How to Concept Creative Ideas without AI: Holiday Version

Oh, you're so creative!

I’m lucky. I hear that from my clients all the time. But do you want to know a secret? Creativity is a skill that can be developed, just like any other. We do ourselves when we delegate these tasks to the "creative department;" Everyone can perfect these skills. There are several frameworks I use when looking for a solution but this one is my favorite: the Creative Mash-up, combining two unrelated ideas to create a new concept.

I am sharing the process I went through in coming up with a concept for a holiday card for a client a while back. I always use this example in my writing classes because the holidays are rich with collective images, metaphors, and puns that make it easy for a group to participate in this exercise.

The assignment.

A graphic designer owns a boutique studio in Ocean Beach, California. Many of her clients are in the Midwest and East Coast. She wants to send a holiday card that celebrates her oceanfront existence (and maybe stir up a bit of jealousy in her snow-bound clients).

The constraints.

Reflect the holidays: decorated trees, candy canes, stockings, okay. Please steer clear of religious symbols: shepherds, manger, wise men.

The method: creative mashup.

This could be a classic creative mash-up. Is there an image or statement that is a coastal California version of the holidays?

I began by establishing two broad categories—holiday and beach—and then combining an idea from each category to create something new.

The power of a framework.

Instead of thinking of holiday items one by one, I thought of major subsets first. With each subset, it’s then easier to quickly list more elements. Need more ideas? Create more subsets.

Beach:

• ocean
• activities
• scenery
• animals

For holiday:

• songs
• decor
• outside
• food
• traditions

Listmania!

Then it's time to go wild listing elements under each subset.

The creative mash-up.

Now the fun part. It’s time to connect items from each category. This can be done thematically, visually or verbally.

Here’s what I came up with:

Decorated trees and palm trees. Could also be interpreted as a decorated saguaro cactus.

• Santa on a surfboard, beach cruiser, etc., instead of on a sleigh.
• Beach ball as a round ornament. A series driven by shape: sun, volleyball, etc.
• Holiday wreath as lifeguard’s lifebuoy. More on the round series.
• Snowman as a sandcastle.

Verbal mash-ups.

While I didn't really use any verbal mash-ups, many holiday song titles and movies are easy to riff on. You can start with a song title and then look up words in a rhyming dictionary to find possible puns.

Two San Diego plays on words riffing off Jingle Bells:

• Jungle Bells – holiday activities at the San Diego Zoo.
• Mingle Bells – a networking event.

Here’s the final card that my client illustrated. The winning selection: a lifesaving ring as a wreath.

I hope you have a wonderful and peaceful end of the year.

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