Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Anxious about not knowing what to make next?

Worried that when you do, it won’t be any good?

MAKE MORE / THINK LESS is intended to help you fail faster so that you can get to your stronger work sooner.

That’s right, this system of randomly generated prompts is designed to help users keep their hands busy with meaningless intuitive imagemaking through collage.

Let anxiety melt away knowing that the collages you make will probably not be very good but continue to complete them anyways. Because finishing a piece of art feels better than not making any art at all.

Process

After compiling a list of prompts, three prototypes of MAKE MORE / THINK LESS were created. A physical deck of cards, a downloadable pdf and a website.

Initial testing of the deck was used in creating collages that would become part of the box design and inform the overall aesthetic and logo design.

Physical deck prototypes were given to a group of individuals and a downloadable pdf version was emailed to others. All were told to follow the instructions and to reach out when they have completed testing.

A second round of testing was conducted as an in person focus group and was able to observe users interact with the physical prototype.

User age range was early 20's to late 40's.

This card deck is designed
to get yourself out of your own head.

By following prompts users will create collages that allows them to
create large quantities of work quickly and embrace imperfection.

Deck includes 54 cards.
52 prompts and instructions.

Creative block is a spectre that looms just out of sight of every maker.

It can appear and raise doubts & undermine progress.


MAKE MORE / THINK LESS is a collection of prompts that encourage image generation through the medium of collage. These prompts are used to help disrupt habitual linear reasoning and access intuitive imagemaking.

Contributing to an uncommon framing and ideation.

Collage is an accessible low stakes method for creative experimentation.

It is simple in technique and so many have the materials needed in their homes.

To make a collage, at minimum, you would need two pieces of paper and an adhesive (glue, tape, stapler, stickers, jelly, gum...). All one would have to do is attach one piece of paper to another.

Majority of users admitted to a slow start but found the deck engaging once they completed their first collage.

Many users expressed a duality of emotions while testing the deck. Frustration and excitement. Frustrated that a card prompt is telling them to do something they would not do to something they are making and the excitement of seeing what could happen when they do.

Users also offered prompts they would like to see included or expanded. A few mentioned that using the deck helped with ideating other projects they had halted.

And no one liked cutting the cards out of the pdf version.

What’s Next?

MAKE MORE / THINK LESS will continue to evolve.
Considerations for expansion decks for multi user collaborative prompts and deluxe packaging that would include cardstock to collage onto and a small variety of papers to collage with are currently being developed.

To coincide with the tactile nature of collage, physical decks will remain the focus. The demo website will be available for users to try and even download a free full card deck pdf. A full deck website or app may be developed in the future but don't expect it any time soon.