[Hidden-tech] Visual brainstorming service?

[Rita Muncie]

I would be surprised if you find someone who could offer this. Coming up with the core idea is frequently the hardest part of a design project. Then what would you do with the "core of something" once you had it?

Rita Muncie
No Left Turn
www.noleftturn.biz
203-981-6588 (cell)
203-838-4033

On Sep 14, 2012, at 6:57 PM, Marcia Yudkin wrote:

>   ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>   ** If you did, we all thank you.
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I have a dilemma that I wonder if any design-oriented people on the list can help with.
> 
> I have a book cover designer who does great work if I give her a concept to work with.  I am working on a new book that needs a cover and I don't have a good idea of how to illustrate its central idea in a way that avoids cliches.  
> 
> So I hired a different cover designer (cheaper) who had a terrific portfolio, thinking that if he created something I liked I could have her flesh it out and I'd pay both and give them both credit.  (I hope there's nothing unethical there, but if so I'm sure someone will let me know about that.)  However, this guy's concepts were all disappointing.  From our ensuing discussion, I learned that what he did was go hunting on Shutterstock, using the most obvious keyword, and chose three images categorized under that keyword and combined each with the book title and byline, in three separate design ideas, to show me.  
> 
> Jeez, I could have done that myself!  I was really disappointed.  What I hoped he would do would be to brainstorm ideas and then find stock images and combine or use them in unobvious ways.  In addition, I was appalled at the possibility that I might have ended up using an image on my cover that a million other people had used in much the same way - because it was listed under the core keyword.  Worst of all, when he found I wasn't happy with his concepts, he asked me to tell him what I wanted... which was why I had hired him in the first place, because I didn't have a good visual idea.  (Images are not my strong point.)
> 
> So I am wondering if there are designers who offer a service of brainstorming visual ideas that can form the core of something like a book cover, without actually executing the actual cover in detail.  For someone with the right kind of creativity, this is something they could toss off in half an hour, I imagine.  
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> Thanks,
> Marcia Yudkin
> www.yudkin.com
> Goshen
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
> 
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members   
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20120916/bf9ccb35/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: ritacrop.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 566 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20120916/bf9ccb35/attachment.gif