influence my approach, particularly in the realm of experimentation. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, I value the journey of exploration and iteration. Each project naturally evolves as I discover more effective paths towards my objectives.
So, here are a few ways that I like to experiment throughout my work processes-
1. Experimenting in Sketchbook/Digital board:
While I found it quite handy during my traditional drawing days, I still prefer to jot down my ideas and rub them off the pages; well, quite most of the time. This subconscious scribbling is a small way in which I keep experimenting, pushing, changing, removing, and switching my ideas up. Constantly challenging it to see if there’s a better solution. However, digital boards are amazing to scribble on as well (I use Miro and Photoshop a lot of unseen times). Ultimately, both mediums can cope with the rubble of design thoughts and ideas that need to rest down.
2. Experimenting with Colors:
No matter if it’s a commercial, professional, or personal project – the difference in color palettes can do a lot more than we think it can do. The primary psychology of color is that it can change the entire attire, mood, and message of a design, art, or illustration. So, after a rough visual of an idea – the initial experiment should be of color palette. I usually work in a very chaotic way- so sometimes it’s even possible to choose a color palette first to overcome the process of delivering the proper idea or essence or a message and then jot down ideas.
3. Experimenting with Materials & in Mediums:
As a creative designer, I find it’s important to have a good relationship with the materials around you. They can help suggest specialist things you haven’t heard of.
The most simple thing is to play around with different paper types. For example, print the same thing on a handful of different papers, and see what looks best. See what feels best. The texture is half the beauty of some products. But it doesn’t have to stop there. Are you designing a poster? What if it was printed onto cotton? What if it was embossed on steel?
Maybe there’s a good level of chance to create something beyond imagination by simply starting with the mediums around your table. I once experimented with all the trashy materials like wasted aluminum foil, bubble wrap, tracing paper, etc which I dipped and pasted on the paper and later used the scanner to pull them into digital board. Fast forward, it turned out as quite a satisfactory visual identity project for a Type Festival.
I also feel the legitimate importance of the vast ground of Illustrator and Photoshop. There are plenty of areas to experiment and play around within these softwares and I mean, there’s no good reason not to! You can quickly duplicate, edit, filter, add, and subtract exploring different trains of thoughts instantly and even go back to your previous ideas when you hit a dead end.
If we can’t take enough advantage of this, we – as designers; are definitely missing out on something!
Of course, I’m not saying to go out there and do everything, but think about these things more often and you’ll find yourself pushing your designs one step further.
After all, experimentation is a process of solving problems, isn’t it?
4. Type Experimentation:
Earlier this year, I found a few type-gods out there and I felt absolutely mesmerized about how, technically, experimentation is leading the creative industry. Typography – as a design element always fascinated me and as much as I have experimented with other elements of design, typography or type experiment has topped them all. Type is a visual language that has the power to connect almost to an auditory level, without physically talking, and to top it all – it literally has the most expanded area to experiment. In the traditional mediums as well as the digital mediums, and it doesn’t even have to be “grammatically” perfect. You can easily break only if you know how to make it !
So I always try to include even the minimum amount of glimpse of any “Type” related element in most of my design compositions so that it’s more expressive in a way that it needs to be.
The point I’m trying to state is that, there’s no need to maintain certain boundaries in your creative process if you don’t want to!
(It’s okay I’ll be back with experimental typography articles later haha)
5. Bonus Experimentation:
Back in the days, I used to love spending hours just thinking/scribbling and surfing through the web and collecting an unlimited amount of other designer works and then would begin to work. Visiting art galleries, taking ideas from all sectors of design and art, even movies, and spending time to research and gather ideas for a really long amount of time are some of the early stage experimentation that I would suggest anyone to proceed with.
The Mindset of Experimentation:
Well, as Professor and Graphic Designer Leopoldo Leal says, “A project with only technical requirements is soulless”.
Experimenting doesn’t add hours to our work logs, and technically there’s no success or failure at this stage, so it’s a win-win. Actually- it doesn’t take us any longer at all- I can guarantee much faster outcomes if you allow yourself some creative freedom, instead of stifling it under doubts and pressures. However, it’s terribly hard to get into this mindset because our whole lives we’re trained to avoid being wrong. We go to school to learn how not to fail. Everything is black and white, right or wrong. If only more teachers could embody the freedom of characters like Ms. Frizzle, encouraging experimentation and reminding us to “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”. Well, this keeps us from getting stuck in creative ruts and ensures we deliver our best results.