Creativity and motivation in visual communication professional practice

This research investigates the creative ‘side projects’ that visual communication design practitioners often undertake. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that many designers engage in creative activities or projects outside of paid employment that have no obvious relationship to their professional practice. A literature review indicated that research into this phenomenon is virtually non-existent. However, an initial analysis of 430 design studio websites revealed that many provided opportunities for staff to pursue creative activities or projects unrelated to studio work and/or had strategies to encourage more playful forms of creative practice or provided playful work environments. A broader review of literature on creativity, passion and learning indicated that the intrinsic motivation associated with more playful forms of creative practice assisted with improving creative performance in settings where extrinsic motivation dominated. This research hypothesised that designers engage in creative activities outside the normal brief/client-driven project to maintain their passion and motivation for professional creative work, learn new cognitive and technical skills and develop their creative expertise. This research sought to understand better the role that the side, or ‘passion’, project plays in the ongoing development of creative practitioners in visual communication.