INKTOBER DAY 4:  SMACK 

When we have to draw an action, we usually think about the movement.

Someone hits something.

Someone throws something.

Someone pushes something.

But what if we focus on what happens after the action?

What does the action change?

How does it transform the thing we act upon?

And can that transformation be unexpected?

A smack usually has a very clear consequence.

Pain.

Damage.

Anger.

But what if the smack does something completely different?

What if instead of hurting someone, it 'fixes' them, or encourage them in some way?

This is another way to create disruption:

Don't just change the action. Change the consequence people expect from it.

And the transformation doesn't always have to be negative.

Sometimes the most interesting transformation is the one we never expected to see.

So today's tip:

Don't just draw the action. Draw the unexpected consequence.

Say something without saying it.

Sometimes we create an absurd image without giving it a very specific meaning.

And then something interesting happens.

Our audience starts creating meanings for us.

This is one of the things I love about blending.

When we fuse two completely different things together, we create something that doesn't exist in the real world.

And because it doesn't exist, there is no single, obvious meaning attached to it.

The viewer has to complete the image.

They use their own culture, experiences, memories and imagination to decide what they are looking at.

And that means two people can look at exactly the same absurd image and see completely different things.

Sometimes we don't even realize all the meanings our image can suggest.

We may think:

“It's just a weird idea.”

But someone else might see something very specific.

And that's the beauty of absurdity.

You don't always have to explain everything.

Sometimes the less you say, the more space you g...

INKTOBER DAY 3: MINIATURE

When you make something smaller, you are not only communicating size.

You are communicating hierarchy.

The disruptive way to play with hierarchy is to make something your audience expects to see big… small.

Something they expect to see high… low.

But there is one important thing:You need a reference.

If everything is small, we dont really understand what “small” means.

We need another element to create the contrast.

And this is where things get interesting.

The big element has a meaning.

The small element has another meaning.

And the relationship between them creates a third meaning.

Then you can add even more layers.

What are they doing?

What are they wearing?

Where are they?

What is happening around them?

Every one of these choices can add meaning to the story.

So when you change the size of something, dont just ask:“How can I make this bigger or smaller?”

Ask:“What happens to the meaning when I change its place in the hierarchy?”

Thats today's tip: Dont use size just to show ...

One of the biggest creativity killers is not fear.

It's predictability.

Most people don't struggle because they have no ideas.

They struggle because they keep generating the same kind of ideas.

The safe ideas.

The familiar ideas.

The ideas that make sense immediately.

The problem?

Everyone else is doing exactly the same thing.

When I create visual metaphors, I often ask myself:

"What would be the most predictable solution?"

Then I deliberately move away from it.

Not because predictable ideas are wrong.

But because they are usually crowded.

School taught me to stay close to the expected answer.

Creativity rewards people who are willing to leave it behind.

School didn't teach me this:

Predictability feels comfortable.

Originality rarely does.

What's the most overused visual metaphor in your industry?

Thank you

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

One thing school accidentally teaches us is that absurd ideas are bad ideas.

When you're a child, that's not how you think.

A fish can fly.

A tree can grow upside down.

A cloud can have a door.

Nobody cares if it makes sense.

Then we grow up.

And little by little, we start filtering our ideas before they even have a chance to develop.

The funny thing is that many creative ideas begin exactly this way.

They begin as something absurd.

Something that doesn't make sense yet.

Something that feels slightly ridiculous.

The problem isn't that we don't have creative ideas.

The problem is that we often reject them too early.

So here's a small challenge for yourself:

The next time you have an absurd idea...

Don't kill it immediately.

Stay with it for a few minutes.

See where it takes you.

You might be surprised.

Thank you!
Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

School taught me to look for the right answer.

Creativity starts when you stop looking for it.

Think about most school exams.

The goal is simple:

Find the correct answer as quickly as possible.

Now think about creating something original.

A visual metaphor.

A story.

An illustration.

A new workshop.

A business idea.

Suddenly, searching for the "correct" answer becomes a problem.

Because originality rarely arrives looking correct.

In fact, the first interesting idea is often the one that feels strange, uncomfortable, or slightly ridiculous.

Many people tell me:
"I can't come up with original ideas."

What I usually see is something different.

They come up with unusual ideas.

Then reject them too quickly.

Not because they are bad.

Because they don't look right.

School didn't teach me this:
The fastest way to find an original idea is often to stop searching for the correct one.


Thank you 

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

In visual thinking, a metaphor is more than decoration. It’s a bridge between abstract ideas and concrete images, a way to help people see meaning instead of just reading or hearing it. When done well, a visual metaphor transforms a complex concept into an image that feels both intuitive and surprising.

But what exactly makes a metaphor visual, and how can you create one that actually works?

Icon vs. Metaphor: What’s the Real Difference?

An icon shows what something is. A metaphor shows what something means.

If you draw a light bulb to represent an idea, that’s an icon. It refers directly to a known symbol. But if you draw an elephant whose trunk forms the shape of a lightbulb, you're not just talking about "ideas" anymore. You are adding layers of meaning and weaving a story around it.

This doesn’t mean icons don’t work. It’s just better to use icons for explanations and metaphors for stories.

And remember: it’s better to have a story to look through life than an explanatio...

Another way to make it easier to create metaphors using the out of context technique is by combining it with another approach: blending.

Imagine placing a roller coaster in an unexpected setting, on someone’s head. 

Instead of simply placing it on top, we blend it into the head so that the integration feels more seamless and natural.

Now, let’s take a moment to appreciate how powerful the out of context technique really is. In this case, it helps us visually express a person’s thoughts or emotional state. 

We are transferring the qualities of the out-of-context element to the object or person it’s applied to.
Speaking of which…
What keyword or short phrase would you associate with this image?

Thank you,
Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

Another way to create metaphors using the out of context technique is by dressing the subject of an image in a completely absurd way for the situation they’re in.

This immediately grabs the viewer’s attention.

Remember, we can never predict what meaning our audience will assign to an image, but we can anticipate what questions they will ask. In this case, they’ll likely wonder: Why is a medieval knight surfing a wave?

We don’t know what meaning they’ll give it, but one thing is certain, they’ll create a mini story in their minds to make sense of the absurdity.

Thank you,
Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach

Another way to create metaphors using the out of context technique is through substitution. 

Instead of changing the setting where we typically see an object, we replace one element with another.

For the substitution to work, there needs to be a connection between both elements.

In this case, the snake takes the place of an ear, but also adopts its shape.

In fact, the form and position of the object we use as a substitute play a crucial role. We see a snake, but we also see an ear, even though the ear isn’t actually there.

When you use substitution, you're taking things out of context while adding a new layer of meaning.

What keyword or short phrase would you associate with this metaphor?

Thank you!
,
Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach