If you have ever spent a long time working on a design, you have probably noticed that after a while you may feel there is something “not quite right” about what you are working on but you just can’t seem to put your thumb on it. In most cases, this is because you “intuitively” know that something is wrong. But the image of what you are working on is “burned” into your retina. The image that is before you has become more dominant than that of your mind’s creative eye. I have discovered a little trick from my days as a fine artist to solve this problem.
Keep a mirror handy.
When your creative vision begins to be overpowered by the images you have been looking at for so long. Look at you project in the mirror. By doing this, you are presenting a completely fresh and different image to your mind and retina, one that isn’t “burnt” into it. In that moment of a fresh look, try to find what is “off” about your design. It usually “smacks” me in the face when I use this method.
Do not use the mirror regularly. Save it for when you need this extra fresh view. If you keep using the mirror then the effect will not be as strong since your mind will be accustomed to the reverse image as well as the actual image.
Try this out and let me know if has been helpful for you as well.