A stream of thought listing things I consider with every design:
  • Context of organization
  • Context of event
  • What are the "budget" parameters?
  • Who is on stage?
    • who’s the main speaker?
    • who’s the performing artists?
    • play to their style
  • Theme of the day… Is it part of a broader series?
  • Branding...How do the visuals identify with the mission? Achieve continuity with the rest of communication
  • What are my resources? Existing materials? Budget for new? I suppose I ought to ask about rental budget (I’m rarely a fan of such...I’d rather use that budget to add to ongoing inventory?)
  • What is the rep plot? How do we play to the strengths of the lighting system? A good rep plot is arguably the most important asset to your venue. Certainly, right up there with a good PA. The good news is that that it costs way less...
  • What are video requirements?
    • IMAG?
    • broadcast?
    • camera positions?
  • What are audio’s needs? What will help them succeed?
  • Who is the producer? What are their visual preferences? What "lens" is the story told?
  • Who is in the lighting chair? Help play to their strengths...
  • What is the timeline for setup? for strike? Is it a stage turn situation? If so, what is the design that precedes and follows? How do you design in the timeline of multiple turns?
    • Hang the rig points 2 weeks out; hang the truss 1.5 weeks out; hang the lights 1 week out and use as backlight for the Midweek stage. Finally, hang hard goods and refocus lights in the turn for the target event; then hang a screen and soft goods from the same truss in an upcoming design.
  • What are transportation and storage logistical considerations?
  • Who is the crew? What are their strengths and experiences? Artists vs. engineers
  • Materials – What materials have been used recently? What materials will the upcoming holiday be using? Use something different than either of these.
  • Mood – Honestly more important than materials is the mood. It’s possible to create multiple moods with the same materials. That’s what we do in a series: I brand a series with a palette of materials, and then craft the set for each day to support the unique story of that specific event...
  • Inspiration – What is inspiring me recently?
    • Architecture
    • Nature
    • Window displays
    • Trade magazines
    • Cinema
    • Renaissance paintings
    • Industrial dumpster
    • Pinterest
  • What's an archived idea that I might finally have the chance to try?
    • Evernote
      • Anything that inspires me tends to end up in Evernote
      • I use tags such as "design ideas"
  • I hate copying (plagiarism) and go to great lengths to make sure my art is authenticity mine. However, I think being inspired by other designers is completely appropriate.
    • There's virtue in both, however my personal value is "Creation > Curation"
  • Who can you connect with to bounce ideas off of one another? #ctln
  • Passion – I want people to pull their phones out. I take pride in my discipline – the pursuit of creating something beautiful. A design certainly should look good – Visual interest, shapes, patterns, textures, Layers, Depth behind every camera angle, etc. However I suggest there are transcendent considerations that can be woven into the scene – metaphor, symbols, numerology, etc. – Hide "Easter eggs" – it's fun and it will inspire someone, I promise. Break the 4th wall – immerse them in the story – target people’s subconscious