Let’s be honest. We all experience creative blocks from time to time while working on client projects. Throw a pandemic and a shrinking client list into the mix and these creative blocks can become more prevalent than we’d like.
It’s been a tough couple of months for creatives. Companies are pulling projects left right and centre. Remaining clients are asking for work that is creative yet empathic and reflective of the turbulent times we find ourselves in.
You might be struggling to stay on top of your rent. The lack of social interaction during lockdown may be taking its toll on your mental health.
In short, it’s completely understandable if you're finding it difficult to produce original and impactful work at the moment.
I’ve been scouring the internet for inspiration since lockdown began to combat my own creative blocks.
Thankfully these searches have been fruitful and in the past few weeks I’ve uncovered loads of amazing initiatives that have seen thousands of creatives worldwide producing exceptional content from their bedrooms.
If you're a creative looking for a creative spark or a company that’s thinking of hiring a creative freelancer, I think you’ll draw some inspiration from the following links:
Creatives Against Covid is a global initiative which encourages individuals to design posters that exude optimism, hope and resilience in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The initiative was set in motion by a group of Irish creatives to help raise money for two charities in Ireland, Women’s Aid and ISPCC Childline.
Within a week of the campaign launch, over a thousand posters were submitted from more than thirty different countries. Have a scroll through the site and see these inspiring pieces for yourself.
Stay Safe, Stay Sane is another fantastic initiative that has seen thousands of creatives around the world producing unique poster designs during the lockdown.
A group of Dutch creatives devised the initiative after a friend of theirs asked for an uplifting poster that he could bring to the hospital where he worked.
The brief is simple. Create positive posters that ‘keep our lifesavers sane’ and ‘inspire the general population to stay safely inside’.
Over seventeen hundred posters have been submitted from more than eighty two different countries so far.
Have a browse through the diverse submissions on their website. You might even be tempted to submit your own design.
This campaign, led by the activist design lab Amplifier, encourages creatives to produce art ‘to help inspire the global community to stay strong, stay safe, and stay united’ during the pandemic.
The art created in response to their open call is pretty impressive, with selected pieces being distributed online and in outdoor spaces for maximum social impact.
Check them out here.
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Adapted Brand Logos
Slovenian graphic designer Jure Tovrljan has adapted some well known logos in response to Covid-19.
Check out his manipulation of brand logos like Nike, Starbucks and Mastercard here.
He’s also changed up the box set covers of popular TV series like Friends, Breaking Bad and The Office to make them more relevant to lockdown life. Have a look, they’re funny enough.
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The United Nations + Unsplash = Loads of Covid-19 Specific Stock
If you’re a graphic designer searching for imagery that’s reflective of the strange times we find ourselves in, check out this Covid-19 page on Unsplash.
The images on this page were donated by creatives who responded to the United Nations open brief, which asked them to produce visuals to help stop the spread of the virus.
Use these images, alter them, take inspiration from them.That’s what they’re there for.
Here’s hoping the initiatives in this article have helped reignite your creative spark and inspired you to engage with a creative freelancer to bring your ideas to life.
