7 Tricks for Remembering Your Creative Design Ideas

If you’re a creative individual, you know ideas leave you as easily as they come. You may have a million different ideas over the course of a given day. 

Sometimes they strike at inconvenient times, such as while you’re sitting at a red light. 

If you’re a designer, your work relies on your ability to bring your ideas into reality. That makes it that much more important to remember any great ideas you have throughout the day. 

Do you find yourself struggling to remember ideas you could be using? Here’s how to remember all your most creative ideas with ease. 

1. Old Fashioned Pen and Paper

This is a bit obvious, you might think. However, it’s amazing what writing down a few notes can help you remember.

You don’t have to write down everything. Just jot down a few key words or phrases. You may choose to write down any associations you might have with a particular idea.

You work as a designer. Your work confronts you with tons of symbols and colors every day.

Keep track of the symbols that stick out to you. These symbols are likely impactful to others as well.

Make quick drawings. If you carry around colored pens or pencils, add color to your sketches.

You may not like the ideas later, but you can always modify them. 

2. Make a Voice Recording 

You may not always be able to whip out your notebook and start writing things down. For example, driving may not be the best time to take notes. 

However, you may come up with some fabulous ideas while driving. In this case, you can use a voice recorder app to verbalize your ideas. 

You lose the ability to draw pictures. However, you can be as descriptive as you like. In many cases, you can speak much more information than you might be able to write. 

3. Keep a Board of Ideas 

You might benefit from creating a space for your ideas. If you have an office space or space you typically work, put up a board. This could be a whiteboard or a cork board. 

The idea is to create a spot in your life to visually organize your ideas. 

If you come across any articles or magazine photos that appeal to you, put them up. You can use this space to make any associations you might think of. 

This is similar to keeping a notebook or journal. However, you can take a step back and evaluate your ideas from a distance. 

This could have a positive effect on your ideas. 

4. Exercise Your Mind 

In order to keep your memory in shape, you need to exercise. You can’t expect to run a marathon if you never run beforehand. 

Every creative endeavor requires not only creativity and patience but practice. You need to stay sharp to stay in the game. 

Engage in word games, puzzles, and simple quizzes. Find someone with whom you can play Scrabble. Do the crossword puzzles in the newspaper. 

5. Take Care of Your Body 

What does your body have to do with your memory? Well, everything. 

A healthy body and mind go hand in hand. This relationship may often go underappreciated in today’s world. 

That doesn’t make it any less important. You should stick to a regular diet and exercise routine. 

Think carefully about the foods you consume. Do you eat a lot of fatty foods? Are you getting enough protein in your diet? 

The foods you eat play a massive role in your mental functioning throughout each day. 

Take a look at your sleeping schedule. A regular sleep schedule could help you remember more of what happens throughout the day. 

Some studies have revealed a correlation between caffeine consumption and memory function. Your memory might benefit from a little bit of coffee or tea every day. 

Everything in moderation, though. 

6. Take Yourself Back to the Moment it All Began 

If you’ve already forgotten the idea, don’t lose hope yet. There are many ways people recall memories. 

You can try placing yourself back in the physical place you got the idea. Think about all the times you walk into a room with a particular goal and forget it as soon as you get there. 

You walk back out to where you were when you established the goal. Suddenly, the idea comes rushing back like a tidal wave. 

If this isn’t an option, you can try triggering your memory with a smell. The olfactory bulb runs directly through areas of the brain responsible for emotions and memories. 

For example, you might have forgotten to write down that brilliant idea you had while sipping on some coffee. 

You got really caught up in the smell. 

Try enjoying another cup of coffee. Focus on the smells. 

7. Make Emotional Associations 

All your memories are a series of emotional building blocks. For that reason, memories and emotions are intimately intertwined. 

When you have an idea, make an emotional connection. Think about which thoughts and emotions led you to the idea. 

This could have a positive effect on your design process. Your designs may be more effective if you create emotional associations to go with them. 

When you come up with a great design idea, think about how that idea links back to a particular moment in your life. 

Make associations with songs, movies, and even places. This will help you remember the idea and create a stronger design. 

How to Remember Your Creative Ideas 

The life of a creative individual can be overwhelming, especially when you come up with a new idea every three seconds. You’re not alone. 

Take some time to look over this list of how to remember ideas and decide for yourself which methods work for you. 

You may come up with your own awesome ways to remember your ideas. Don’t just leave it up to luck. 

If you’re a designer, you may wish to learn more about growing your design business. Check out some of our articles related to design to help you along the way.