Collaboration = Inspiration!

Collaboration = Inspiration!

As a creative professional, I’m always thankful that inspiration can strike anywhere, at any time. We’re inspired here at Cronin Creative by a lot of things, from museums and galleries to nature and books and music, and on an on. Even the bright colors in my studio area rug can spark an idea.

I collect pages from magazines and books that are interesting to me and display them on shelves or up on my bulletin board. I even have old paint cans filled with cool stuff that for some reason always stirs the creative soup.

It’s also a matter of just being open and present, and taking time to notice colors and patterns, the design that is all around us.

In a recent conversation with some fellow graphic designers, the question of inspiration came up. After listening to my colleagues’ inspiring tales of things that summon their particular muse, it hit me.

We design for people trying to communicate a clear message to other people. It’s all about people, collaborating with them, learning from them, sharing their stories, solving their problems, and just being one of them. We have an exceptionally rich, diverse and interesting client base. Getting to know them and the “why” behind the work that they do inspires us every day.

It’s my clients who encourage me to think in new ways, to approach this or that creative conundrum with an open mind, and to bend creatively, all healthy habits.

It all comes down to genuine collaboration, that back and forth with the client. This is what has sparked some of our most inspiring work. And that’s a good thing, because at the end of the day delivering great graphic design that moves the needle for our clients is what it’s all about.