How to Brainstorm Creative Booklet Ideas

Printing booklets is a useful way for delivering a big idea or a variety of ideas in one compact piece. When you start the process of brainstorming for one, however, it can seem like an overwhelming task, especially if this comes after already creating several postcards and flyers as well. If you’re having trouble getting your creative juices flowing, there are some tactics you can use to stir them up and get them moving again before you know it.

Here are a few tips for generating some fresh and creative ideas for a booklet or any project that happens to be giving you writer’s block.

Take your time.

Great ideas tend to show up when you least expect them, don’t they? Allow a few days if possible and maybe your ideas will show up out of the blue. If you’re not that lucky, you should set aside some time for searching out inspiration. You might have your own favorite place to seek inspiration, but if not, try looking online, in nature, art or in other people. Sometimes a simple change of scenery is enough to spark a new idea. Talking about it with someone else can also cause new ideas to bubble to the surface.

Just start writing.

Remember in English class when your teacher would make you write in your daily journal for the first 15 minutes of class? She didn’t care what you wrote about, just that you wrote. Maybe she gave you a topic to start with and told you to go from there. This wasn’t just busy work. It is a useful brainstorming tactic for adults too. To try it yourself, start with one idea or main topic you want to include and just start writing about whatever comes to mind. If staring at the blank document on a screen adds to your apprehension, try starting in a journal yourself. Then you can transfer any worthy ideas to your computer later.

Try webbing.

Another strategy to get all your thoughts on paper is known as “webbing.” It is similar to the previous strategy, but is more organized and allows you to lay out your ideas in a visually pleasing way. Start with one word or a set of words that describe your company or the theme of your booklet. Place them in a circle in the center of your page. Draw several lines out from it in different directions and write a related word at the end of each line. Draw a circle around each word, and then start the process over by drawing several lines out from each of those words. Before you know it, you’ll have a full page of creative topics and subtopics to work from for your booklet ideas.

Collect your ideas.

Be ready to capture your ideas when they surface. You may think of a great idea when you’re having a conversation or in the middle of the night. No matter where you are or what you are doing, write the ideas down. Have a notebook available to write in, or a cell phone app like Evernote to capture them digitally. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you won’t forget. Put them in writing and you will have them the next time you sit down to prepare your booklet for printing.

Put your creative ideas into action.

Now that you have a full list of ideas, work to narrow down the best ones for this project. Keep your brainstorming documents around for next time, though. You might use them to spark an idea for your next project. Use what works for this booklet design and save the rest for another day. It wouldn’t hurt to keep adding new ideas so you’ll be prepared the next time you need to print a new and creative booklet.