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Unpopular opinion: I heard a designer at a cafe in Portland say 'inspiration is just copying with extra steps' and it's been bugging me for a week.
It made me realize how many of my own mood boards are just safe, direct copies of popular styles instead of truly original starting points, so how do you actually break out of that cycle and find something fresh?
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the_morgan12h ago
That 80s video game menu idea is smart because it changes the source material. I once saw a designer pull color palettes from nature documentaries, like the weird blues in deep sea footage, and it looked nothing like the usual Instagram gradients. The trick is picking a reference that solves a problem in a way your field never would.
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torres.kelly13h ago
Honestly that designer has a point. Start by copying something outside your field, like a weird album cover or old textbook diagram. Mash that with your usual style. Saw someone use 80s video game menus for a bakery brand, looked nothing like other bakeries. Forces your brain to solve new problems instead of rehashing trends.
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