Imagine the situation: you have just received a new logo design project, but the product or service does not really inspire you. You sit down and start thinking, but nothing comes. What to do ?

1. Create a mood board

To succeed in creating good ideas, you must first nourish your brain. One of the best ways is to create a mood board made up of inspirational images. First think about the target group you want to attract. What does he appreciate? What is he looking at? What does he read and what does he listen to? What other brands would be likely to interest these same people? Visit some sites they might like and download some reference images, watch a video clip and take some screenshots. Buy a few magazines or newspapers relevant to this demographic and cut out interesting pictures and characters.

Don't stop on such a good path! Grab your phone and go for a walk , taking pictures of things you find interesting, like half-torn signs or old posters, interesting textures or shapes.

Once you've accumulated enough images, you can either create your digital mood board using Pinterest (or whatever), or make it physically. For me, I do both, but there's no doubt that when I'm short on inspiration, tearing and repositioning images on large sheets of paper helps unblock my mind. Plus, when finished, you can display them all around you.

Then observe your mood boards and identify what you like among the elements that compose them. Are there any colors, typographic styles or shapes that stand out that you could use in your own work?

2. Make a mind map of your ideas

Mind mapping is one of the first creative “brainstorming” techniques that I turn to when I need ideas. It's a way to put all your initial thoughts on paper , which then allows them to evolve through associations. Start with one or two words that represent what the company/product does. For example, if it's a plumbing company, you can write the word “plumbing” right in the middle of your page. Then create a branch and write an associated word in itto plumbing, then link to another branch to another related word. Continue this flow of associations and allow yourself to digress, as it sometimes leads to interesting ideas. By the way, you don't have to limit yourself to writing, try adding scribbles or sketches to your mind map. Drawing can give you additional ideas as you establish visual associations. For example, you could draw a drop of water, the shape of which will remind you of a leaf, or a face, which you could also draw.

3. Separate the different elements according to the types of logos you could create

Among the obstacles that prevent you from moving forward in your creative project, it could be that the instructions you have received are far too broad. It's hard to know where to start! Try to categorize your ideas into the different types of logos you could create, and then work through them one by one.

I – Create symbols and other recognizable elements

Limit your reflection to the type of symbols that you could create. Continuing with our original example of the plumbing company, you will see that there are many ways to draw a faucet or wrench symbol.        

II – Associate elements with words

Write the name of the company in different ways: in uppercase, in lowercase, with or without serif, etc. Could one of the letters be transformed to associate it with the product or service? For example, could one of the letters become a plumbing tool?

III – Use the first letter of the company name

If you take the first letter of the company name, how could you use it to turn it into a symbol or an interesting element  ? Is it possible to integrate a symbol in the letter?

IV – Use geometric shapes

Sketch geometric shapes in different ways. Can they contain the company name, or at least part of it? Could they be part of a symbol?

V – Make letter associations

Do you have the ability to associate two or more letters in order to create an interesting effect? This is possible when the company name is made up of two words. How many ways could you combine their initials? Also, do any shapes appear when you put two of the letters of each of the words together? The FedEx logo , for example, is known for the arrow it forms with the “E” and the “x”.

VI – Create character-only logos

Test different fonts to see their effect on the style and atmosphere generated by the words. Use uppercase, lowercase, narrow or wide kerning between letters. Google now offers an impressive range of downloadable fonts, as does Font Squirrel , two resources that can be used for commercial purposes.

4. Sketch your ideas

If you're used to designing directly on the computer, try moving away from it and using a pencil and a sheet of paper. Drawing allows you to quickly express your ideas. In addition, you will benefit from the visual associations. Roughly drawing something may remind you of something else.

5. Play with textures

Try drawing with different tools to achieve multiple effects. For example, use a brush pen to obtain several types of lines, or a slightly dried brush and ink to make random marks on the paper. Dab a sponge soaked in paint on paper, or use watercolor, then spray water from a distance. Scan or take a picture of the different effects to see how to incorporate them into your work. If you don't have “real” paint, pick random brushes that you've never used before in Photoshop or an app like Procreate.

6. Take a random word to inspire you

Here's a rather unusual suggestion to try if you still haven't found the inspiration. Use an online random word generator toget a word. Think about this word and the elements associated with it; you can even make a mind map of it. Then see what links you could establish between one of these elements and the free logo maker to be produced. As an example, I used a random word generator which gave me the word “father”. I then did a mapping of this word to see how to associate it with a plumbing logo. This may make one think of the representation of a family or a father having tried to repair the faucet in the house without success. Once you feel like you've exhausted all the ideas associated with a randomly generated word, you can always try another one. The goal of this exercise is to get you out of your usual way of thinking, potentially leading to new ideas.

7. Create your own creativity cards

It's a good activity when you have a little time in front of you. So you can use your creativity cards the next time you run out of inspiration. Make a few cards, the size of playing cards. On each of them, write something that will stimulate new ideas. For example, “What if you used a continuous line?” or “And if you changed scale?”. The next time you need inspiration, flip a card over and see if you can apply it to your design project.