Creative Prompts — Brainstorming, Naming & Design Strategy¶

Prompts for brainstorming, ideation, naming, design briefs, creative strategy, and other generative thinking tasks. Replace [bracketed text] with your creative brief details.

Brainstorming and Ideation¶

Divergent Brainstorming¶

We need [N] ideas for [PROBLEM/OPPORTUNITY].

Context: [1-2 SENTENCES OF BACKGROUND]
Constraints: [BUDGET, TIMELINE, TECHNICAL, OR BRAND LIMITATIONS]
Target audience: [WHO THIS IS FOR]

Generate ideas across these categories:
1. Safe bets (low risk, proven approaches) — [N ideas]
2. Differentiators (medium risk, sets us apart) — [N ideas]
3. Moonshots (high risk, could be game-changing) — [N ideas]

For each idea provide:
- One-line description
- Why it might work (rationale)
- Biggest risk or objection
- Rough effort estimate: [SMALL/MEDIUM/LARGE]

After listing all ideas, recommend which 3 to prototype first and why.

Reverse Brainstorming¶

Use reverse brainstorming on [PROBLEM STATEMENT].

Instead of asking "how do we solve this?", we'll ask "how do we make this worse?"
Generate [N] ways to make [PROBLEM] as bad as possible.

For each "make it worse" idea:
- Flip it to its opposite — this becomes a potential solution
- Evaluate the flipped version for feasibility

This technique surfaces unconventional approaches by breaking fixed thinking patterns.

Example: If the problem is "customer support takes too long"...
- Make it worse: "Hire untrained people, hide the contact form, respond in 2 weeks"
- Flip: "Train everyone deeply, put contact everywhere, guarantee 5-min response"

SCAMPER Method¶

Apply the SCAMPER technique to [EXISTING PRODUCT/FEATURE/PROCESS].

For each letter, generate 2-3 ideas:

- Substitute: What components, materials, or people could we swap?
- Combine: What could we merge to create something new?
- Adapt: What could we borrow from another industry or context?
- Modify/Magnify: What if we made it [X] times bigger/smaller/faster/slower?
- Put to another use: How else could this be used?
- Eliminate: What if we removed [FEATURE/STEP] entirely?
- Reverse/Rearrange: What if we did the opposite? Changed the order?

After generating all ideas, select the top 5 with the most potential and explain why each is compelling.

Naming and Branding¶

Product/Company Naming¶

Generate [N] name candidates for a [PRODUCT/COMPANY/FEATURE].

Description: [WHAT IT DOES, 1-2 SENTENCES]
Brand personality: [3-5 ADJECTIVES — e.g., "trustworthy, modern, playful, premium"]
Competitor names to differentiate from: [LIST]
Constraints:
- Domain availability matters? [YES/NO]
- Trademark search feasible? [YES/NO — if yes, favor unique coined words]
- Character limit: [MAX]
- Avoid: [ANY WORDS, THEMES, OR PATTERNS TO EXCLUDE]

Generate names in these categories:
1. Descriptive (says what it does — e.g., "MailChimp")
2. Evocative (suggests the feeling — e.g., "Slack")
3. Coined/Abstract (invented words — e.g., "Kodak")
4. Compound (two words merged — e.g., "YouTube")
5. Metaphorical (borrows from another domain — e.g., "Firebase")

For each name: pronunciation guide if needed, 1-sentence brand story hook.

Tagline and Messaging¶

Create tagline options and messaging pillars for [BRAND/PRODUCT].

Brand positioning: [1-2 SENTENCES]
Target audience: [WHO] with [WHAT NEED]
Key differentiator: [WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE]

Generate:
1. [N] taglines (under 8 words each), categorized as:
   - Benefit-focused (what the customer gets)
   - Aspirational (what the customer becomes)
   - Descriptive (what it is)
   - Provocative (challenges assumptions)

2. Three messaging pillars:
   - Pillar name + one-sentence explanation
   - 3 proof points per pillar
   - Customer quote or hypothetical testimonial for each

3. Voice and tone guidelines:
   - This, not that (examples of how we talk vs how we don't)
   - Vocabulary: words we use, words we avoid

Design Briefs¶

UI/UX Design Brief¶

Create a design brief for a [PAGE/FEATURE/FLOW] redesign.

Current state problem: [WHAT'S NOT WORKING]
User need: [WHAT THE USER IS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH]
Success metrics: [HOW WE'LL MEASURE IMPROVEMENT]

Include:
1. User story: "As a [USER TYPE], I want to [ACTION] so that [OUTCOME]"
2. Key screens/states: [LIST — e.g., empty, loading, error, populated, edge case]
3. Interaction patterns: [DESCRIBE KEY INTERACTIONS]
4. Content requirements: headings, body copy, labels, error messages
5. Accessibility requirements: keyboard nav, screen reader, color contrast
6. Technical constraints: [FRAMEWORK, BROWSER SUPPORT, PERFORMANCE BUDGET]
7. Competitor/Inspiration references: [LINKS TO EXAMPLES WORTH STUDYING]

The brief should be tight enough that a designer could start wireframing from it.

Brand Identity Brief¶

Create a brand identity brief for [COMPANY/PRODUCT].

Background: [FOUNDING STORY OR CONTEXT IN 2-3 SENTENCES]
Mission: [WHAT WE DO AND WHY]
Values: [3-5 CORE VALUES]
Target audience primary persona: [AGE, PROFESSION, PAIN POINTS, ASPIRATIONS]

Sections:
1. Visual direction: mood, color palette direction (3-5 colors), typography preferences
2. Logo direction: style (wordmark, icon, combination), what it should communicate
3. Photography/illustration style: [REALISTIC/ABSTRACT/ILLUSTRATIVE/DOCUMENTARY]
4. Applications needed: [WEBSITE, APP ICON, SOCIAL, PRINT, MERCH, ETC.]
5. Competitor brand audit: what to differentiate from visually
6. Non-negotiables: [MUST INCLUDE/EXCLUDE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS]

This brief should guide a designer or agency through initial concept development.

Creative Strategy¶

Campaign Concept¶

Develop [N] creative campaign concepts for [PRODUCT LAUNCH/PROMOTION/EVENT].

Objective: [WHAT THE CAMPAIGN NEEDS TO ACHIEVE]
Budget: [RANGE]
Channels: [WHERE IT RUNS — social, email, OOH, search, etc.]
Timeline: [DURATION]

For each concept provide:
- Campaign name / big idea (one line)
- Core insight: the human truth it's built on
- Key visual: describe the hero image or visual metaphor
- Headline examples: 3 options
- Channel execution: how it adapts across [LIST CHANNELS]
- Why it would resonate with [TARGET AUDIENCE]

Rate each concept on: memorability, shareability, and alignment with brand values (1-10 each).

Content Strategy Framework¶

Design a content strategy for [BRAND] targeting [AUDIENCE] on [PRIMARY CHANNELS].

Business goal: [WHAT CONTENT SHOULD DRIVE]
Content pillars (3-4):
1. [PILLAR 1] — [% of content mix] — [WHAT IT COVERS]
2. [PILLAR 2] — [% of content mix] — [WHAT IT COVERS]
3. [ETC.]

For each pillar:
- Content formats: [BLOG, VIDEO, SOCIAL, NEWSLETTER, PODCAST, ETC.]
- Cadence: [DAILY/WEEKLY/BIWEEKLY/MONTHLY]
- Example topics: [5-10 SPECIFIC HEADLINES]
- Distribution strategy: where it lives and how it's amplified
- Repurposing plan: how one piece becomes many (e.g., blog → twitter thread → newsletter → video)

Include a 90-day editorial calendar layout and KPIs for measuring content effectiveness.

Tips for Creative Prompts¶

Warm up the model. Start with "generate 20 bad ideas" then ask for good ones — it loosens constraints.
Specify quantity. "Give me 10 ideas" gets more varied output than "give me some ideas."
Use constraints as creative fuel. The tightest briefs often produce the most interesting work.
Ask for rationale. Understanding why an idea works is as valuable as the idea itself.
Iterate with "more like X." Once you see a direction you like, steer toward it explicitly.