- Paperback: 62 pages
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Contemporary; New edition edition (1 Feb 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0844230006
- ISBN-13: 978-0844230009
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 12.2 x 0.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 706,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Technique for Producing Ideas
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Product Description
Product Description
Produce ideas -- for anything -- on demand. This classic creative problem-solver walks you through a proven, step-by-step process to producing powerful and purposeful ideas and shows you how to:
-- Gather the raw materials -- those of your immediate problem and the materials which come from your store of general knowledge
-- Work over and incubate these materials in your mind
-- Shape and develop an idea for practical use
-- Gather the raw materials -- those of your immediate problem and the materials which come from your store of general knowledge
-- Work over and incubate these materials in your mind
-- Shape and develop an idea for practical use
From the Back Cover
A step-by-step technique for sparking breakthrough creativity in advertising--or any field
Since its publication in 1965, A Technique for Producing Ideas has helped thousands of advertising copywriters smash through internal barriers to unleash their creativity. Professionals from poets and painters to scientists and engineers have also used the techniques in this concise, powerful book to generate exciting ideas on demand, at any time, on any subject. Now let James Webb Young's unique insights help you look inside yourself to find that big, elusive idea--and once and for all lift the veil of mystery from the creative process.
"James Webb Young is in the tradition of some of our greatest thinkers when he describes the workings of the creative process. The results of many years in advertising have proved to him that the key element in communications success is the production of relevant and dramatic ideas. He not only makes this point vividly for us but shows us the road to that goal."
--William Bernbach, Former Chairman and CEO, Doyle Dane Bernbach Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
One day in my last year as an advertising agency executive in Chicago I had a telephone call from the western advertising manager of a well-known magazine. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
One day in my last year as an advertising agency executive in Chicago I had a telephone call from the western advertising manager of a well-known magazine. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
......that's all it takes to learn how to come up with new & creative ideas, time after time. As Young says, the idea & the technique itself are so plain & logically simple that you may even miss it; despite the fact that the book is only some 48 pages long. It's easy to read & in your haste to learn "the secret" you may finish the book too quickly. Some thoughtful reading is required, so please don't dismiss the book because of its apparent brevity.
The fact that the book has survived successfully for over 40 years in print is testament to Young unique (but not new) teaching.
Although Young does not refer to it, I am reminded of many writers & books that go into great detail explaining the "science of the mind" & the wonderful way the brain [or mind] works & how it can be used to spawn new ideas & create solutions to problems. Sometimes referred to Mental Science, its philosophy & teachings go back thousands of years & weren't fully recognised until around the time of the 1900's.
If after reading this you wish to develop & research this technique further, I would highly recommend Emmet Fox's "Power Through Constructive Thinking".
The fact that the book has survived successfully for over 40 years in print is testament to Young unique (but not new) teaching.
Although Young does not refer to it, I am reminded of many writers & books that go into great detail explaining the "science of the mind" & the wonderful way the brain [or mind] works & how it can be used to spawn new ideas & create solutions to problems. Sometimes referred to Mental Science, its philosophy & teachings go back thousands of years & weren't fully recognised until around the time of the 1900's.
If after reading this you wish to develop & research this technique further, I would highly recommend Emmet Fox's "Power Through Constructive Thinking".
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What surprises you first (if you weren't expecting it) is that the book is so very tiny. For £4.99 you don't get many words for your money, and the first ten pages are introductions and a preface. However, once you get into it, its brevity is its charm. I suspect that readers divide into two camps. The ones who think he's right (and probably already follow Young's methods) and the ones who don't (and probably don't). I'm pitching my tent in the first.
As Young said, he's wasn't afraid to give away his secrets because he was certain that hardly anyone would be prepared to put the work into step one. His five step method is simple but not easy. It's a bit like writing a guide to joining an orchestra and giving step one as passing grade eight violin, with distinction. He also suggested that you never stop observing and recording everything you notice in your daily life. The other thing I particularly like, but which isn't part of modern business, is allowing yourself time to do something completely different. Young reckons that you have to give your brain a pleasant distraction while your massed collection of many possible combinations of thoughts unconsiously comes up with the big idea.
You might have your big idea while you're relaxing in the bath, but it won't happen if you haven't studied all the possible options beforehand.
Great thinkers of the past permitted themselves a breathing space to solve problems. Brindley, the Duke of Bridgewater's canal engineer, used to retire to bed to think until he had come up with his solution. Imagine suggesting that to your boss.
While you're using your imagination, picture what might happen when an ambitious business type looking for a fast, wonder-fix comes across a little book that tells them they have to change the way they live in order to become a more creative person. Not such a big hit, perhaps. TO have to time for seriously good ideas, you've got to put down your Blackberry, work reasonable hours, spend time on other interests apart from work, but while you're there dedicate your life to learning more and more about your business or craft.
Get one, and while you're there, get a copy for everyone who demands that you produce an eldless stream of ideas with no time in between to top up your supply of new experiences.
As Young said, he's wasn't afraid to give away his secrets because he was certain that hardly anyone would be prepared to put the work into step one. His five step method is simple but not easy. It's a bit like writing a guide to joining an orchestra and giving step one as passing grade eight violin, with distinction. He also suggested that you never stop observing and recording everything you notice in your daily life. The other thing I particularly like, but which isn't part of modern business, is allowing yourself time to do something completely different. Young reckons that you have to give your brain a pleasant distraction while your massed collection of many possible combinations of thoughts unconsiously comes up with the big idea.
You might have your big idea while you're relaxing in the bath, but it won't happen if you haven't studied all the possible options beforehand.
Great thinkers of the past permitted themselves a breathing space to solve problems. Brindley, the Duke of Bridgewater's canal engineer, used to retire to bed to think until he had come up with his solution. Imagine suggesting that to your boss.
While you're using your imagination, picture what might happen when an ambitious business type looking for a fast, wonder-fix comes across a little book that tells them they have to change the way they live in order to become a more creative person. Not such a big hit, perhaps. TO have to time for seriously good ideas, you've got to put down your Blackberry, work reasonable hours, spend time on other interests apart from work, but while you're there dedicate your life to learning more and more about your business or craft.
Get one, and while you're there, get a copy for everyone who demands that you produce an eldless stream of ideas with no time in between to top up your supply of new experiences.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
How can a book of less than fifty pages, published over sixty years ago, be relevant and useful to us now? Let me count the ways. This is a gem and deserves to be used (important point: not just read, but used) by anyone who wants to come up with more and better ideas, whether being creative is part of your job description, a hobby or simply an important part of how you live your life. Mr Young writes knowledgeably and humorously, outlines a straightforward five-step process - then challenges us to follow it.
Some creative souls may worry that this book will so demystify the process, they may lose their `magic'; that everyone out there, having read this book, will be able to have a go. That's Young's challenge: few of us will believe that producing ideas can really be so simple, and of those that do, few will try. Hi s book shows us the ways and means to do just that.
Some creative souls may worry that this book will so demystify the process, they may lose their `magic'; that everyone out there, having read this book, will be able to have a go. That's Young's challenge: few of us will believe that producing ideas can really be so simple, and of those that do, few will try. Hi s book shows us the ways and means to do just that.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not worth it
i had high hopes for this little book as it was recommended by luke johnson. its very thin, you can read it in an hour but they could probably condense it to a page.
Published 3 months ago by Laura Presa
Nice little book
Nice little book. Padded with extras at the beginning and end because the core advice itself - i.e. the five steps that produce a good idea - is so short and probably wouldn't... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. A. Hussain
Five steps
This is a very useful book for those who need to generate ideas, which i guess is most of us. Follow the steps and see if it works.
Published 6 months ago by Mr. Kevin Francis Mole
A gem
A tiny little book but a gem.
Does what it says on the tin.
I guess somebody used these techniques to come up with that slogan. Read more
Does what it says on the tin.
I guess somebody used these techniques to come up with that slogan. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Peter W. Burden
Short and good
This book is short. Which is a good thing. You will have an aha moment when you read it. It would seem obvious, but don't dismiss it. Just try it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ondrej Ilincev
the best book ever written on producing ideas...
this book should be required reading for everyone who is in the creative industries. it's tiny, can be read in an hour or less and is incredibly easy to apply. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Gcrikey
I can't think!
Should be titled "Stating the obvious" Not the best book I have ever read. Seemed to take a long time to actually say very little.
Published 10 months ago by Jb Fethers
Probably a must-have in its day
I bought this book because I've heard it mentioned often and it's really cheap!
It's also a very short book with quite large type! Read more
It's also a very short book with quite large type! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Em
Well worth it
This is a very short book, and half of that is waffle. Despite this, I think that it contains some very valuable information. Read more
Published 20 months ago by mcdowella
Some good Points, but lots of waffle
I bought the book expecting to learn something, possibly something significant. There's a good set of points on the author's preferred method of coming up with ideas - very sound... Read more
Published 23 months ago by L. Paterson
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