WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM? A LOOK INSIDE THE REAL CREATIVE PROCESS
- Marceli Jasinski
- Apr 28
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Creativity often feels mysterious from the outside. The classic image is that of the "light bulb moment"; a sudden flash of brilliance, fully formed and ready to go. But for anyone who creates professionally, the truth is different. Ideas are not accidents. They are built through knowledge, exploration, empathy, experience, and persistence.
They are shaped as much by intention as by inspiration.
This is a look inside the real creative process; the one that does not rely on magic, but on understanding, discipline, and heart.
IDEAS ARE BUILT ON KNOWLEDGE
The creative process often begins far before the first sketch or mood board. It starts with research; gathering insights, learning about the audience, understanding the context in which the design will live.
Before you can create something meaningful, you need to know:
Who you are designing for (audience research, user personas)
What already exists (competitive analysis)
How meaning is constructed (cultural research, symbolism, color psychology)
The more knowledge you bring into the creative process, the stronger your work becomes. It is not just about making something that looks "cool"; it is about crafting something that connects.
IDEAS ARE ROOTED IN EMPATHY AND STORYTELLING
Design is ultimately a conversation between creator and audience. Without empathy (without truly stepping into the world of the person on the other side of the screen or product) that conversation falls flat.
Building user personas allows you to imagine real people, with real hopes, frustrations, needs, and dreams. It shifts the design process away from self-expression and toward connection. From there, storytelling becomes the bridge; the way we guide someone from curiosity to trust, from awareness to action.
Good design solves problems. Great design tells a story while doing it.
IDEAS REQUIRE PURPOSEFUL DECISION-MAKING
Every choice a designer makes matters.
Color psychology: Yellow can suggest optimism and calmness; red can trigger excitement and appetite (think about McDonald's; red and yellow are not accidental).
Typography: A bold, sharp typeface can feel assertive; a round, playful one feels inviting.
Layout and structure: Spacing, rhythm, hierarchy; these guide the eye, create emotional pacing, and influence behavior.
These are not random aesthetic preferences. They are strategic decisions, rooted in the psychology of perception and communication. When done right, the audience feels the difference; even if they cannot articulate why.
IDEAS ARE SHAPED BY EXPLORATION AND ITERATION
Inspiration sometimes arrives quickly; a phrase overheard, a dream recalled, a moment of clarity in the shower. But more often, ideas come through the process of exploration.
It is not unusual to sketch 20, 30, or even 50 variations of a concept.Pieces of each are evaluated, refined, combined; a kind of creative Frankenstein process where the best parts survive.
Exploration does not guarantee a masterpiece on the first try. It creates the space for discovery; and it respects the fact that creativity is rarely linear.
GREAT DESIGN TIMES TIME
Not every project yields magic overnight. In fact, great design often takes days (even weeks) to settle into its final form. You have to live with ideas, test them, sit with them, and explore them fully before you know they are right.
It is common to create 20, 30, or even 50 different sketches or concepts behind the scenes; many of which the client will never see. Each version teaches something. Each exploration clarifies what feels authentic, and what does not.
Rushing the process rarely leads to something memorable.
A REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: YAHOO'S 2013 LOGO REDESIGN
In 2013, Yahoo decided to rebrand; but instead of hiring a creative agency or running a strategic process, the redesign was led internally by then-CEO Marissa Mayer and a small group. They completed the logo over a single weekend, working after hours with in-house resources.
The result?
A logo that felt rushed, generic, and emotionally disconnected from Yahoo’s playful, innovative brand history.
Rather than inspiring confidence in a company aiming for reinvention, the logo looked safe, plain, and uninspired; missing the opportunity to create an emotional connection with users during a critical moment for the brand.
Public reception was lukewarm at best, with many feeling the new mark lacked the energy and excitement associated with Yahoo’s early identity.
Years later, Yahoo rebranded again, this time working with a professional agency (Pentagram), resulting in a much more considered and strategic redesign that reintroduced energy, rhythm, and playfulness back into the brand.
When design is rushed, it shows. When time and exploration are honored, the work carries meaning.
EXCEPTIONS EXIST, BUT THEY ARE RARE
Of course, there are rare moments where spontaneity succeeds. Take the band Korn: when they needed a logo, their singer grabbed a crayon and scrawled the name with his non-dominant hand; creating an instantly iconic, raw mark that perfectly fit their rebellious, DIY spirit.
But for every lucky accident like Korn, there are countless rushed projects like Yahoo’s 2013 logo; designs that fall flat because they did not have time to grow into something real. Think of Gap’s 2010 redesign, Pepsi’s confusing identity shift, Uber’s abstract atom logo, Airbnb’s early awkward marks, and countless others. Projects where the work was pushed out before the strategy and soul had a chance to catch up.
The truth is:
Purposeful design takes time. It needs room to breathe, to be questioned, to be refined. Great design is not built on panic. It is built on exploration, meaning, and care.
IDEAS ARE FORGED THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
There is a famous story about Pablo Picasso: A woman asked him for a sketch while he sat on a park bench. In just a few minutes, he produced a beautiful drawing. When she asked for the price, he quoted a high sum. Shocked, she said, "But it only took you five minutes!"
Picasso smiled and replied:
"No, it took me my whole life."
Creativity is cumulative. The instincts that lead to great ideas are built from years of practice; learning what works, what does not, and when to trust your intuition. But it is not only about time served. It is about the willingness to stay curious, to keep learning, and to never let the craft grow stagnant.
THERE IS NO SINGLE FORMULA, AND THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF IT
Where do ideas come from?
From knowledge.
From empathy.
From hard work.
From exploration.
From subconscious connections made during moments of rest or randomness.
From practice and patience.
Sometimes an idea arrives fully formed, like a gift. Other times, it is assembled piece by piece; a product of trial, error, and persistence.
Creativity is a process you can nurture. It is a skill you can practice. Sometimes, it is a little bit of luck too; the kind of luck that only finds you when you are already putting in the work.
You have to be good to be lucky, and you have to be lucky to be good.
In the end, great ideas are not just waiting to be found. They are earned.
