Universal creative techniques

Across all creative skills (music, writing, design, etc.), some techniques seem to be universal. Here are some.

• Different mixes of “content” and “non-content”
• Emphasise ”important” elements, de-emphasise less important elements
• Minimalism (as few elements as possible) and maximalism (as many elements as possible)
• Make something harder to understand on purpose
• Simplicity of execution vs complexity of execution (i.e. how much effort went into an element)
• Contrast something with what is common or popular, on purpose (e.g. intentionally use something “from the past”, or intentionally do something wrong)
• Lean into a style choice more than would be expected

← anthonyhobday.com