Under people’s breathes I’ve heard people say A-Z regarding the usefulness of the position.  Most comments sound unfavorable evolving around the degree of usefulness.  However, as someone who works as a Project Manager along as a Graphic Designer, I can safely say-  project management plays an important role in the success of any project, be it creative, business, IT and beyond.

Communication has got to be one  of the most important elements in PM.  The internal group, stake holders & clients must be aware of the progression of a project. It is also essential that your project staff know what is expected of them; what they have to do, when they have to do it, and what budget and time constraints and quality specification they are working towards.

It is crucial that the Project Manager updates the project status  regularly, project progress can be measured against the original business pitch and a project that is not falling up to par or matching the value of its investment can be called to a halt or reevaluated.

Here are some other important qualities of a great Project Manager:

1.  Organization is key.

2. Thinking outside the box with a creative strategy.

3.  Being able to take responsibility for time, budget management and communication.

As you can see, the role of a project manager is extremely important.  One that takes importance in the work environment and (to come to think of it) at home.

My latest quick skim, has been Steven Johnson’s “Where Good Ideas Come From”…

Steven Johnson explains the inspiration behind creative thinking &  innovation.  In the first few chapters, Johnson presents an example of how a small moment can transform an idea into a BIG  idea:

Stephane Tarnier took a day off from his work at the Maternity de Paris, and visited the zoo.  He was inspired by the exhibit of chicken incubators and decided to contract a device similar for human newborns.  Because of this, the rate of fatalities of newborns had decreased drastically.

Here is another excerpt from the book:

“This is a book about the space of innovation.  Some environments squelch new ideas; some environments seem to breed them effortlessly.  The city and the Web have been such engines of innovation because, for complicated historical reasons, they are both environments that are powerfully suited for the creation, diffusion, and adoption of good ideas.  Neither environment is perfect, by any means.  But both the city and the web possess an undeniable track record at generating innovation.  In the same way, the “myriad tiny architects” of Darwin’s coral reef create an environment where biological innovation can flourish.  If we want to understand where good ideas come from, we have to put them in context.  Darwin’s world-changing idea unfolded inside his brain, but think of all the environments and tools he need to piece it together: a ship, an archipelago, a notebook, a library, a coral reef.  Our thought shapes the spaces we inhabit, and our spaces return the favor.  The argument of this book is that a series of shared properties and patterns recur again and again in unusually fertile environments.  I have distilled them down into seven patterns, each one occupying a separate chapter.  The more we embrace these patterns- in our private work habits and hobbies, in our office environments, n the design of software tools, the better we will be at tapping our extraordinary capacity for innovative thinking.”

Johnson raises some good points.  As human beings, we must identify where we find ourselves, and does our environment help motivate us to embrace our highest innovative state-of-mind?

Typography is one of the visual elements that can be seen all around us.  It is used to create great  design.

Which leads me to say, good typography helps to establish good visual hierarchy.  It defines what takes importance, and within its form, it carries the responsibility of being visually  pleasing along with functionality.   It can also provide visual punctuation and graphic accents to help readers to connect text with images, and headlines with content.

Take a look at some examples of good typography:

aDressing your imagination

Big Ideas come when “you” are able to get in touch with your creativity, whether it’s artistic, aesthetic, or a response to market needs.  Often, creativity is misunderstood as an exceptional gift that some people have and some people don’t. Creativity is a tool available to anyone who understands its components.  Through a series of appreciation and practice, people can  learn how to actively seek the characteristics and environments that foster creativity and avoid the factors that inhibit it.

The other day, my father had told me- when he was a very young boy growing up in Rasul Nagar, a remote village in Punjab, Pakistan,  he and his friends use to build miniature trains… Not just any ordinary train, but wired miniature trains on tracks. My father surrounded himself with other curious young minds, and together his friends built what they thought was near to impossible.   Bare in mind, during that time,  many parts of Rasul Nagar did not have electricity.

Now a days,  six-year olds are too busy carrying digital devices as a source of information and entertainment.  Can you believe, the media industry is buying-out our time and our minds?!?

We must avoid succumbing to robotic behavior.  Promote and challenge one another to think of the unthinkable.  Challenge our skills through our beautiful minds. After all,  the creation of BIG IDEAS are  initiated through the imagination.

imagination

Ways to exercise creativity can be found through so many different techniques, here are a few mental exercises:

1.  Appreciate nature and the universe.  The natural beauty around us inspire our minds to think colorfully.

2. Appreciate Interior Design and Architecture.  Think of it this way, your living space is a reflection of your personality.  It doesn’t take a big budget to live in a beautiful home… With a creative imagination, you can make any area into a beautiful living space – based on your beautiful personality.  It’s all about calculating your surroundings and revamping with the colors of your imagination.

3.  Fashion.  Once again, you don’t have to be rich or high maintenance to appreciate a good sense of style.  Style involves color (or lack of), shapes, personality, the walk & talk.  Fashion is an expression and a commodity.

4.  Art. Art is everywhere.  Art is interpretation.

5.  Think optimistically and don’t restrict yourself by saying “it’s not possible”.