Backgrounds and the Creation Thereof

Penguin_Otaku

So lately I've been doing a lot of design elements for my new job and while I wasn't hired specifically for graphic design that's what I've been doing.

I'm afraid my designs will start to get stale and be the same with all of them so I'm trying to figure out ways or find ideas so that there's some differences and they're still eye catching and nice.

Suggestions or the like?

Thanks guys

MagicToaster

There is no quick formula. Sometimes it's trial and error, sometimes it's happy accidents that lead to cool backgrounds. When I'm stuck and need to make a background, I start to look at what other people are doing. Look around, everyone has some sort of background in ads, be it a simple gradient or a grunge texture.

www.cgtexture.com is a great place to find inspiration.

If you findyourself working with the same font, same color scheme and layout... drop them out of your design process. Stop yourself from using those elements inside your comfort zone and you'll force yourself to think creatively.

Enc

When I have this problem, I randomize my brushes , do a bunch of quick squiggles and effects in photoshop, and just keep adding shit for an hour or more. Eventually, I see something that I like and wouldn't normally do. Or I find a crazy ton of crap.