When I have a client ask me to spell check something for them, I almost always end up telling them “no.” It’s not an outright defiant “no” or even a “no” that stems from laziness. I have to explain to them that as the designer, I am not the best person to spell check the item for them. It’s not because I don’t know how to spell (although I question that sometimes!)… rather, it is more than likely because I have been working on the project and staring at the piece for so long that I have a hard time focusing in how a word is spelled, the details begin to slip by me… this is almost always because I am beginning to suffer from “visual burnout.”

What is it.
At some point, every designer suffers from visual burnout. Don’t worry, it’s not like you are going blind, but all the little details and nuances you had been working on prior, suddenly disappear and are replaced by what its technically called “blah.” It’s like your mind has become so familiar with a piece that it thinks it doesn’t need your eyes to see it anymore. All big picture, no details. At some point, every single designer will suffer from this strange phenomena… and often more than once in the given production period of a piece… I find that I normally begin to get visual burnout in the mid afternoon. Normally because I have let my schedule slip. I probably decided not to eat lunch so I can keep the creative flow going. It always seems like a good idea at the time… but when I realize I have no vision left and it’s only three in the afternoon, that’s a problem. Especially for the clients who are needing that piece first thing in the morning.

How It Affects Work.
It is well known that the strength of a concept or a project is carried through the outworking of the small details. The little things that are often taken for granted on a site… the things that seem so intuitive and natural that we don’t even realize they were purposefully designed to feel that way. When you begin to get burned out visually (and even creatively) it becomes harder and harder for the small things to get developed in the proper way.

It can also effect the bigger picture if your not careful. I find that my best creative ideas are not born in times of boredom or burnout. They come when I have a good balance of work and play in my life. When I am doing more than designing and watching movies all day long. People hire me for of my creativity and my eye, not for my vast knowledge of Pixar films. Don’t get me wrong, making time for the extra features on the Wall-E DVD is important for me to make it through my day… but it isn’t going to pay the bills. I know that for me to be at my creative peek I need to have a strong balance of visual stimulation and mental capacity and vision. Which means I need to let my eyes (and my mind) rest and recharge through other stimulating, but not draining activities.

Keeping Fresh Eyes
How do you make sure you have fresh eyes when designing? You have to give them a change of scenery every once and a while. But this doesn’t mean moving from one screen to another. Going from your computer to your TV isn’t really much of a change. Going outside or gazing out a window is a good start. I find that I like to head a few blocks from my apt and watch cars drive through the downtown area. A casual stroll through Target is always visually inspiring for me as well. It is important to make sure you work into your “creative flow” periods of rest, for both your mind and your eyes. Having a work flow that will quickly get you into the “creative flow” is important, but so is making sure you have the ability to see whats currently in front of you. Taking periodical breaks to look out a window, watch people, do anything to allow your eyes to find something else to focus on besides a screen is just important. It is something that should be worked into a normal day for any creative.

Fortunately visual burnout isn’t a permanent problem. It is easily cured through simply closing your laptop and enjoying something else in life that isn’t made of plasma’s or LCD’s. Having fresh eyes when you work in a project is important. It allows you to focus on the important aspects of a design that would otherwise been over looked.

Anyone else out there ever suffer from visual burnout? Any one have any fun and creative solutions for combating it?

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