Searching for Creative Inspiration?

Google is often the first place people go to locate information on the Internet. But most users are unaware of the site’s large collection of information-gathering resources. Turns out the world’s favorite search engine is also a wonderful brainstorming tool.
Find yourself suffering from writer’s block? Try Google’s new AdWords keyword suggestion tool (http://adwords.google.com/select/main?cmd=KeywordSandbox). Originally developed to help businesses select keywords for pay-per-click advertising, it’s an invaluable resource for anyone looking for inspiration. Just type in a keyword or phrase and Google will return not only a list of popular search phrases containing your keyword, but thousands of related words you might not have thought of. You can also use it to brainstorm business names, domain names and descriptions of your products and services.
Art directors and designers are always in search of visual references for illustrations and graphics treatments. Rather than paging through piles of magazines and stock  photography catalogs, you can pop over to Google’s Images (http://www.google.com/images). A quick search for “farmhouses” produced over 85,000 downloadable images in various sizes. Our art director had an idea for an ad that involved an eye chart, but he wasn’t sure how many letters were in each row or what font to use to create it. One Google Images search produced the chart he was imagining, plus hundreds more, within .28 seconds.

Another new service, Google Sets (http://labs.google.com/sets), can be used to look for patterns and associations between words or items. Input one or two key terms and Google will list other items that logically belong to that set. For example, type in “brand management” and “marketing” and you’ll also get “communications strategy” and “product management.”

And when Sunday rolls around and The New York Times crossword puzzle has got you stumped, Google is a great way to find an eight-letter word for a well-known 1930s Russian prima ballerina. Feeling guilty? Just remember, it’s not cheating, it’s research!