Veerle Pieters
Veerle is an illustrator, designer, web developer and, last but not least, renowned blogger based in Deinze, Belgium. She is the founder of Duoh!, along with her partner Geert Leyseele, an agency devoted to all things design, which acquired a worldwide reputation for mixing cutting-edge approaches and classic looks. Veerle promotes web standards through her personal journal and at international conferences. She also loves Swiss typography, biking through the countryside and helping to make the Internet a better place.
You can see her tweet @vpieters.
More thoughts by Veerle Pieters:
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Considering my heavy workload, and the fact that things are always so busy, someone was asking me how I manage to stay creative at all times, and how I always find the motivation to design as best I can. I thought about it for a bit. Time is a factor that plays a major role in the creative process. To be able to stay at your best creativity-wise, you sometimes need extra time. As a creator, you can always create 'something' in a short period of time, but you won't be able to give it your best if that period is really short. Give yourself extra time and you will create something way better. Sometimes it's good to let a project rest and look back. Sometimes you have a creativity block and you really need a break. I think it's important with every project to make sure you have enough time; that little extra can make the difference. This movie shows exactly what I mean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgvx9OfZKJw.
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As a busy graphic designer spending so much time on projects for clients, I find it very helpful to do some creative work that has nothing to do with work, especially when you are working on a big project that takes months, and where you have to stay focused on the same design for such a long time.
I think it's important to keep your creativity at its best. That's why I try to spend every day 10 to 15 minutes creating something that isn't work related. It could be a drawing in one of my sketchbooks, or just some doodling, or it could be something done in Illustrator. I prefer going the analogue way as I already spend so much time in front of my computer. So it's usually pencil and paper, watercolor, or even scissors and glue to create a fun collage. My creative mind follows another path during those few minutes, and doing so has a revigorating, stimulating effect on me.
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When it comes down to creating and designing, I think it's safe to say that every designer has their good and bad days. Some days ideas come naturally, and other days we have moments where we are really stuck. When facing an inspiration block, I learned that forcing myself doesn't really help. You can try it for a while, but once you feel you are wasting time, keeping on pushing yourself will be of no use.
For me, the best thing to do in such moments is to take a break. It doesn't have to be a long break; 10 minutes is already more than enough. The important thing is that I think about something totally different than what I'm working on so that I avoid thinking about design for a while. I like leaving the office; I usually go outside, or open a book, sometimes while listening to music, or I even take a shower… Anything that makes me feel relaxed and clears my mind.
Another thing I sometimes try —depending on my ongoing projects— is to work on some HTML/CSS stuff. It feels as if I'm switching to another mode. After that small break, I try to find some inspiration by browsing through my Inspiration Gallery, or the stuff I gathered on Gimme Bar, or in my LittleSnapper library. Just things I find beautiful.
I don't always look at things that are directly related to what I'm working on. Inspiration can be found in many different things and in a lot of case it's also related to my state of mind at a given moment. Taking a break is of course not a guarantee you'll have the spark afterwards, but I came to see it as my best chance.
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In my humble opinion, you become a great designer only if you try to find a balance between what the client likes and what you like. After all, you design for the client, not for yourself. The client has to be 100% satisfied. But don't get me wrong here, it's not a one-way communication where the designer blindly follows what the client dictates.
Sometimes, the client's feedback has no valuable points; then it's up to you to explain why you think the client's direction is not a good one. Finding a "middle ground" doesn't mean you end up with a dull result.
Sometimes the client will agree with you, especially with people who actually choose you because they like your "design style".
You just have to try to push yourself to the limit in order to be as creative as possible. Take the client's feedback into account: that can only help you improve your design, whether the feedback is valuable or not, positive or not.
If you do that, in a lot of cases you'll end up with a great result, and it's always very fulfilling when that actually happens.
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I'm not following any trends, I'm just trying to do my own thing. If people say you can't use rounded corners anymore because they are overused, that type of info doesn't have any value for me. If I'm working on something that I feel is better suited with rounded corners I will use them, trendy or not. Just like with anything else, I feel it is okay if it fits the project or when used in moderation. That's why I almost never look at web site galleries, because they often kill inspiration.
Here are the dates of Veerle Pieters's future thoughts:
- Saturday, 2 June
- Saturday, 14 July
- Thursday, 2 August
- Sunday, 9 September
- Saturday, 6 October
- Sunday, 4 November
- Sunday, 2 December