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5 minutes a day can bring your creativity to the next level 

While many people tend to think that creativity is inherent to some individuals and can’t be improved, the truth is quite the opposite: you can learn it, train it, and improve it.

Conversely to commonplace myths, having creative ideas does not rely on the “right genes” or high level of IQ. It’s merely the question of talent, either. Creativity is a skill that can be practiced like critical thinking or writing. It’s also a certain mindset that allows you to look at things from different perspectives.

Here are some ways in which you can boost your creative abilities and stop waiting too long for the “Eureka” moment. Don’t forget to practice them daily for at least 5 minutes and enjoy the results!

1. Create lists

For starters, try to come up with as many objects of the similar theme as possible. For example, enlist all the kitchen utensils you know or all the names of the cities that start with a P letter. Sometimes, you may come to the point, where you’ve emptied your mind out and think it’s unattainable to add a new thing to the list, but don’t give up! Take a deep breath and keep on thinking!

You can also think of all the possible applications of everyday and humdrum objects such as a newspaper, pencil, brick, mug. Push your imagination to the boundaries and learn how to look at one thing from various angles. You wouldn’t even know that the object from which you drink coffee could be at the same time a flower pot, candle holder, organizer or even a lamp!

2. Be a designer!

Ever wondered what it’s like to design something? This exercise can satisfy that curiosity. Choose one thing like a wallet or a phone and write down all their pros and cons. Then think of the ways they could be improved, add some extra Inspector-Gadget-like features and enjoy the freedom of conceiving the product from the scratch.

3. Word games

Playing with words can also spark your out-of-the-box self. For example, take at random one word from a dictionary and using the letters it contains try to come up with as many other words as possible. For instance, in “seasoning” there is: “sea”, “son”, “nose”, “gin”, “nag”, sing”, “song”…

You can also pick a pair of different objects or animals like a bird and a laptop or a car and a tree and merge these two things together into something new: “birdaptop” or “cartree”. You can draw what they would look like and think of the purpose they could serve.

4. Enjoy telling stories

Whether on a bus, train or at lunch break, allow yourself a bit of daydreaming and create stories. See that man over there? He may be an architect who designs fantastic glass buildings all over the world. He could also be a baker who wakes up at 5 am every morning to greet you with fresh and tasty loaves of bread. And over there, on the street, lies a handkerchief that belonged to a carefree painter. It was a gift from her friend to mark their long-standing relationship.
Don’t be afraid to let your imagination flow as storytelling makes you create original concepts and enhances abstract thinking.

Remember to stay open-minded

These exercises work best when you have the openness and willingness to grow. Don’t criticize yourself and explore your creativity. Besides, as an excellent storyteller, Piero Babudro, told us in an interview, always look for news ways of expressing yourself. It could be photography, writing or telling stories. Nothing stimulates inventiveness more than stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new! Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn another foreign language, try water sports or start painting. Maybe the time is just right to do that! Good luck 🙂

Our replies
to your questions

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Why choose glueglue?

We are a digital product agency with more than 10 years of experience and highly specialized skills in both design and development.
Over time, we have consolidated an agile and effective method to work best with all types of clients: from the start-up that needs some kind of support to the multinational corporation that wants to integrate a team with design and executive agility, our most appreciated peculiarity.
We are positioned in a medium-high market segment and are able to offer excellent value for money. Direct supervision by glueglue's founding partners of each project ensures the highest quality of service and finished product. We are on the top list of the best User Experience and digital product agencies on Clutch, the most widely used database of digital consulting agencies in the world.

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How does glueglue work and what are the areas of expertise?

We always start with a careful analysis of the customer's needs considering not only the product needs but also the medium and long-term business objectives.
As a first step, we often deal with the visual identity, evaluating the positioning by analyzing the competitor and identifying areas for improvement in terms of branding and image.
Then, we move on to the UX/UI area: we study the user experience of your product or service through a UX Review with 3 dedicated professionals to identify the points which it is necessary to act to improve the usability of the site or app examined.
In the following phase, we design the User Journey Map, i.e. the map of all the paths that the user follows, interacting with the product and the brand . Identifying all the contact points is of strategic importance in order to immerse ourselves in situations of real use and understand where value can really be created for the end user and therefore for the product.
We will then move on to the phase of creating the wireframes, with the sharing of an interactive prototype that will define the functionality and structure of each single page and interaction of the product.
Once the wireframes have been consolidated, we will move on to the design phase of the graphic interface, with attention paid to the smallest details in so as to ensure a positive and truly satisfying user experience.
At this point, our developers come into play for the implementation part. We use the most current technologies such as React, Flutter, Gatsby JS, Symfony, Node.JS and others to create products with high standards of quality and stability, working and pixel perfect.

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What distinguishes glueglue from other top design or product agencies?

To offer maximum value, the glueglue team works on a limited number of projects. In this way, our professionals can dedicate an uninterrupted focus to always obtain excellent results.
Each project is managed on the basis of precise deadlines and intermediate meetings with the client. We take care of the unique needs and potential of each product and consequently, each solution created is exclusive and highly customized.
Thanks to the experience of 10+ years in the digital sector, we have developed a successful method to achieve the highest goals in the areas that matter: strategy, design and development.

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Can you do web design?

We work on all types of digital products, from iOS and Android apps to webapps and complex platforms.
Furthermore, part of the team specializes in creating marketing websites, i.e. websites totally focused on promoting the product or services.

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Do you also do branding or should I look for another agency?

Being a full-service agency, we also offer branding services such as naming and logo design. Among the products we create for our customers, the brand guidelines stand out, i.e. the detailed guidelines document for the corporate image. We are totally comfortable working on existing guidelines or in collaboration with a branding agency.

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How much does it cost to entrust you with a digital project?

We like to always be as transparent as possible and we believe that talking openly about the budget is important to understand how to get added value from the partnership for both parties. Given this, since each customer has its own peculiarities and presents different challenges, we do not use a price list, but we invest time to understand the customer's reality well and provide a specific approach and an appropriate price.
Indicatively, the price of user experience and graphical interface design projects can vary in a range between €10,000 and €30,000, depending on various factors such as the client's needs and the complexity of the project.
The cost of the projects in area Branding is positioned between €5,000 and €15,000, always taking into account any possible peculiarities.
As regards the more technical part, the cost for the development of iOS and Android web and mobile apps ranges from €20,000 upwards .
Website development starts from a minimum of €10,000. Our average hourly rate for single consultations is €60 per hour.
If you want to get to know us better, you can schedule 30 minutes free by appointment.

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Do you also work with early stage startups, therefore with limited resources?

Of course, we love startups! Over time we have met many enlightened and highly talented entrepreneurs.
We have invested in some startups, preferring work for equity. Our experience has always been positive, contributing to the achievement of various rounds of investments for a total value of over 30 million Euros.

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