When we start a new project at Hey Design, we usually ask for the client’s budget to carry it out, their references and ideas, and any other specific details they may have. In the vast majority of cases, these aspects are specified, and we can move forward in designing whatever it is we are doing; a brand, a product, a package, or a campaign.
However, on certain occasions, we hear responses like “the budget is not a problem for now, I want you to design with creative freedom” Wow! Red flag alert.
First of all, we know that the budget is always a concern for everyone. Secondly, is creative freedom really something desirable for a good outcome? At Hey Design, we firmly believe that the best way to achieve successful results is by setting limits and restrictions to guide and channel the creative process, and here we explain why.
The main problems with “unlimited” creativity
Establishing appropriate limits helps us find the best possible solution to the problem at hand within its context and reality.
Most of the time, not having a clear scope of action affects the project’s implementation and makes it impossible to bring it to life. Some examples of these situations are:
- The budget is not enough to produce the idea in mind.
- There is no clear definition of what is desired, leading to the project going in the wrong direction.
- The imposed deadline is too short or too long to achieve the proposed objectives.
The power of creative constrains
By setting appropriate limits and restrictions, we are more likely to achieve successful results. This way, we will have a framework that allows us to navigate more safely through the unknown territories of the creative process.
“It’s a beautiful myth to think of creativity as a field of endless possibilities,” Catrinel Tromp, a cognitive psychologist specializing in limitations, told BBC Ideas. “The reality is that when people face such a wonderful open field, they can become paralyzed. “Constraints are the anchors of creativity,” she says.
And we’re not the only ones who think so! We invite you to watch this video that might explain it better than we can.