The "99 Designs" Technique

Ever stared at a blank canvas wondering how the heck you're supposed to come up with a great design? Yeah, we've all been there. But here's the thing – I've got a technique that's been my secret weapon for years, and I call it "99 designs."

I'm NOT talking about the crowdsourcing platform -- I named my technique many moons before they came along.

This is all about quantity leading to quality, and it's way simpler than you might think.

The Magic of Making... Everything

Here's how it works: when you're stuck on a design problem, don't try to nail the perfect solution right out of the gate. Instead, go wild. Make as many variations as you possibly can. Seriously – push yourself to explore every option you can think of.

Try different colors, layouts, fonts, styles, approaches – whatever comes to mind. Some will be good, some will be meh, and some will be downright terrible. That's totally fine! The goal isn't to make 99 masterpieces; it's to exhaust all the possibilities floating around in your head.

And here's the kicker: when you think you've run out of ideas, make a couple more. Even if they're weird. Especially if they're weird! Some of my best designs have come from those "this is probably stupid, but what if..." moments.

Here are some of the designs we explored while working on our new Canva-esque image editor...

Why This Actually Works

There's something magical that happens when you force yourself to keep creating past your comfort zone. Your brain starts making connections it wouldn't normally make. You start combining elements in unexpected ways. You accidentally stumble onto ideas that would never have occurred to you if you'd stopped at version number 3.

Plus, it takes the pressure off each individual attempt. When you're only making one design, it has to be perfect. When you're making 99, each one just has to be different. That freedom is incredibly liberating.

Fresh Eyes Make All the Difference

But here's the part that really makes this technique shine: after you've gone deep into all these design possibilities, find someone who hasn't been involved in the process at all. Show them your collection and ask what stands out to them.

Fresh eyes are amazing at spotting diamonds in the rough. While you're still thinking about all the technical challenges and design decisions that went into each variation, they're just seeing the end result with completely unbiased eyes. They'll often point to something you dismissed as "just okay" and say "that one's brilliant!"

The Real Secret

The truth is, great design often isn't about having one perfect idea. It's about having lots of ideas and then being smart about which ones to pursue. The "99 designs" technique forces you to get all the obvious (and not-so-obvious) ideas out of your system, so you can step back and see the forest for the trees.

Next time you're stuck on a design challenge, try it out. Make way more versions than seems reasonable. Push past the point where you think you're done. Then find someone with fresh eyes and let them help you spot the winner.

Trust me, the results might surprise you. Sometimes the best design is hiding in plain sight – you just need to create enough options to find it.