creativity, INSPIRATION, innovation, and Where Do Ideas Come From Part 6
Today’s entry will be the final installment dealing with inspiration and we’ll be looking at drawing inspiration from outside of the marching activity.
I’m going to blame this on the fact that I’ve been doing this (writing drill) for a very long time, but I really do see design in EVERYTHING. I find myself looking at an object, illustration, household items, architecture, even things in nature and wondering how I would chart something to represent that object. I begin by asking myself some basic questions. 1. Is it too complex to read well on the field? 2. Where would I put the different elements of the ensemble (winds, percussion, colorguard) in the design? 3. Would it be a static set where the performers would stand still or would it be transitional only? If it is too complex to pass the first 3 questions, then I move onto 4. What characteristics of the form could be used as inspiration in design without a literal interpretation of the form? It’s a little game I play in my mind. Kind of like the one where I watch someone walking down the street studying their gait trying to decide the approaches I would use to get them to be a performer in my marching band. What habits could I exploit and which habits would I have to modify to make them a successful performer? I’m sick, I know.
There are many meaningful places outside of the activity to look for design inspiration
Logos/Advertising/Graphic Design. Millions maybe even billions of dollars are spent by companies every year on design for advertising/branding (ever watch MADMEN?). I really like looking at a logo and dissecting just what is going on there. How is the space divided by proportion? How is line/shape/color used? What type (if any) of idea/feeling does it communicate? Here are a few inspirations I found during a quick google search. Some will pretty much directly translate while others will need adjustments/interpretations in order to work. Remember these as I’ll return to them in Part 7.
These would directly translate well.
This next group would need some adjusting/interpretation.
2. Works of visual art: Going to a local gallery or museum is a great place to gain inspiration. If that doesn’t fit into your schedule. Use the internet. I used the following image as inspiration in a design this summer.
I felt the keyhole communicated an unlocking or passage to another place. The rest of the picture (while intriguing) was secondary to the main idea I wanted to communicate through the design. I’m always interested in how a painter or sculpture can capture movement/velocity in a static work of art. I have many times used that as a model when composing a form.
3. Live productions can be a great source of ideas. How did they stage that scene in such a way as to surprise me? How did the actors/dancers portray their feelings without speaking a word? What types of spacing/alignment were used to get the most effect out of the movements by the performers? This is so helpful when staging the colorguard or even winds/percussion during moments of body work. The activity for several years now has shifted from just marching to staging/body movement. Drama, musical theater, dance troupes, etc. should all be a part of the visual designer’s toolbox. YouTube!
4. Architecture is a place to look for inspiration. I especially like taking apart repeated patterns and using those in a design. Or even something as simple as looking at your design and asking, “If this were an object, would it stand up?” If you are at a significant cadence point in the music, you would want the form in the design to look “final/resting”. A good way to approach this is by making the form look “at rest”. The trick is being able to move in and out of the resting position. If every form looks as if it is at rest, they may all be great looking forms but not necessarily work with the music. Just as the music has moments of tension and release, so to must the visual design. Watch these short clips and identify just when the movement resolves (if it does).
Where are some places outside of the marching activity you look for inspiration? Leave me a comment and/or share this blog if you so feel led. Thanks for reading.—DB