What do you do if your problem-solving skills as a graphic designer need a boost?

Elevating your problem-solving skills hinges on robust research. Rarely do fully formed original ideas spontaneously emerge. Instead, it’s through diligent exploration—examining other designers’ work, magazines, books, or absorbing the world around us that we see the vast spectrum of what’s possible. The research phase allows us to understand the landscape of existing designs, identifying elements that resonate. The essence of creativity lies in how effectively we can blend these inspirations into something novel yet rooted in logic. The most original designs often emerge from skillfully reimagining and combining diverse influences, embracing the wisdom that true originality springs from the art of clever borrowing and transformation.

The discovery stage of a design project requires divergent thinking, where the aim is to propagate as many ideas as possible. Several ideation techniques support problem-solving, such as mindmaps, rapid ideation, brainwriting, alphabet, and sketching. In addition to utilising the right tools, it's also important to involve the right stakeholders.

If your problem-solving skills as a graphic designer need a boost, start by actively seeking out challenging projects that push your boundaries and require innovative solutions. Practice divergent thinking by exploring multiple ideas and approaches to solve design problems. Collaborate with colleagues or mentors to gain different perspectives and insights on tackling design challenges. Additionally, invest time in learning new techniques, tools, and methodologies through workshops, online courses, or design communities to expand your problem-solving toolkit. Embrace experimentation and iteration, and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to find creative solutions that elevate your graphic design work.

Brainstorming ideas is vital for graphic designers, providing a platform to explore creativity, collaborate, and generate innovative solutions to design challenges.

I think learning from mistakes is essential for graphic designers. When they look at what went wrong, they figure out how to do better next time. This helps them get better at their work and come up with new ideas.