Ideas are the life blood of a creative agency.  The Idea Generator was born from a simple notion that ideas can come from anywhere. But just because an idea can come from anywhere doesn't mean it exists in a vacuum. You need one great idea to inspire another. So how can a software application inspire ideas? Actually, it can't. What it can do is provide a system that minimizes the road blocks that stand in the way of great ideas. Some of those road blocks include: ego, risk, timing, devil's advocates, purpose, and reward.

What is the Idea Generator?
It is a web application that allows agencies and clients alike to discover their great ideas. The basics are simple: input, describe, categorize, search, sort, inspire, spawn. Users fill the system with relevant articles, creative solutions (that either inspired them or came up in a previous project but was rejected), usable tools (web tools with amazing functionality), and random thoughts. They can then search the database of ideas to help generate new concepts.

Why?
Everyone is creative. The only questions are, how so; how much; and how passionate are you? So many great ideas go unrecognized because we revere certain forms of creativity over others. But in this era of information, ideas are of increasing value.

A secondary purpose for instituting the idea generator for clients is the ability to seed ideas to clients. So many great ideas never get off the ground because the client didn't think of it (see My Big Fat Great Idea). The Idea Generator allows companies to see the great work that's out there and "come up with something on their own" which they'll then use the agency to execute on.

Oil Wells
A great idea that is not fully matured is like an oil well. When a driller puts an oil well up, it costs money. They need good probability that oil will strike. But that's not always the case. But with enough oil wells pumping in prime locations carefully considered, eventually the odds approach 100%.