“Stop procrastinating, and just make a decision!” said the left side of the brain to the right. Overthinking is common for a lot of digital designers, and being told to stop doing it feels akin to asking your eyes to stop blinking, or your stomach to stop growling. We’re hardwired.
Step into the breach: the award-winning social-driven organisation, One Minute Briefs. As the name suggests, you are given a time constraint of only one minute to think of an idea and execute it, thus removing the opportunity to overthink and procrastinate, instead having to rely on your creative instincts alone. Every day a different brief is set, from light matters such as advertising umbrellas, coconuts, and topknots, to raising awareness of more serious matters such as ‘World Aids Day’. The only requirement to enter is that you have a Twitter account, have a pen or computer to hand, and one minute to spare. If you have a vivid imagination, or are slightly insane like me, that helps. All entries get retweeted by OMB, posted onto their Facebook page, and people are invited to like their favourites from the digital designers who have entered.
Prizes are often given, but what most people get out of it is that it’s fun, encourages a bit of healthy competition, and is a far more constructive way of spending one minute than picking your nose, staring out of the window, or checking how many likes your new Instagram picture has gained. Perhaps most importantly though, it gives designers and creatives the chance to let fly with an idea without worrying about the consequences.
Check out some of Eve’s latest entries below, including her prize-winning Cold & Flu ad.
