creative_prompts

Creative Prompt Collection

Conceptual Prompts

  • Opposites: Create something that combines two opposing concepts
  • Time Travel: Design something for people living 100 years in the future
  • Transformation: Make something that changes form or function during use
  • Invisible Made Visible: Represent something normally invisible
  • Alternate History: Create as if a major historical event happened differently
  • Micro/Macro: Show something from an extremely small or large perspective
  • Hybrid: Combine elements from two different categories of objects
  • What If: Explore “What if humans had evolved differently?”
  • Empathy Challenge: Design for someone with a completely different life experience
  • Sensory Shift: Create something that engages an unexpected sense

Material-Based Prompts

  • Single Material: Create using only one material in different ways
  • Found Objects: Make something using only items within arm’s reach
  • Repurposing: Transform a discarded item into something valuable
  • Material Constraints: Use only materials of a specific color
  • Unexpected Materials: Create using materials not typically used in your medium
  • Ephemeral: Make something designed to change or disappear over time
  • Contrast Study: Combine contrasting materials (hard/soft, natural/synthetic)
  • Material Narrative: Use materials that tell a story through their history
  • Texture Focus: Create something that prioritizes tactile experience
  • Material Substitution: Replace conventional materials with unexpected alternatives

Process-Based Prompts

  • Time Limit: Create something in exactly 30 minutes
  • No Tools: Make without using conventional tools
  • Collaboration: Create one piece with another person, alternating contributions
  • Chance Operations: Let random processes determine aspects of your creation
  • Reverse Engineering: Start with the end result and work backwards
  • Non-Dominant Hand: Create using your non-dominant hand
  • Eyes Closed: Make part of your project without looking
  • Systematic Variation: Create multiple versions changing just one variable
  • Additive/Subtractive: Create using only adding or only taking away
  • Process Documentation: Make the creation process itself the focus

Emotion-Based Prompts

  • Memory Trigger: Create something that evokes a specific memory
  • Emotional Translation: Express a complex emotion without using words
  • Comfort Creation: Make something that provides comfort or security
  • Surprise & Delight: Design something that creates unexpected joy
  • Tension & Resolution: Create a piece that builds and resolves tension
  • Personal Challenge: Make something that addresses a personal fear
  • Celebration: Create something that commemorates an achievement
  • Empathy Tool: Design something that helps people understand others’ experiences
  • Mood Alteration: Create something intended to change an emotional state
  • Emotional Contradiction: Express two conflicting emotions simultaneously

Function-Based Prompts

  • Daily Ritual: Design something that enhances a daily routine
  • Problem Solver: Create a solution to a minor everyday annoyance
  • Multifunctional: Make one object that serves three different purposes
  • Interaction Design: Create something that requires specific user interaction
  • Accessibility: Design with a focus on making something more accessible
  • Communication Tool: Make something that facilitates connection between people
  • Efficiency: Create something that makes a process more efficient
  • Educational: Design something that teaches a concept or skill
  • Playful Function: Make a functional object with an element of play
  • Future Need: Design for a need that might emerge in the coming decade

Constraint-Based Prompts

  • Three Elements: Create using exactly three colors, shapes, or materials
  • Miniature: Make something no larger than a matchbox
  • Oversized: Create an intentionally too-large version of something
  • Limited Tools: Use only three tools for the entire project
  • Grid-Based: Design using a strict grid structure
  • No Fasteners: Create without using glue, nails, screws, or other fasteners
  • Monochrome: Work entirely in one color with variations in tone
  • Timed Intervals: Work in precisely timed segments with breaks
  • Sustainable Only: Create using only sustainable or recycled materials
  • Word Limit: Design something inspired by a randomly selected word

Combination Prompts

  • Create a functional object using only materials found in nature
  • Design a communication tool that works without sight or sound
  • Make something that transforms from 2D to 3D during use
  • Create a ritual object for a culture that doesn’t exist
  • Design a game that can be played by people who don’t share a language
  • Make something beautiful out of materials considered “ugly”
  • Create a tool that solves a problem but creates an interesting new one
  • Design something that looks completely different from two different angles
  • Make an object that tells a story through how it’s used
  • Create something that intentionally changes or evolves over time