[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a digital age where everyone is an artist, a designer, a filmmaker, a songwriter — you don’t want people just to like your design. You want people to fall in love with it. That’s what distinguishes you. That’s what helps you create a legacy. The following are seven principles of creative media design that are aimed to help you create media that people can fall in love with. Media that can make people imagine and wonder.

1 Define your message

What is it you are trying to communicate? What do you want your audience to leave with? You must know this, for this will determine the rest of your design.

2 Use details to support and emphasize your message.

This follows the idea of “show, don’t tell.” The devil is in the details, so make sure to have the right ones.

3 Resist the urge to add details.

Do not over-support your piece with details. Instead, include only those details that will support your message.

4 Subtract details.

Once you have those details, and only those details, that support your piece, then you must thin these details out by subtracting details from them. Every effort produces some form of waste, and it’s important that you eliminate this waste.

5 Know the conditions for influence.

Your piece must either address your audience’s environment or their identity, or both. Change any one of those two factors in any way, and you influence their behavior.

6 Introduce some mystery.

People like to fill-in details when they are engaged. They like to use their imagination. Make sure to add an air of mystery.

7 Economize.

Limited resources are actually what make creativity possible. Don’t worry if you don’t have the resources you want; try to use the resources that you do have to create something meaningful. Imagination, not resources, will win in design.

About the author: Mark Blasini, aka “The Professor,” is a music producer, songwriter, blogger, and managing partner for Dark Lion, LLC — a music/media company dedicated to creating, producing, and promoting inspiring, meaningful content. To find out more about him, please visit www.darklion.com.

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